Generosity
Encouraged
And
now, brothers, we want you to know
About
the Grace that God has given the Macedonian Churches.
2
Out of the most Severe Trial
Their
Overflowing Joy and their Extreme Poverty
Welled
up in Rich Generosity.
3
For I Testify that they gave as much as they were able,
And
even beyond their ability.
Entirely
on their own,
4
they Urgently Pleaded with us for the Privilege
Of
sharing in this Service to the Saints.
5
And they did not do as we expected,
But
they gave themselves first to the Lord
And
then to us in keeping with God's Will.
6
So we urged Titus,
Since
he had earlier made a beginning,
To
bring also to completion this Act of Grace on your part.
7But
just as you Excel in everything--
In
Faith, in Speech, in Knowledge, in complete Earnestness
And
in your love for us--
See
that you also Excel in this Grace of Giving.
8 I
am not commanding you,
but
I want to Test the Sincerity of your love
By
comparing it with the Earnestness of others.
9
FOR YOU KNOW THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST,
THAT
THOUGH HE WAS RICH,
YET
FOR YOUR SAKES HE BECAME POOR,
SO
THAT YOU THROUGH HIS POVERTY MIGHT BECOME RICH.
10
And here is my advice about
What
is best for you in this matter:
Last
year you were the first not only to Give
But
also to have the desire to do so.
11
Now Finish the Work,
So
that your Eager Willingness to do it
May
be Matched by your Completion of it,
According
to your means.
12
For if the Willingness is there,
The
Gift is acceptable according to what one has,
Not
according to what he does not have.
13
Our desire is not that others might be relieved
While
you are Hard Pressed,
But
that there might be Equality.
14
At the Present Time
Your
Plenty will Supply what they need,
So
that in turn their Plenty will Supply what you need.
Then
there will be Equality,
15
As it is written:
'He
that gathered much did not have too much,
And
he that gathered little did not have too little.'
Titus
Sent To Corinth
16
I than God, Who put into the heart of Titus
The
same concern I have for you.
17
For Titus not only welcomed our Appeal,
But
he is coming to you with much Enthusiasm
And
on his own Initiative.
18
and we are sending along with him
The
brother who is Praised by all the churches
For
his Service to the Gospel.
19
What is more, he was chosen by the Churches
To
accompany us as we carry the Offering,
Which
we administer in order to Honor the Lord Himself
And
to show our Eagerness to help.
20
We want to avoid any Criticism
Of
the way we administer this Liberal Gift.
21
For we are taking Pains to do what is Right,
Not
only in the eyes of the Lord
But
also in the eyes of men.
22
In addition, we are sending with them our brother
Who
has often proven to us in many ways that he is Zealous,
And
now even more so
Because
of his great confidence in you.
23
As for Titus, he is my Partner
And
Fellow Worker among you;
As
for our brothers,
They
are Representatives of the Churches
And
an Honor to Christ.
24
Therefore sow these men the Proof of your love
And
the Reason for our Pride in you,
So
that the Churches can see it.
(2
Corinthians 8)
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