The Early Church understood that giving was an essential part of authentically following Jesus. Giving to the poor was a part of the Old Testament law (Deuteronomy 15:7-11), and instruction from God who is compassionate. It was part of Jesus' teaching (Luke 12:32-34), and the apostles' teaching (Galatians 2:9-10). Interestingly, this was to be a freewill offering, not the response to begging. When God's people have compassionate hearts, they will actively notice those who need help. The collection for the Hebrew believers in Jerusalem was initiated by Paul, not the recipients, and he encouraged the churches to participate in the gift which he delivered (Acts 24:17).

Our giving should be a response to God's grace to us (grace is God's freely-given undeserved gift). We can never pay for our salvation; it is God's gift (Ephesians 2:8-9), which comes with so many more undeserved gifts to meet our daily needs (Romans 8:32). Giving starts with gratitude; the Macedonian churches were not at all rich, but they were thankful to God for being saved. They could have spent their own money on themselves and their families but they chose to give to help believers they had never met (Galatians 6:10).

Because the Macedonian believers were so poor, it seems that Paul and his team were so concerned about the Macedonians welfare that they were initially let off from contributing to the aid appeal. But they were so grateful to the Lord for being in His family, part of His church, that they urged the apostle to let them give. They saw that giving was the hallmark of true faith and so they pleaded not to be excluded from the privilege of giving from the little that they had (Luke 21:1-4).

In a money-grabbing world, sacrificial spontaneous giving is rare except where people are grateful for God's grace. We know many of our readers work away from home to provide for their families; others have huge responsibilities in looking after sick and elderly relatives and friends. Most would be more comfortable with more money. But when the Lord stirs our hearts, it is time to give - because He stirred His love to forgive our sins and make us His children. This scripture does not justify us asking for more, but encourages us to express our gratitude for God's grace by giving generously.