I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!—pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians. (The Message)
Paul is teaching the Corinthians an important lesson with this story. He is telling them about the generosity of people who the Corinthians assumed were some of the poorest of the poor. Behind the story looms the question, if they could give so generously what is keeping you from giving even more? This isn't a unique circumstance however. I regularly come across statistics that show people with lower incomes give a higher percentage of their resources to charity than those with more resources. In fact Paul says they gave more than they could afford!
Some thoughts to ponder and share with others:
- Do you think Paul was surprised by the giving of the Macedonians? Why or why not?
- Have you ever been on the receiving end of a gift that was truly extravagant from someone you didn't think could afford it? How did it make you feel?
- What do you think is an appropriate percentage of your resources to give to others on a regular basis?
- Where is God inviting you to give generously even extravagantly to this Christmas season?
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