Daily Dose of Hope

December 23, 2024

Day 2 of Week 39

Scripture: Zephaniah 1-3; Psalm 74; 2 Corinthians 8

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan. Happy Monday! Just a reminder that at New Hope, we will have two wonderful Christmas Eve services tomorrow night. The 5pm service is family-oriented (think glowsticks and balloons) and the 7pm service is traditional with full choir. Looking forward to seeing you!

Our Old Testament passage for today is Zephaniah 1-3. Zephaniah was a minor prophet who lived in Judah and was a contemporary of King Josiah. This would have put him in the final decades of the Southern Kingdom, when King Josiah implemented spiritual reforms and there was a true revival for a time. And yet the prophecy is of Judah’s destruction. A theme that runs through the book is “the day of the Lord’s judgement.” A period of obedience under Josiah does not mean that God will not still hold Judah accountable for their generations of evil.

Our New Testament passage is 2 Corinthians 8. There is significant need among the believers in Jerusalem and Paul is imploring the churches in Macedonia and Greece to give, not out of obligation but truly out of love for their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Those in Jerusalem were Jewish believers who the Gentile Corinthians had never met. This offering would not have been part of a tithe, but rather over and beyond their normal giving, in order to help those who needed it. While the Macedonian churches were located in a fairly wealthy and prosperous area, that doesn't mean all the churches were affluent. There were some among them who were wealthy but many more were just working class or poor. And yet, Paul is calling them to give anyway.

He has called all the Macedonian churches to give; this includes Corinth but also Philippi and Thessalonica. He is asking the Corinthians church to finish up their previous collection, keeping in mind the extreme need in Jerusalem. This is not a command, by any means, but rather encouragement to do what is right.

Giving does not come naturally to human beings. We seem to have this need to keep things for ourselves. We tend toward selfishness over sacrifice. Generosity is something that God nurtures in our hearts. Jesus taught often about being generous. Think about Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The beauty in the Scripture is that it demonstrates that when we invest in the things of God, our heart will be pulled in that direction as well. We start by giving sacrificially and God changes our heart.

What’s been your experience with giving? Do you tithe? If you don’t, then what keeps you from giving on that level? Have you ever given above and beyond the tithe, as Paul was encouraging the Corinthians to do? What motivated that giving? How has God blessed your giving?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki