2 Corinthians 8:3-5 

³For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. ⁵And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.

Coach

         A basketball player did his best. They won multiple championships. He was not the best player. Another teammate was voted as most valuable player. After he retired playing basketball, he applied as basketball coach. He coached his team to multiple championships. As basketball player, he was not great, but he made a name for himself as great basketball coach.

         Anyone may wish to excel. Have you excelled in your career or not? Your current situation might be a preparation for you excel on a related field of expertise. Have you explored your potential yet? Ask God to lead you to a path he designed for you to excel, and seriously do your best effort.

         Possibly, the Lord wants you to excel serving him fulltime. You may have been called to fulltime pastoral ministry or missionary or give comfort or teach or sing for the Lord. Discover your spiritual gifts. Seriously reflect on Romans 12:6-8, ⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

         It is most adventurous experience in Christ to serve him with spiritual gifts. We shouldn’t be satisfied as benchwarmer. We responsibly participate in the body of Christ, the church. The muscle develops its potentiality when it is regularly exercised. Similarly, your musical talent gets to the next level, if you diligently practice playing musical instrument. Sooner or later your singing voice will improve significantly, if you practice singing regularly.

         God presents opportunities to practice our spiritual gift and store up treasures for ourselves in heaven. Let’s explore our spiritual gifts to the next level. To augment our gifts or talent, we sacrifice some time praying.

1.  Sacrifice

     ³For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 

         The Macedonian churches sacrificially gave beyond their ability to give. God’s grace was practically manifested in their life when they gave sacrificially. Their sacrificial giving exemplified God’s grace at work in their life. To give sacrificially beyond our ability practically proves faith in God.

         The principle of sacrificial giving can be applied in different fields of expertise. Great athletes sacrifice giving time perfecting their expertise. If you study harder, can you expect to have higher grades? If you only work for 8 hours daily, you’ll be compensated fairly. If sacrificially you give time more than your required 8 hours worktime, can you expect to be promoted?

         Do you hope to become entrepreneur or businessperson? You should ask yourself, “Can I sacrifice giving time for more than 8 hours of work?” Do you think entrepreneurs and businesspeople have potentials to prosper more than regular employees who only work for 8 hours?

         Employers watch and promote workers who can sacrifice their time and effort. Your employer would notice your dedication sooner or later if you go to work an hour early and go home an hour later sacrificially. You do not need to try and grab their attention. The Lord himself will arrange it that you employer will be notified of your sacrificial devotion to your work.

         Together, let us learn from Daniel 1:20-22, ²⁰“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. ²¹He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. ²²He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

         Daniel trusted that God has great plans for him. He trusted that God can raise up anyone who pleases him. Even in exile, Daniel excelled as the highest official next to the king. If Daniel were not exiled, if he remained in Israel, would he be promoted as the highest official next to the king? Daniel trusted God, and he’s promoted to high position next to several kings.

         We serve the King of kings. May the Holy Spirit inspire us serve him faithfully. We also pray that God gives us wisdom to serve him diligently. What can we get, if we sacrifice our time serving God? God situates us where he could favor us, and our behavior testifies to our trust in his plan.

         Prayerfully internalize what it says in Colossians 3:22-24, ²²Obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. ²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

         Service to God is not exclusive to church setting. Service to God in church ministries is preparation for life outside church setting. As proof that we trust God’s plan for us, we behave righteously wherever he situates us.

         Are you satisfied with your spiritual status? Have you explored what God designed for your potential? Join us on Wednesday Prayer Meeting. Praying as a church is also practical proof of acts of grace among us. And who knows? God may grant your heart desire . Reflect on what Christ said in Matthew 18:19-20, ¹⁹Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.

         God honors sacrificial giving of precious time praying. Praying helps us mature spiritually. Practically, we may also encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to explore the grace of God. When the Lord deems that we can sacrificially share our time praying, he certainly rewards us. Amen!

         By God’s grace, we serve in church ministries and share our talents.

2.  Share

     ⁴they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 

         Apostle Paul testified that the Macedonian churches urgently pleaded to share beyond their ability to give. They considered sacrificial giving for the believers in Judea as their privilege of sharing in their service to the Lord. Sharing our abundance to the church is our service and ministry to the family of God. Serving God in church is also manifestation of his grace.

         Scholars suggest that there was severe famine in Judea because of war. At that time, the believers in Jerusalem were displaced. They had no livelihood, and food supplies were cut off. And the Macedonian churches sacrificed their indulgences to help the needy Judean believers.

         Practically, they testified that brothers and sisters in Christ are ready to help each other in times of needs. In Galatians 6:8-10, ⁸Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

         God won’t force us to be good. Doing good to the family of believers is God’s grace inspired by the Holy Spirit. Doing good is a mysterious proof of God’s grace. Do you know when the grace of God is activated in your life? Have you explored how the grace of God transformed your life, yet?

         Apostle Paul testified of his encounter with the Lord in Acts 26:14-17.

         ¹⁴We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ¹⁶‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. ¹⁷I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them.”

          Formerly, Paul zealously persecuted Christians until he encountered Jesus Christ. Christ personally assigned him as apostle to the Gentiles. At first, Paul tried to share the good news of salvation to Jewish people. Some of them believed, but many Jewish leaders opposed him aggressively.

         Interestingly, Paul and his mission team started churches in Asia and Europe but there’s no biblical record that they planted any church in Israel.

         Similarly, God wants us to serve him, and he designed which ministry he wants us to excel. Our spiritual gift is very essential for us to determine how and where God wants us to serve him and testify for his gracious love.

         Together, let’s take note and prayerfully internalize what it declares in Proverbs 22:29, ²⁹Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.

         Kings chose great soldiers to guard them. They want the best cooks. They want the best person to take care of their finances. They compensate workers who perform greatly. The best of bests are worthy to serve kings.

         Christ Jesus is the King of kings. He deserves only our best service. Mediocrity is not an option for the Lord of lords. But how can our best effort please him? We pray to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit empowers us, we excel and surpass even our personal expectations.

3.  Surpass

      ⁵And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.

         Paul and his team expected the Macedonian churches to contribute in giving, but they exceeded what Paul expected from them. How could the Macedonians give beyond their ability? They considered it as privilege to sacrificially give beyond ability to the needy believers in Judea.

         First of all, the Macedonian believers gave themselves to God. God inspired them to imitate the examples of Apostle Paul. Mysteriously, God’s grace inspires us also to let Christ be Lord over our life, and we imitate him.

         Then we can share sacrificially our time and money, even beyond our ability. We prioritize the Lord over indulgences and conveniences. By God’s grace, he inspires us to understand and follow his instruction gladly.

         Seriously reflect on Ephesians 3:16-19, ¹⁶Out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

         Listen: Have you grasped how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ? Have you known this love that surpasses knowledge? Has God’s grace transformed your life, yet? If you testify about Christ’s love, what would you say? Friends, we are mandated to speak for Christ.

         Christ our Lord mandated us in Acts 1:8. ⁸You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.

         Have you personally encountered Christ. As witness for Christ, we talk about our personal experience of his gracious love. Sacrificially serving Christ is best testimony and proof of his grace. By his grace, we’re inspired to sacrifice and share beyond our ability to give. Mysteriously, when God’s grace inspires us, we give sacrificially our time, money and even our life.

         In Jerusalem, Apostle Paul testified about his conversation with the Lord in Acts 22:19-21, ¹⁹“Lord, these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. ²⁰And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.” ²¹Then the Lord said to me, “Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”

         Did you know the term martyr that described the death of Stephen is also translated as witness? The term translated “witnesses” in Acts 1:8 and the term translated “martyr” in Acts 22:20 have evolved from the same in Greek term “Martus.” To be a witness for Christ is to be martyr.

         Our mandate is to be witness or martyr for Christ. The Macedonian believers were witnesses and martyrs for Christ. They gave beyond their ability to give sacrificially. How about us? What is our service to Christ as martyr or witness for him? We can start by giving time and attend Prayer Meeting. We can also give God’s tithes regularly. We pray that God’s grace is activated in our life, and we will be able to give beyond our ability to give.

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