5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.
The secret to their giving is that they gave themselves to the Lord first, then they gave money. When the Lord has us, He has everything we have. It is all His. But giving the Lord everything can be scary. So many of us want to hold a little in reserve “just in case” we are disappointed or we need to change course. We are not accustomed to living completely on the edge. The last three generations have lived in the shadow of the Great Depression. We vowed to never let ourselves not have a reserve. That is why we have storage units, basements, and sheds. We keep everything. It clutters up our lives. The Depression brought out the best in people. But it brought many people to a new uncomfortable place. Paul points out the secret to generosity. If people have given themselves fully to the Lord, then the Lord can call on that reserve and people will give. I love it when people freely volunteer for a task. There is a joy and freedom that comes when that is the case. I hate it when I have to pull teeth to get a volunteer. It is a chore for me, and I know it is not a joy for them. Obligation does not lend itself to joy. I want to encourage you toward joy. Give yourself fully to the Lord. Hold nothing back. Total surrender will not disappoint you. He will never fail you. And He will be able to pour Himself through you. His wealth will be funneled through you to others and the result will be great joy. Don’t miss out. Get rid of the extra stuff in your life. Clean a few closets.
The Arnold Journey 