2 Corinthians 8:5
Think of a time when you selflessly sacrificed something. It could be as simple as letting someone eat the last slice of pizza that you really wanted. I’m kidding… but really! Every day there are sacrifices to be made; your time, your resources, your money. But imagine giving more than that.
Our culture is “me”-centric. We have a hard time giving up our time, resources and money because we feel as if we lose something for ourselves. We already feel as if we don’t have enough of those things; how could we give? How could we give even more?
I recommend reading all of 2 Corinthians 8 to get the full context, but it is referencing the Macedonian church who, despite going through severe trials, had an overflowing joy that led them to selflessly sacrifice and give more than they were able to. This is a hard concept to grasp, and it initially entices fear within us. What if it leaves us with nothing?
A verse that I love in this scripture is verse 5. “And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.” As we live out our faith, the most important way that we can selflessly give, is to give ourselves fully to Him. We are called to die to self and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). If we surrender ourselves completely to Him; our heart, our finances, our time, our bodies, our work, our resources, our homes; He will use them.
There are many times in the Bible that we can see where people have given all that they have because they trusted God’s lead. Giving ourselves fully to God goes hand in hand with giving those things like time, money, and resources. We know that everything that we have has been given to us by God. When we offer ourselves to God, we offer all that we have to be used to bring glory to Him.
This isn’t easy. As I mentioned, we are innately selfish humans. We have a desire to please ourselves. Being sacrificial, let alone, beyond expectation, is something that you have to consciously do every single day. Trust that God will provide where you need Him to and generously give. Serve Him with your time. Pause your self care routine and pray. Give up that 30 minutes of TV in the evening to be in the Bible. Save your $7 coffee money for a week and add it to your tithe; or bless someone who is in need. I, myself, am reminded that I fail at this often, but take some time to pray and ask God to help you be more sacrificial. Offer yourself fully to Him and trust that He will protect and provide. God doesn’t need anything from us, but He does want us.
Our culture is “me”-centric. We have a hard time giving up our time, resources and money because we feel as if we lose something for ourselves. We already feel as if we don’t have enough of those things; how could we give? How could we give even more?
I recommend reading all of 2 Corinthians 8 to get the full context, but it is referencing the Macedonian church who, despite going through severe trials, had an overflowing joy that led them to selflessly sacrifice and give more than they were able to. This is a hard concept to grasp, and it initially entices fear within us. What if it leaves us with nothing?
A verse that I love in this scripture is verse 5. “And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.” As we live out our faith, the most important way that we can selflessly give, is to give ourselves fully to Him. We are called to die to self and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). If we surrender ourselves completely to Him; our heart, our finances, our time, our bodies, our work, our resources, our homes; He will use them.
There are many times in the Bible that we can see where people have given all that they have because they trusted God’s lead. Giving ourselves fully to God goes hand in hand with giving those things like time, money, and resources. We know that everything that we have has been given to us by God. When we offer ourselves to God, we offer all that we have to be used to bring glory to Him.
This isn’t easy. As I mentioned, we are innately selfish humans. We have a desire to please ourselves. Being sacrificial, let alone, beyond expectation, is something that you have to consciously do every single day. Trust that God will provide where you need Him to and generously give. Serve Him with your time. Pause your self care routine and pray. Give up that 30 minutes of TV in the evening to be in the Bible. Save your $7 coffee money for a week and add it to your tithe; or bless someone who is in need. I, myself, am reminded that I fail at this often, but take some time to pray and ask God to help you be more sacrificial. Offer yourself fully to Him and trust that He will protect and provide. God doesn’t need anything from us, but He does want us.
Posted in Devotional