Wednesday, 24 June 2009
I Must First Give Myself to God
Dr RJ Sing
“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.”
Our above Scripture comes from the Eighth Chapter of 2 Corinthians. I suggest that you take time to read Chapters 8 and 9 with careful considerations, to get a full impact of the message. Paul was writing to the Corinthians about Macedonian Churches, and he was telling how the Holy Spirit moved on the Macedonians to be generous in their giving: *“How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to [their] power, I bear record, yea, and beyond [their] power [they were] willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and [take upon us] the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 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.” 2 Corinthians 8:2-5.*
The important sentence here is, “They gave themselves first to the Lord”. You must begin with yourself. You cannot buy a good relationship with God. Actually, God can get on all right, without your money. It is for your benefit that God requires you to give. He wants you first, and then out of the giving of yourself, the kind of giving the New Testament talks about will naturally flow. When you give yourself to the Lord, everything then flows.
