EXAMPLE OF GIVING

“That in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality” (2 Cor. 8:2 NKJV).

Here in this verse, we are told about the incredible giving performance of the Macedonian believers. It says they were motivated by difficulty and delight to give extra liberally.

Difficulty - “A great trial of affliction . . . their deep poverty.” It had been said that “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” This is a description of the giving performance of the Macedonians. They faced two great difficulties - pain and poverty. First, pain: The word “affliction” means to crush or compress. It is translated “anguish” in John 16:21 regarding the pain a woman experiences in childbirth. The Macedonians had been ravaged by war. Yet this difficulty did not stop their giving; it only encouraged it. Second, poverty: War had depleted their resources. They were in “deep poverty.” But this difficulty did not stop their giving. The incredible giving performance of the Macedonians in spite of their difficulties reminds us that difficulties are often necessary to produce a good performance. Trials and difficulties refine character and improve spiritual performance.

Delight - “The abundance of their joy.” A second reason for the great giving performance of the Macedonians was “the abundance of their joy.” Where did they get such great joy when their circumstances were so difficult? The answer is that their joy was based in the Lord. When they received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, they experienced a joy which this world cannot equal. It is a joy that is not based on circumstances. It is a joy that can take a valley of defeat and make it a mountain of victory. It is a joy that will motivate the finest of service for the Lord. We need joy to perform well and that joy comes from the Lord Jesus. When we commit our lives to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we experience unequaled joy.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The more you give, the more comes back to you, because God is the greatest giver in the universe, and He won’t let you outgive Him!”

Randy Alcorn (1954 -)

American Christian Author   

Word Study

Finger

In John 20:25 we read, “The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (NKJV).

“Finger” is the Greek word dáktulos (δάκτυλος = dak'-too-los). Literally, it refers to the finger, and figuratively it refers to one’s power or authority (cf. Matt. 23.4). In classical Greek, dáktulos is the normal word finger. In another sense dáktulos is a term of measurement used both of physical length and of metrical pace. In the Septuagint, dáktulos is used in the literal sense of finger. In the New Testament, dáktulos is also often used in the literal sense of finger. The expression “finger of God” speaks of God’s direct intervention in human activity. In Luke 11:20, the Lord Jesus declared: “But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Here the Lord Jesus is using Old Testament language in reference to His own ministry. Theologically it says that the Lord Jesus’ miracles witness not only to the inbreaking of the Kingdom, but to His source of power as well, “the finger of God.”

Did You Know…

According to Acts 12:21-23, an angel struck down King Herod because people called him a god and he did not deny it.

Bible Quiz

When King Herod put the apostle Peter in prison, intending to hand him over to the Jews to be killed, who rescued him?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

What was the name of the high priest’s servant who had his ear cut off by the apostle Peter? Malchus (John 18:10).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him (Psalm 22:8; cf. Matt. 27:43)

"He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him” (Psalm 22:8 NJKV).

In context, the Psalmist David foresaw the mockery that the Lord Jesus would endure while He hung on the cross. Matthew in his gospel quoted Psalm 2:8 as he wrote of the crowd mocking the Lord Jesus (cf. Matt. 27:43). The mocking crowd believed that the Lord Jesus was not delivered by God because God was not pleased with Him. In fact, it was the religious leaders who ridiculed the Lord Jesus’ trust in God. Basically, they were saying that if He really had a special relationship with God, God would have saved Him. How grossly wrong and evil were these mocking and criticisms. But casting doubt has always been a favorite tactic of Satan. And here at the cross, once again the devil used His enemies to dare the Lord Jesus to abort His mission of redemption. Yet the Lord Jesus would not renounce His God-appointed path. The lesson for all believers is that faith cannot be based on visible demonstrations of power; instead, faith is belief and confident trust in God, in spite of the circumstances.

Did You Know – Christian History

Jonathan Mayhew was born October 8, 1720, at Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. He was a noted American Congregational minister.

Mayhew graduated from Harvard College in 1744 with a bachelor’s degree, and a master’s degree in 1747. He was then ordained pastor of Boston’s West Church, where he remained outspoken, controversial, and at odds with most of the local clergy. In 1748, he was awarded an honorary D.D. from the University of Aberdeen in appreciation of his Seven Sermons.

It has been noted that Pope Urban preached a rousing sermon and launched the first crusade. John Knox urged discouraged Scottish rebels not to rely on their own arms but on God and the Scottish reformers took new heart. And from his Boston pulpit, Jonathan Mayhew called for the repeal of the stamp act and the stamp riots followed. Whatever one thinks of Mayhew’s liberal theology, no one can deny his influence on the American Revolution. Not only did he preach the sermon that led to the stamp riots, but he preached another sermon which John Adams called “the spark that ignited the American Revolution.” It was on January 30, 1750, that Mayhew preached his Discourse Concerning Unlimited Submission and Non-resistance to the Higher Powers. In it he took to task those who used some words by the apostle Paul in the New Testament to argue that the colonists must obey King George III whether he was right or wrong. Mayhew challenged the idea of unconditional obedience to authority, arguing that resistance to tyranny is justified. This lengthy, carefully reasoned sermon which Mayhew preached in Boston, was printed and widely read in the colonies. It was also accepted by prominent leaders of the revolution, including John Adams, James Otis, and Josiah Quincey. This sermon remains an important milestone in the history of American independence.

After returning home from an ecclesiastical council in June 1766, Mayhew caught a violent fever and was bedridden. He passed away on July 9, 1766, at age 45. He left behind his wife, Elizabeth Clark, and two children. Yet Mayhew’s legacy as an influential figure in Boston’s West End carried on far after his death. The Mayhew School was first established in 1803 as the West School or Hawkins Street School for Boys. The school combined with the Derne Street School’s male students in 1830 and, by 1838, had an attendance of 409 students. This led to a second building being added in 1847. However, the school was closed in 1879 and transitioned into a homeless shelter.

A Little Humor

The Sunday school teacher was just finishing a lesson on honesty. “Do you know where children go if they don’t put their money in the collection plate?” the teacher asked. “Yes ma’am,” a boy blurted out. “They go to the movies.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long and the pay is low. But the retirement benefits are out of this world!”