And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
They didn't just do what we expected, they went way beyond that. First, they completely gave themselves to God, and then to us because that's what God wanted.
When you fully surrender to God first, everything else follows naturally.
📚 Historical Context
In the first century, the Apostle Paul was organizing a collection from Gentile churches to support the impoverished Jewish Christians in Jerusalem during a time of economic hardship and persecution. The churches in Macedonia, despite their own poverty and trials, exceeded Paul's expectations by not only contributing financially but first committing themselves entirely to the Lord and to Paul's apostolic work. This reflects the early Christian emphasis on wholehearted dedication as the foundation of genuine giving.
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