God is calling me to generosity!

2 Cor 8:1-4

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.

I have always been impressed by this writing of Paul about the church in Macedonia. Paul is clear that they are in the midst of hardship. Severe trial. Extreme poverty. This does not seem like fertile soil for generous people.

Yet, he is clear, even in the midst of trial they were rich in generosity. They gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability.

This is not a devotion to twist arms towards church giving. This is simply a reminder to all of us who are in the midst of an inflated economy, with soaring house prices and car prices, and burdens that seem to show up weekly, that we are still called to be generous towards God.

We are called to live towards him in a spirit of faith that he can and will provide. Remember who Jesus praised in the temple, the woman who gave the smallest sum because it was also the biggest sacrifice.

It is easy in this season we are approaching to be caught up in gift buying and the extravagance of the Christmas celebration (none of which are necessarily bad), but I urge you to consider how you can support something more than our own abundance. How can you be generous with your time, your stuff, your resources, and even your money this season? Who can you help? Who can you bless? What can you sacrifice so that someone else can have?

This has been a great year at our church and we have many things to celebrate. If you are contributing to our church, I want to say thank you. Your generosity not only feeds my family but it helps us feed people with the Word of God. If you have not started giving, maybe God is calling you to say no to something so that you can say yes to this. Even if you are giving, I still think we can hear God calling us to take another step of faith in the world of our finances. I know that he has done that with me multiple times in the past year and a half.

I do not know the outcome, but I do know that God calls us to be generous people. You can be generous with many things. Will you?