HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1422
2 C O RIN T H I A N S 9
8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I
am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.
9 You know the generous grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your
sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he
could make you rich.
10 Here is my advice: It would be good for
you to finish what you started a year ago. Last
year you were the first who wanted to give, and
you were the first to begin doing it. 11 Now you
should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched
now by your giving. Give in proportion to what
you have. 12 Whatever you give is acceptable
if you give it eagerly. And give according to
what you have, not what you don’t have. 13 Of
course, I don’t mean your giving should make
life easy for others and hard for yourselves.
I only mean that there should be some equality. 14 Right now you have plenty and can help
those who are in need. Later, they will have
plenty and can share with you when you need
it. In this way, things will be equal. 15 As the
Scriptures say,
“Those who gathered a lot had nothing
left over,
and those who gathered only a little
had enough.”*
— promises —
from God
And God will generously
provide all you need.
Then you will always
have everything you need
and plenty left over to
share with others.
2 C O R I N T H I A N S 9:8
Titus and His Companions
16 But thank God! He has given Titus the same
enthusiasm for you that I have. 17 Titus welcomed our request that he visit you again. In
fact, he himself was very eager to go and see
you. 18 We are also sending another brother
with Titus. All the churches praise him as
a preacher of the Good News. 19 He was appointed by the churches to accompany us as
we take the offering to Jerusalem*—a service
that glorifies the Lord and shows our eagerness to help.
20 We are traveling together to guard against
any criticism for the way we are handling this
generous gift. 21 We are careful to be honorable
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before the Lord, but we also want everyone else
to see that we are honorable.
22 We are also sending with them another
of our brothers who has proven himself many
times and has shown on many occasions how
eager he is. He is now even more enthusiastic
because of his great confidence in you. 23 If anyone asks about Titus, say that he is my partner
who works with me to help you. And the brothers with him have been sent by the churches,*
and they bring honor to Christ. 24 So show them
your love, and prove to all the churches that our
boasting about you is justified.
The Collection for Christians in Jerusalem
I really don’t need to write to you about
this ministry of giving for the believers in
Jerusalem.* 2 For I know how eager you are to
help, and I have been boasting to the churches
in Macedonia that you in Greece* were ready to
send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your
enthusiasm that stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to begin giving.
3 But I am sending these brothers to be sure
you really are ready, as I have been telling them,
and that your money is all collected. I don’t
want to be wrong in my boasting about you. 4 We
would be embarrassed—not to mention your
own embarrassment—if some Macedonian believers came with me and found that you weren’t
ready after all I had told them! 5 So I thought I
should send these brothers ahead of me to make
sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want
it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly.
6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only
a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one
who plants generously will get a generous crop.
7 You must each decide in your heart how much
to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response
to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives
cheerfully.”* 8 And God will generously provide
all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share
with others. 9 As the Scriptures say,
9
“They share freely and give generously to
the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered
forever.”*
10 For
God is the one who provides seed for the
farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way,
he will provide and increase your resources
and then produce a great harvest of generosity* in you.
11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so
that you can always be generous. And when we
8:15 Exod 16:18. 8:19 See 1 Cor 16:3-4. 8:23 Greek are
apostles of the churches. 9:1 Greek about the offering for
God’s holy people. 9:2 Greek in Achaia, the southern region
of the Greek peninsula. Macedonia was in the northern region
of Greece. 9:7 See footnote on Prov 22:8. 9:9 Ps 112:9.
9:10 Greek righteousness.