Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
Psalm 66:8-12

My Soul in Stillness Waits

Daily Devotion – December 11, 2024

Devotion based on Psalm 66:8-12

See series: Devotions

When our kids were little, we had a song for special occasions. If one of them complained about something they were given, my wife and I would sing. “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.” It drove them crazy, but it taught them an important lesson about our God.

The psalmist teaches us that God’s love may lead us into seasons of difficulty. Like a silversmith, God uses fiery trials to refine, not roast us. He is preparing our hearts to receive his blessings.

Life doesn’t always go as you plan. But isn’t that the real story of Christmas? How long did God’s people wait for the Messiah? Did Joseph plan to marry his betrothed? Did Mary plan to be the mother of Jesus? Did they plan to walk over seventy miles in the last month of Mary’s pregnancy to spend their honeymoon in Bethlehem? Did they plan to be in a barn when this child came into the world?

We celebrate a King who didn’t come as expected—wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger. We worship a King that the world wasn’t looking for—crowned in thorns and nailed to a tree. But look what God did through him! We have a loving Savior who endured terrible things he didn’t deserve so we might receive his abundant blessings. Through his suffering, death, and resurrection, God turns sinners into saints.

You may not get what you want this Christmas but praise God anyway. In Christ, you get everything you need. Through every test and every burden, God refines your faith and strengthens you to persevere in the way that leads to eternal life.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you that in giving me your Son as my Savior, you have given me everything I need. Amen.

Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.”
Psalm 66:1-4

Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord

Daily Devotion – December 9, 2024

Devotion based on Psalm 66:1-4

See series: Devotions

Do you enjoy Christmas carols? What about those music stations that play Christmas songs twenty-four hours a day?

Christmas carols began as expressions of humble praise to God. But many of the songs we hear today are about red-nosed reindeer, snowmen, and sleigh rides. Sure, those songs can be fun, and there is nothing wrong with innocent fun. But they are empty of praise.

Real praise joyfully responds with humble adoration to God’s powerful work. At Christmas, we rejoice that God came to earth. Through his humble life, God demonstrates the awesome power of sacrificial love.

In giving us his Son, God was gifting us something we could never pay for and definitely do not deserve—forgiveness for all our sins, victory over our spiritual enemies, and eternal life.

Our God wants everyone to benefit from his gracious gift. So, keep singing those carols! Make his praise glorious! Sing with joy and enthusiasm! And if you can’t make music, listen with a heart tuned to praise that Christ came to earth. Let everyone know about the perfect gift we have been given—God with us! God for us!

Prayer: (Christian Worship: Hymnal – 315, vs 4)
Savior, hear my welcome cry—loud hosannas lifted high! King of glory, enter in; cleanse my soul of every sin. Amen.

“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.”
Jeremiah 33:14

A Fulfilled Promise Brings Hope

Daily Devotion – December 7, 2024

Devotion based on Jeremiah 33:14

See series: Devotions

When a dog hears you say outside or walk, you better be taking that dog for a walk! Even if it’s something that only sounds like one of those words, he’s hearing you make a promise, “We’re going for a walk!”

When a child hears the hint or suggestion of doing something or going somewhere exciting, don’t they react with similar enthusiasm? What a thrill when a child hears a parent announce, “Pack a bag. We are leaving for grandma and grandpa’s house tomorrow!” Oh my, what excitement. From a child’s perspective, they just can’t wait!

Sadly, there are times when promises made become promises broken. Someone did not keep their word. The let-down is huge. The disappointment is real. When that begins to happen too often, we question if the promise is real. We stop believing.

Not so with our Lord. “The days are coming…,” he promised. Although the wait seemed long to God’s people of the Old Testament, God’s promises remained with them. God had made and fulfilled many promises to his people.

Those fulfilled promises were preludes to a greater promise—or as Jeremiah called it in today’s Bible passage, “the good promise.” All God’s promises gave people hope in God’s greater promise yet to be fulfilled. This promise was so good that God repeated it over and over to his people throughout history. People believed in it. Why? Because God was the promise-maker. The Lord always keeps his promises!

The season of Advent before Christmas is so exciting—Christ is coming! It means God kept his “good promise” that he made to us! God’s fulfilled promises give us the certain hope—that when God makes a promise, he will always keep it!

Prayer:
God of fulfilled promises, make good of your promise to return to me. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
1 Thessalonians 3:12

He Comes to Grow Us in Love

Daily Devotion – December 5, 2024

Devotion based on 1 Thessalonians 3:12

See series: Devotions

There is universal agreement that the world needs more love. Politicians proclaim that we need to show more love to each other. Law enforcement is dismayed by the lack of love in their communities. Families struggle where there is a lack of love.

If we all agree that the world needs more love, why isn’t there?

There’s nothing wrong with the concept. Showing genuine love to others and receiving it from others is always a blessing.

The problem lies in the execution. We don’t carry out what we proclaim. The entertainer who walks off the stage with an “I love you” doesn’t even know your name. And if you showed up at her house to get an autograph, likely the response would be less than an embrace and a dinner invitation.

More seriously, we all struggle to do what’s needed—more love. Because what is fighting us constantly in showing more love is a sinful nature that inherently will always put itself first.

But there is one who came in perfect love. Only love could cause the purity and perfection of God to clothe himself with flesh. Jesus humbled himself so that he could move from the manger to the cross and to the tomb. Every step that he took on this frail planet was taken in love.

And it is his love that inspires our love. Since God loved us, we have the motive and the example to show God’s love to others in how we speak and act.

More love? Absolutely. We all need it. And Christians have the best reason and the best way to show it. Point to the perfect love of Jesus.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me always see and appreciate your sacrificial love in being my Savior. And then strengthen me to show and share that love in my life. Amen.

Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
1 Thessalonians 3:10

He Comes to Increase Our Faith

Daily Devotion – December 3, 2024

Devotion based on 1 Thessalonians 3:10

See series: Devotions

You are missing something. As you are preparing dinner for your family you realize that one key ingredient is missing. Do you try to find a substitute? Do you just ignore it and hope for the best? Or do you drop everything and run to the store because you know that it just will not taste the same without it?

The world is missing something. Every day, a different “secret sauce” is marketed to make me happier and healthier, look younger, lose weight, get richer, live longer—the list goes on and on. But even if I can shed those stubborn pounds and smooth out a few wrinkles, how long before the next chocolate chip cookie or the newest line in my skin sends me looking for the next “something” that will fix all my problems?

You and I possess far greater problems than the externals that people can see and judge us by. There is One who sees the internal—our hearts and our souls. He knows our lives and what we do and say and think. And he, our God, has every right to judge us by our deeds and words.

Jesus came to give us what we lack. The perfect obedience that God demands he gives to us through faith in his Son. Jesus came to take away the sins that we commit. And then he gives us the ingredients to build us up in faith.

The Bible. Baptism. The Lord’s Supper. They seem so simple. We might want something more dramatic. We might expect we have to sacrifice or somehow do something to deserve to receive his message. We might think we have to do something drastic to find the secret sauce.

But this is how he builds us in faith. Through a steady diet of his Word, God comes to us, builds us up in faith, and keeps us strong to handle the problems that life throws at us. And through his Word, we have all that we need.

Prayer:
Lord, make me glad to worship you and seek out your Word so that I may grow in you. Amen.

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
1 Thessalonians 3:12

Hope That Increases Love

Daily Devotion – December 1, 2024

Devotion based on 1 Thessalonians 3:12

See series: Devotions

The weeks before Christmas are called Advent—a Latin word that means “coming.” Advent invites us to wait—quietly and patiently for Jesus to come this Christmas. But do you know how hard it is to wait? Holiday times are hectic and stressful. We sing “Joy to the World,” but family fighting, overspending, and physical exhaustion steal our joy and drain our love. When we get impatient or speak sarcastically, it shows our supply of love is running on empty.

But what if God could give the kind of holiday love that increases your love and patience in the coming days before Christmas? Would that help as you wait? Would that make it easier for others to be around you? God wants to fill you up with his love. Every day before Christmas, we remember why we look forward to celebrating Jesus’ birth. His tiny hands and feet born at Christmas were the same hands and feet that died on the cross. Now, the living Jesus is the proof we need that “God will always love me!”

As you head into the first weekend of December, hear the voice of Advent encourage, “Wait, slow down a bit! Don’t get entangled in the hustle and bustle of the season. Get focused instead on what really matters. It’s Jesus.” Love is God’s gift to you. Christ’s love makes it possible for our hearts to brim over with love and patience for others like our children or spouse, our siblings or coworkers, our friends and neighbors.

While you patiently wait for Christmas to come, pray that God would fill our hearts, souls, and minds that we want to share this love with someone who is empty inside and desperately in need of love. No outside love can fill that void. Only Jesus and his love can!

Prayer:
Dear Lord, as I wait for your coming, supply what you know is lacking inside me. Deepen my faith and fill me with your love so that my love increases for you and for others. Amen.

[Jesus said] “If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.”
Mark 13:36

Sleeping

Daily Devotion – November 29, 2024

Devotion based on Mark 13:36

See series: Devotions

Jay Leno is one of the most successful comedians of all time. When he was first starting, however, his finances were tight. To save money he would find various places to sleep at night. When he could not stay at a friend’s place or in some back room of a comedy club, he would sometimes find a home for sale that was having an Open House, greet the realtor and look through the house. Then, when the realtor was elsewhere, Leno would loudly say, “I’m going now. Goodbye!” He’d slam the door, then hide in a closet until the realtor left for the day. He got by with this ruse until one realtor came early the next morning and found him asleep in a bedroom. Beet red with embarrassment, he ran out as fast as he could.

To be asleep in a highly inappropriate place or at a highly inappropriate time is the kind of cringe-worthy moment the Lord Jesus uses to focus our attention on our relationship with him. More than anyone, Jesus knows that, in this broken world full of temptations and distractions, all kinds of things can make us spiritually sleepy—inattentive and careless.

This is dangerous because, little by little, the distractions and temptations of this world can ease us into no longer fixing our eyes on Jesus. Instead, we allow our sleepy eyes to fill with other images—our work, hobbies, social life, popularity, recreation, children, grandchildren, retirement plan, and health. Please understand that these are all wonderful blessings from God. But when any one of these displaces our focus on our only Savior, then we have fallen asleep, and we are in a dark and lethal place.

Thank the Lord that he pursues us. In love, he rouses us from our slumber, calls us to repentance, and refreshes us in sweet assurance of his full forgiveness purchased at Calvary’s cross. And it is that very refreshment of forgiveness that empowers us to be alert once again.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when I grow sleepy, awaken me. In your gospel, refresh me once again. Amen.

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith.
Jude 1:20

Breastworks

Daily Devotion – November 27, 2024

Devotion based on Jude 1:20

See series: Devotions

“Pop” Greene had a big problem. The Civil War battle of Gettysburg was getting underway. His commanding officer had just ordered him to defend a key hill that the enemy troops would soon attack. The problem was that Pop did not know if he had enough men to do the job. As a result, Pop Greene made a key decision. He decided to do what his commanding officer thought was not worth the time or effort and decided to build breastworks.

He ordered his men to chop down trees. From these trees, they built solid, protective barriers behind which to stand. The men kept at it, doing all they could to transform their hill into a fortress. Then, the enemy troops attacked. By comparison, Pop’s men were small in number. But so strong were the breastworks that Pop Greene’s modest unit was able to hold the hill. If they hadn’t, the Battle of Gettysburg—and the history of the United States—may have turned out very differently.

Enemy troops are gathered to attack you and me as well. Satan and his demons are coordinating with the temptations of this fallen world and our old sinful selves. Their next attack is not a question of “if.” It’s simply a question of “when.”

However, between now and the next attack, you and I have something extraordinary at our disposal. We have the living, enduring Word of God. We have the good news of what Jesus Christ has done to make us his own—to live a perfect life in our place, to suffer and die at Calvary’s cross for our sins.

With all this at hand, spiritual breastworks are built—breastworks of faith, truth, and solid certainty in the promises of our Savior. When you and I roll up our sleeves and grow in the Word of our Lord, his Holy Spirit builds us up. He constructs a spiritual fortress behind which you and I stand. Then, when the enemies attack, they will not prevail.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, build me up in your Word. Build me up in your gospel. For victory is in you alone. Amen.

My salvation is on the way.
Isaiah 51:5

On the Way

Daily Devotion – November 25, 2024

Devotion based on Isaiah 51:5

See series: Devotions

During World War I, Eddie Rickenbacker received a Congressional Medal of Honor for his prowess as a fighter pilot. Years later, during World War II, Eddie received a request to monitor military operations in the Pacific as a civilian observer. He and six others climbed aboard a B-17 for what should have been a routine trip. However, all sense of routine in this mission vanished when the plane went down. Suddenly, seven men were huddled in life rafts in the middle of the ocean.

As the days passed into weeks, their prospects went from hopeful, to serious, to critical, to desperate. Finally, on day twenty-one, they heard a sound. As Rickenbacker looked up, he saw a U.S. Navy plane flying overhead. It came in close—so close that he could see the pilot smiling at them and waving. From that moment on, they knew everything would be all right. Help was on the way.

Perhaps you have had periods in your life when you feel as though you were drifting on an empty ocean. Perhaps you are in such a period right now. At such times, you can feel hopeless, anxious, desperate, confused, and alone.

Sin can do that—your sin and mine. It isolates us from God and others. It smothers us in grief and regret. It surrounds us in unease and fear. It puts us in a dark void where the devil can convince us that we are all alone.

But that’s why Jesus came. He came to rescue us from our ocean of desperation. On our behalf, he lived the life of perfect faithfulness you and I have failed to live. In our place, he washed us clean of our every sinful failure through his suffering and death on the cross. Then he rose from the dead and walked out of his tomb.

For that reason, you have something far more certain than a smiling, waving Navy pilot. You have the cross and an empty tomb. And now, through his Word, your Savior assures you that he is on the way. He surrounds you in his grace. He is guiding all things for your good.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, because of you, I know your deliverance is on the way. Thank you. Amen.

[Jesus said] “Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”
John 5:25

Power Over Death

Daily Devotion – November 23, 2024

Devotion based on John 5:25

See series: Devotions

We all know what dead is. Dead is powerless and permanent. When someone or something has died, there is no coming back from it. The chances of recovery are now gone. The best veterinarian in the world cannot do anything for a dog that has been tragically killed by a car. The best doctors cannot dig up a grave and revive its occupant.

Since death is so severe and so permanent, it is terrifying. But then there is Jesus. The almighty Son of God has power even over death. He showed that power several times during his earthly ministry by restoring life to someone who had died. He proved it beyond any doubt by rising from the grave himself.

Jesus’ power over death is for you. He said, “Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” Jesus has the power to give you life right now. In fact, his power is so great that it comes simply through his voice.

The voice of Jesus is heard in the Bible. It is here that you hear the life-giving fact that your sins have been removed forever—washed away by the blood of God’s own Son.

We need to hear that life-giving voice because nothing kills like guilt does. Our mistakes haunt us because we know that we can never go back and undo what we have done. Try as we might, we are still powerless to remove those black marks from our record and make ourselves right with God.

Jesus is not powerless. He paid the price to remove your sin and guilt. And now, through his Word, he gives you the life-giving message that because of what he has done, you are right with God.

Listen to his voice and live.

Prayer:
Jesus, my Savior, you alone have the power to give me life. Open my ears so that I may hear your voice in your Word. Touch my heart that I may trust it and live. Amen.

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.”
Daniel 12:1

No Need to Fear

Daily Devotion – November 21, 2024

Devotion based on Daniel 12:1

See series: Devotions

The people of Judah were living in exile, far from the land God had promised them, forced to settle in Babylon—a foreign land filled with false gods, foreign customs, and oppression. Their temple had been destroyed, and many of them felt as though God had abandoned them. Their situation was bleak, and discouragement must have often settled in their hearts. Babylon was not their home, yet they had no way of returning to their homeland. In such times of uncertainty, God’s Word to Daniel would have been a powerful source of hope.

We, too, can find ourselves feeling like exiles in this world. There are times when the world around us seems filled with chaos and darkness—wars, natural disasters, and moral decay surround us. It can feel like we’re living in Babylon, far from the peace and promises of God. It’s easy to become discouraged when we see injustice prevailing or when life brings distress and hardship that seem unending.

But God reminds us that no matter how bad things get, we have no reason to lose hope. God showed Daniel a future time of great distress, but he also highlighted a powerful truth: God has supernatural forces fighting on behalf of his people. Michael, the great archangel, is named the protector of God’s people. God’s angels, including Michael, are at work, ensuring our deliverance.

Those angels fight against a defeated enemy. Jesus conquered every spiritual enemy by mastering the devil’s temptations and overcoming the world’s hatred of him. Jesus even defeated the miserable enemy of death by his resurrection from the dead. While these enemies may still cause distress, they are ultimately defeated.

When dismay tries to overwhelm us, we can remember that God has not abandoned his people. Just as Michael arose to protect Judah, God also protects his Church today. We have nothing to fear, for our victory is secured in Jesus.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for conquering all my enemies. Come to me quickly when I am in distress. Amen.

Nor did [Christ] enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Hebrews 9:25,26

Sacrificed Once for All

Daily Devotion – November 19, 2024

Devotion based on Hebrews 9:25,26

See series: Devotions

Before the time of Jesus, the Israelites gathered around the temple every year for the Day of Atonement. God reminded them that there needed to be amends and reparation for their wrongdoing and sin.

It was one of their most sacred days. The air filled with a solemn silence. They watched the high priest fulfill his duties. Instead of wearing his usual ornate robe and bejeweled breastplate, he wore simple white linen. There was no room for outward glory, only humility before God.

Only on this day could the high priest enter a room in the temple called the Most Holy Place. A veil separated it from the rest of the temple. Inside, the high priest sprinkled blood on the mercy seat. The blood symbolized the atonement of sin, a vivid reminder of the cost of sin.

During the day, a goat was chosen. The priest confessed the sins of the people onto the goat and sent it into the wilderness. The people watched the scapegoat carry their sins far away. God not only forgave the people their sins, but he also removed them far from his people.

This day played out year after year because no animal’s blood could pay for a single sin. No goat was powerful enough to carry sins. All these acts pointed forward to a time when God would send his Messiah, the Christ, to be the Savior. This Savior would make real atonement for the sins of his people.

Jesus Christ acted as both priest and sacrifice, offering his very blood for the eternal atonement of humanity. The blood of Jesus is holy and precious because it is the very blood of God. His one sacrifice was enough to restore humanity’s broken relationship with God caused by our sin. Because of Jesus, God has removed our sins forever.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for paying the terrible cost of my sin. Help me to treasure my restored relationship with you. Amen.

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people.
Hebrews 9:27,28

To Savor Life

Daily Devotion – November 17, 2024

Devotion based on Hebrews 9:27,28

See series: Devotions

William Saroyan was a great Twentieth Century American writer. William was known for his extreme zeal for life. He once said, “Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might . . . You will be dead soon enough.”

On one level, his advice makes sense: Life is short. Death is coming. Savor the time you have.

When you study his later years, however, it appears that William took this to mean that living life is a frantic race against time. As he grew older, he isolated himself in his home to get more words down on paper. He drank gallons of coffee and often worked for up to two days without sleep. And when he did sleep, it was on an army cot next to his typewriter.

One day, relatives found him unconscious. They rushed him to a hospital. Within a short time, William Saroyan was dead.

On the one hand, you and I want to do what William Saroyan advised. During our days on this earth, we want to try as much as possible “to breathe deeply” to taste life fully.

For us as Christians, however, there’s a difference. We savor this life, not because this life is all we have, but because Jesus Christ has made it sweet.

Despite difficulties and disappointments, this life is sweet because full forgiveness through faith in Jesus has made it so. Despite troubles and pain, this life is sweet because God, in Christ, is using us to touch the lives of others. Despite tragedy, illness, old age, and death, this life is sweet because Jesus has turned the end of this life into the door to life eternal.

Because of Jesus, you and I can savor the life he has given us and know that the best is yet to come.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you washed me clean in your blood and covered me in your perfection. Through faith in you my life is sweet. Move me to savor this life as I await the life to come. Amen.

See that you also excel in this grace of giving. . . For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:7,9

The Most Startling Generosity of All

Daily Devotion – November 15, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 8:7,9

See series: Devotions

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Do you? Grace is an amazing word. Its definitions is “undeserved love.” But another way to remember what grace means is to think of it as an acronym. Grace is “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”

You can see God’s grace most clearly in Christ. Today’s Bible passage says that Jesus was rich, though that’s a bit of an understatement. Jesus is the Son of God. He was so rich that he owned everything in the universe because he made it. He had heaven as his perfect home from all eternity.

Yet he left that perfect home. He gave it up to become poor, which is another understatement. Jesus was born in a barn. And when he grew up, he lived as a wandering rabbi with no place to lay his head. He relied on the generosity of others to supply his daily needs.

The whole time, he was acting as your substitute. He lived a life of obedience to all of God’s laws so that he could give you credit for it. Then, after thirty-three years of sin-free perfection, Jesus took all your sins, made them his own, and died for them on the cross.

Why did he do it? Because he loved you and wanted you to enjoy all of God’s riches at his expense. You couldn’t afford them. You deserved hell, but Christ gives you heaven. You deserved wrath, but Christ shows you his love.

That’s grace, and it begins and ends with the startling generosity of your Lord Jesus Christ. And if Jesus was willing to bankrupt himself to make you his own, doesn’t that change the way you look at the grace of giving? You give not to earn God’s favor but because you have already received the greatest gift in Christ.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, graciously help me to model my generosity after your own. Amen.

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
2 Corinthians 8:1,2

Startling Generosity is Childlike

Daily Devotion – November 13, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 8:1,2

See series: Devotions

It’s a scene that plays out, week after week, in church. The ushers walk down the aisle to pass the offering plates to the congregation. A young boy sees them approach and tugs on his mother’s sleeve. She reaches into her purse and gives him a five-dollar bill. His excitement is tangible as he watches the plate approach, and his joy is contagious when he finally puts the money in.

How can he give so enthusiastically? Why doesn’t he pocket his mom’s cash for himself? Because he knows that he doesn’t need the money. The mother who gave it to him will continue to take care of him, so why shouldn’t he be generous?

Amazingly, that was the attitude the Macedonian Christians had. They were extremely poor believers who were under pressure from a severe trial. That doesn’t seem to be a recipe for startling generosity. Does it? But despite their problems, they generously contributed to a humanitarian offering that the apostle Paul was gathering for Christians in Jerusalem.

How could they give so enthusiastically? Why didn’t they ask Paul to collect an offering for them? Because they knew that everything, they had was a gift from God. It was theirs in the same way that the boy’s five dollar bill was his. So, the question was not, “What do we want to do with our money?” The question was, “What does God want us to do with his money?”

They may not have been overflowing with resources, but they were overflowing with joy in the Lord, who was the source of their every blessing. Like the Macedonians, you have a God who has graciously forgiven you for Jesus’ sake. And whether he has given you a little or a lot of material wealth, you get to use it to serve his people. For Christians, one of life’s greatest joys is giving because they know that God joyfully gives them everything they need.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me opportunities to serve you by being generous to others. Amen.