When my soon-to-graduate-high-school son was only 18 months old, he wanted to be involved with whatever his parents or older siblings were doing. If a sister was playing piano, he wanted to join her. If his older brother wanted to wrestle, Tsion was up for some tumbling.
This didn't go for just playtime, however. He also wanted to help with chores. For instance, we would assign one of his older siblings to empty the dishwasher. Little Tsion wanted to help, so he would grab a clean spoon, then walk over to the silverware drawer and drop it in. It didn't matter that his head barely reached the bottom of the drawer and he couldn't see inside it. He was a "big boy" who was happy to do whatever the family was doing, and his way to help was to eagerly slam dunk a butter knife into the drawer.
That’s the kind of eagerness we see in the Macedonian believers in 2 Corinthians 8.
A Privilege to Participate
As we continue our 7 Qualities of a Giver series here on the blog, we come to the fifth quality: Eager to Give. We've already seen that givers are to do so joyfully and willingly. But Paul now ramps it up from just being willing to give to being eager for the opportunity to participate. We see this in verse 4 (from our key passage, 2 Corinthians 8:1-5), which says,
“…begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.” (2 Corinthians 8:4, ESV)
Like a two-year-old who wanted to help with the household chores, the Macedonians weren’t hesitant or begrudging in their giving. Paul says they were begging for the privilege to participate.
And remember, these weren’t wealthy people looking for a tax break. We've already seen in verse 2 that the Macedonian believers were experiencing “a severe test of affliction” and living in “extreme poverty.” Yet their hearts were overflowing with eagerness to give to help others.
From Obligation to Opportunity
Most people approach giving out of obligation. “I guess I should give something.” But the Macedonians didn’t see giving as a religious duty—they saw it as a delight. Because of what Jesus had done for them through the cross, they saw gospel-shaped generosity as an opportunity to be part of God’s work in helping others.
What if we saw giving the same way? What if we were eager—not because someone pressured us—but because our hearts were stirred by the gospel with gratitude and love?
Ask God for an Eager Heart
If you’re not feeling particularly eager to give these days, don’t fake it. Rather, pray for it. Ask God to remind you of His generosity toward you as shown through Jesus. Ask Him to show you how your giving can make a difference. And ask Him to not just help you be willing to give, but to even be eager for it.
Because when you experience the joy of being part of what God is doing, you just might find yourself begging to give, too.
