"And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will."
Look at these poor people giving their money away - they even ask for the privilege of doing so! What did these Macedonians have that we don't have?
I think they asked the right question first. They did not ask "How much shall I give?", but must have realized that the preceding question "Who is the real owner of everything I have?". Maybe, the question is upstream from there. More foundational: "Who owns me?"
That's the real question we have to ask ourselves and our donor friends. We cannot meet with people and we beat around the bush to see how generous they are feeling before we do the "ask".
As I compiled the year-end statistics I learned that the Lord brought in almost 40% more than last year. As wonderful as this overall number is, there are wonderful stories behind this:
- The new family that didn't think they could afford the tuition and they gave a big gift
- The donor with no children but sees this school as critical for our area and wants to scholarship a student
- The non-Christian couple who loves our school and volunteers in many ways - they gave generously
- The grandparents who increased their giving by 40%
Each one of these is a reason to celebrate God's goodness. Let's make sure we don't lose these precious gems while we gaze at the whole jewelry case.
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