Love of Macedonians

Monday July 26, 2021

Love of Macedonians

Brothers and sisters, we let you know the grace that God has given to the Churches of Macedonia : even in the midst of the great trial of their suffering, their joy overflows and their deep poverty have led them to show great generosity. I attest, they gave voluntarily within their means, and even beyond their means, and it was with great insistence that they asked us for the grace to take part in this service for the saints. 2 Corinthians 8:1-4

It is often difficult often to talk about money matters among Christians. Yet Paul, led by the Holy Spirit, devotes a good part of his letter to this subject.

In order to stimulate the Corinthians, he gives them the example of the Christians of Macedonia (northern Greece) who had generously participated in a fundraising for the Christians of Judea.

Paul may have shown some reluctance to accept their donations, as the Macedonians were going through severe persecution and living in deep poverty. But these brothers had vigorously insisted on joining this collection for the poor brothers in Jerusalem. They wanted to participate in this service of love to distant and unknown brothers. They wanted to show, by this gesture, their communion with other Christians in difficulties. No selfishness among Macedonians, but the spontaneity of a first love that gives with joy !

When love for the Lord is there, believers think more of the needs of others than of their own. There was this love among the early Christians in Jerusalem : they had all things in common, and no one said of any of his possessions that he owned (Acts 4:32).

If, in general, the freshness of first love has diminished among Christians, my personal responsibility, to me who loves the Lord, remains whole to show my love, to show it concretely, in action and in truth. I also want to listen to the exhortation not to cling to material things that are only for a time and, instead, to seek those things that are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Isn't the secret to loving the Lord with all your heart, as at the beginning, in the gift of yourself ? So the Macedonians had given themselves first to the Lord (2 Corinthians 8:5). Paul himself said in all truth : For me to live is Christ (Philippians 1:21) ?

Source (Pleasing the Lord)