Thought of the Day !!

They begged us again and again for the gracious privilege of sharing in the gift for the Christians in Jerusalem.
2 Corinthians 8:4

Paul has been going around asking for donations for the church in Jerusalem, for they've come upon hard times. As he writes to the Corinthians, he tells them about his experience with the churches in Macedonia. They are poor churches as well. But when Paul came to them, they "overflowed in rich generosity." When these churches gave, they gave because they wanted to. They were not prodded or guilted into giving. Paul writes that they gave of their own free will.

This is like going to India, which I think we would all agree is an economically depressed area, and asking for money to be taken to Africa, another economically depressed area. So why did these Macedonians give so freely? They gave because they saw their giving as a privilege that God was allowing them to partake in. They saw it as something that they could do in return for the great gift that Jesus had given them in freeing them from their sins and giving them eternal life.

Yesterday, while I was preaching, I asked my treasurer how many people had come to her and begged her for the privilege of giving more money to the church. She smiled and said none. The congregation got a giggle out of it. And then I told them that no one had ever come to me begging for the privilege of serving Jesus either.

Why is it that these churches "begged...again and again for the gracious privilege of sharing in the gift..." of serving? And more importantly, why don't we?

This passage is about how the churches in Macedonia gave their money freely. But never think that God wants your money only. God wants all of who we are. That means that we are called to give of our money, our time, our talents and our efforts.

What would this world be like if we all were to beg to have the gracious privilege of serving Christ...and then go out and do it?

In the love of Christ,
greg