They First Gave Themselves To The Lord by Librae Jackson, Deacon

"Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God." 2 Corinthians 8:1-5

In his letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul exhorts them unto generosity by citing what he observed from the churches of Macedonia. Those brethren, though themselves monetarily poor, gave willingly, sacrificially and liberally, to help other saints. They were also very glad to do it. Every child of God wants to be directed by this type of attitude. The key to such a cheerful disposition, with regard to giving, is found in these words: "they first gave themselves to the Lord."

I must first give myself to The Lord, before He will have anything else of mine. I must first give myself to The Lord, before I can be rightly expended toward the benefit of other people.  

"gave themselves"

The Lord will not accept my money, my service, my time, my talents, etc., to the exclusion of my self. Before He will have anything of mine, He must have me. Have I given Him myself thus far? Or am I trying to serve Him, without being owned by Him? Will I present to Him my religion, but withhold from Him my heart? If so, my works will reek of self-centeredness, self-sufficiency, self-righteousness and self-service. This will also translate into selfishness in my dealings with people, rather than generosity. If this is my estate, let me confess that it is a miserable one, and repent immediately! Pseudo-spirituality is abominable to Him, and He will not accept it. 

God Almighty says "My son, give me your heart" (Proverbs 23:26). Will I try to short-change Him with counterfeit bills of faux devotion? Will I offer scraps of this or that, to placate my conscience, while sin remains my hidden treasure, and self-rule remains my true ambition? Will I attempt to cheat Him out of the laid down life that He truly deserves? Let it not be so! God demands, and will accept nothing less than, a life of absolute reverence and submission. To give myself to Him is to relinquish my own throne and bow to Christ. It's to be totally reliant upon Him, in order to accomplish everything that He requires. Faith in Him will manifest itself in faithfulness to Him. And I will ever see that He, Himself, is Faithful. 

The churches in Macedonia, whom Paul commended, knew something of God's faithfulness. That's why they gave with such enthusiasm. They trusted God to provide for all of their needs, recognizing Him as the Source of everything. This huge view of God enabled them to, in faith, give toward the work of God. But remember, it first led them to give themselves to Him. Likewise, my view of God must be such that I trust Him for every detail of my life, and live in absolute surrender to His will. I must believe in His goodness to supply me with everything I need. This certainly includes daily provisions of food, clothing and shelter. But more importantly, my list of needs is comprised of spiritual attainments: the strength to resist sin; to be faithful; to live for His glory; to walk in love; to seek His kingdom and righteousness.

To give myself to Him is to trust Him to enable me to do His will, and walk according to His word. The perspective for all of this is provided by the Gospel, which shows how God freely, and in love, gave Himself for His people. The only reasonable response is for His people to give themselves to Him, holding back nothing. 

"gave" 

Special emphasis can be placed on the word "give," for the purpose of making this point: I must give myself to God, and that, willingly. Being that He created me and sustains my life, I already belong to Him. However, if I would enjoy His ownership, I must give myself. Only then can my soul truly experience the benefits of being a child of God, and bring forth the fruits of fellowship with Him. Indeed, He captures me by His sovereign, irresistible grace. And it's because of that grace that I voluntarily give myself to Him. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power" (Psalm 110:3 KJV)

I give myself to Him because He is worthy. I also give myself to Him because He, who gave me my life, will eventually take it, and there will come a time when my soul is required. Speaking of this reckoning, Solomon said: "Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Since my life is already God's property, which He will soon enough reclaim, it only makes sense to give myself to Him. By doing so, I will not only be safe for the judgement and eternity, but I will have the blessed privileges of living near to Him, in this life. To give myself to The Lord is the best and wisest thing that I could ever do.             

"gave themselves to the Lord"

How am I, an evil human being, able to give myself unto The Holy God? What would He want with me? How would He accept me? For these questions, I must get to the quick and simple answer, which is also the most delightful comfort imaginable: I am accepted by God in His beloved Son. The Lord Jesus, by the sacrifice of Himself, successfully dealt with my sin problem. God is well-pleased with His Son, and well pleased with me, in Him. Therefore, I can give myself to Him, and He can take me, without compromising His holiness. This is good news!  By His death, Christ paid the penalty for my sinfulness. He also clothed me with His own righteousness. I'm acceptable to God, through Christ! I can now serve Him because He made this sinner holy! I can now render acceptable offerings unto Him, with what I have (acknowledging that He gave it). I can now walk with Him in thankful consecration. May I ever be reminded that my Savior deserves all my affection. May my soul's dedication to Him proclaim this common sentiment of Christ's people: "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine" (Song of Solomon 6:3). 

I will never behave perfectly, while in this world. Yet, my hope is in Christ, whereby I have a perfect standing before God, and am fit for Heaven. He sees me as spotless and acceptable, based upon what Christ has done. With this hope, may I press forward, earnestly endeavoring to honor Him with my life. May I, through every temptation, affliction, fall, chastening and hardship, be continually brought back to whom I belong. And may I seek, every day of my life, to be more faithful than I've been.

 "and to us, by the will of God"

Being blessed by God, I can be a blessing to other people. Paul observed how remarkably useful those brethren in Macedonia were, both to Him and to the saints that were helped by them. He acknowledges that the origin of his encouragement by them was the fact that they "first gave themselves to the Lord." Likewise, I must first give myself to God, if I'm to effectively encourage His people; support His ministers; labor in His kingdom; shine as a light in the world. This is God's will.