2 Corinthians 8:1-5   We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints-- and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

Isn't it interesting that Paul said they were under "a severe test of affliction", and yet they had an abundance of joy even in their extreme poverty?  What was the result?  It all overflowed in a wealth of generosity.  So much so that they begged to give.  When is the last time you begged to give to someone in need, or you begged to give in the offering plate?
​
How should we give to those in need?  Not as you might expect.  Instead of deciding how much you can afford to give, do what the Macedonians did.  First, give yourself to the Lord.  And then give as He directs you.  Give yourself to those in need “by the will of God”.

John 14:23    … “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Do you want to know God?  Wouldn't you like to "be at home" with God?  Love Jesus, and keep His words.  Then you will know the fellowship of the Father and the Son living in you.

Psalm 118:22-23   The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.  This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

Jesus spoke these well-known words to the religious leaders of His day.  What they didn't realize was that Jesus is the cornerstone, rejected by them but exalted by His Father.

It is the Lord's doing; is it marvelous in your eyes?

Is Jesus the cornerstone of your life?

Acts 11:25-26   So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

But wait, wasn't that the same Saul who created the persecution of the church?  Wasn't he the one that was "breathing murderous threats" against the believers?

Yes.  He's the same man.  But you have to understand.  He's not the same man.  The Saul that wanted to kill all the Christians because he saw them as a threat to the religion of Judaism met Jesus.  And he was never the same.

How about you?  Have you met Jesus?  Has He changed your life?  Trust Him.  Live for Him.  You will never be the same.

Matthew 7:7-8   Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

The literal translation tells us to keep on asking, don’t stop seeking, knock until your hand is too raw to knock anymore.

​In other words, pray with audacity, and don't quit!

Pray with faith that God hears you, loves you and wants His best for you. Nothing can be better than that!

Psalm 17:8-9   Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies who surround me.

Psalm 57:1   Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.  

These are prayers for protection from enemies & from the storms of life.  God loves us, and He cares for us as His children.  He protects us from the evil one.  But we don’t just hide in the shadow of God’s wings to be safe.

Psalm 36:7   How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 

Taking refuge in shadow of God’s wings is the place where we encounter God’s love.  Yes, He protects us, and guards us from evil.  But He also lets us feel His heartbeat when we are under His wings.  We hear His heart, we feel His protection all around us, and we hear His voice telling us that He loves us.

And this love and protection is not just for today, it's forever.

Psalm 61:4   Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!

There is one more thing we receive when we choose to live in Christ's love, under the wings of God.  Joy!

Psalm 63:7   for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.  

Mark 10:43b-44   ... Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.

That was a shocking statement.  To be great, you need to serve, and to be first, you must put yourself last.  But it's hard to be humble.  Did Jesus give us an example to follow?

In verse 45, Jesus said, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

When Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, Judas included, He was leading by example.  He said that they (and we) should do as He did.

What did He do?  He humbled Himself, He became a servant, and He gave His life as a ransom for you and me.  He died in our place.  What more could He have done?

Matthew 26:6-7   Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 

Mary gave a gift of great value.  She also gave of herself.   When Mary came to the feet of Jesus, she took the place of a slave. When she undid her hair (something Jewish women never did in public), she humbled herself and laid her own glory at His feet. When she broke the alabaster box of perfume, she gave the best she had. It was a public, sacrificial and lavish gift.
She gave a very precious perfume that came from the Himalayas in northern India. It came sealed in an alabaster box, and it was to be opened only on special occasions. The perfume itself was worth 300 denarii, 11 months wages, and perhaps Mary’s entire life savings. It was the best she had, and she gave it all to Jesus.

What have you given to Jesus?  Have you given sacrificially?  Do you give out of your surplus, or do you give all you have?

Do you give your surplus of time?  Or do you willingly, out of love for Jesus, give of yourself even when it is inconvenient, when you would rather be doing something else?  Mary humbled herself by kneeling at the feet of Jesus, letting down her hair and giving the best of her possessions and the best of herself.  What will you give Jesus?  Will you give Him your life?

Paul said in Philippians 1:21:    For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

He also stated in Galatians 2:20:  I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

He gave Himself for you.  Will you give yourself for Him?

2 Corinthians 5:21   For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Not only did Jesus die on the cross in our place, but He BECAME our sin.  He chose to experience hell in our place.

Why?  So that we may be righteous, holy before holy God.

Have you chosen to accept this gift?  Come to Jesus today!

Mark 8:34-35    And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 

Mark 10:42-45   And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus, the greatest among us, became our servant.  If we want to walk with Him, we too must serve, especially in times of uncertainty and fear.  If we are truly going to follow Jesus, we need to humble ourselves.  You don’t become a servant simply by deciding to.  Service comes from the heart.

As John the Baptizer said in John 3:30,   “He must increase, but I must decrease.”