Give it All
1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.
3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. 5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.
6 So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. 7 Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.
2 Corinthians 8:1-7 NLT
God loves a cheerful giver. In these verses the Apostle Paul is writing to the Corinthians about the giving of the churches in Macedonia, to encourage the Corinthians to continue in their own giving. He points out that the Macedonian church is poor and being persecuted, yet they still have joy; and giving is the outflow of their abundant joy. They gave because they wanted to give, and not because they were pressured into it. The Macedonians even counted it as a privilege to give to help other believers. Similar to the widow's offering that I wrote about a couple days ago, they gave above and beyond what they could "afford." The interesting part is that Paul wasn't necessarily surprised by their monetary giving; but by their giving of themselves to the Lord and to all those with Paul. As Christians we are called to give money and ourselves.