Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. (2 Corinthians 8:1–2)

The Christians in the Macedonian churches were servants who gave to the needs of the believers in Jerusalem, giving anonymously, in fact. When Paul wrote of them to the Corinthian church, he also mentioned something else about those Macedonian servant-saints:

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 8:2–3 NASB 1995)

When they gave, they “overflowed” in the process. They liberally and sacrificially gave “beyond their ability.” I love the way Paul wrote that. Their giving dripped with sacrificial generosity. There wasn’t a tightwad among them. How refreshing!

Now, as we apply this passage to the way true servants give, let’s understand that the giving involved is much broader than money. That’s for sure. It includes giving ourselves… our time and energy, our care and compassion, even our belongings on occasion. What a need there is for this trait within the ranks of humanity today! And yet, how rare it is!

We clutch our possessions so tightly that we live most of our adult lives with white knuckles. I often wonder why. We certainly can’t take any of it with us. I’ve never seen a hearse pulling a moving van or trailer!

Taken from Improving Your Serve by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 1981 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com.