Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord,
-2 Corinthians 8:1-3
The deeper their need, the more the Macedonian Christians gave. In doing so, they revealed their true heart. The church at Jerusalem had been caught in an economic crunch brought on by drought. Animals died, crops shriveled, and people were going hungry. Meanwhile, over in Macedonia, the ruling Romans levied oppressive taxes, shut down the region’s gold and silver mines, and forbad the Macedonians to cut down trees to build houses and ships. The situation was dire, but the Christians of Macedonia gave generously to Jerusalem in spite of it. They focused away from their need to the need of others.
There are a lot of formulas for licking poverty, but none better than that. There is no record that the Macedonians got rich. But you can be certain that God supplied the followers of Christ midst their poverty so they could give.
The getting heart may be at the core of national economies, but the giving heart is the engine that drives the economy of God’s Kingdom.
TODAY’S HEART FOCUS
Thank God for your blessings, and ask Him to show you how to give in proportion to your need as well as your abundance.