Thought for December 23, 2024

•  1788: Maryland votes to cede 10 square miles for the District of Columbia
• 1815: "Emma" by Jane Austen published
• 1823: Clement Moore publishes "A Visit from St. Nicholas"
• 1888: Vincent Van Gough cuts off his ear
• 1913: President Wilson signs the Federal Reserve Act
• 1946: University of Tennessee refuses to play Duquesne in basketball when Duquesne suggests it might play a black athlete
• 1947: Transistor invented at Bell Labs
• 1954: First Human kidney transplant
• 1968: Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders are first men to circle the moon
• 1972: Immaculate Reception, Bradshaw  to Franco Harris by way of either the Raiders safety, Jack Tatum, or the Steelers receiver, John Fuqua
• Born: Joseph Smith, Paul Hornung, Susan Lucci, Bill Roidgers [marathon], Jim Harbaugh
• Died: John Cotton [father of New England Congregationalist], Anthony Fokker, Jack Webb, Victor Borge, Oscar Peterson [jazz], Mikhail Kalashnikov [AK-47]

Thought:

Reading 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 today. I am always amazed by these verses. Back in 1 Corinthians 16, Paul speaks of the collection for the saints in Jerusalem who are suffering. He urges the curches to take a collection that he will send to Jerusalem. In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul is writing a second time to the church at Corinth to encourage them to make a proper collection for the saints in Jerusalem. To do that, he uses the churches of Macedonia. This would include churches in Berea, Philippi, and Thessalonica. Read these five verses and notice:

• The churches were afflicted and in deep poverty. Think about that. Paul is going to use as an example of generous and sacrificial giving churches that are suffering terrible affliction and deep poverty. He is not using some wealthy but generous church giving out of plenty, a church that is experiencing prosperity. Why? Because the example is not about the ability of the church. We know this because Paul tells us the church gave "beyond their ability." [8:3] So we have a church in affliction and poverty giving beyond its ability. What does that say to me? 
• The churches gave voluntarily, not under pressure or compulsion. [8:3] Notice, these churches begged to participate in the offering. Afflicted and poor they begged to be permitted to partipate in giving for the saints. Sounds like the collection might have been taken up for them, yet they are begging to join in. 
• The churches gave out of an abundance of joy. [8:2] They may not have had an abundance of possessions or wealth, but they were overflowing with joy. When you are afflicted and poor, do you overflow with joy? I admit that I might not. 
• The key to generous and joyful giving when afflicted and poor---they first gave themselves to the Lord. [8:5] When we give ourselves fully and completely to Him, what changes. We walk in His strength, we have His resources, we acknowledge that what we steward is owned by Him. When we give ourselves to Him, He pours into us joy, peace, love, gratitude, patience, kindness, gentleness. He is our sufficiency and provider. 
• Now consider that total devotion to Him, total reliance on Him, total dependence on Him, yields peace and joy which frees us to give of our time and resources knowing that God loves a cheerful giver. 

Now the focus here is on the giving of funds for the saints in Jerusalem, but the principle is more broad. When totally committed to Him, we can freely and generously give of our time, talents, and resources because they all belong to Him. And He floods us with joy and peace so that it overflows. 

Blessings

Larry