Great Generosity
1 Now, brethren, wewish tomake known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,
2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.
3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability,they gaveof their own accord,
4 begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,
5 andthis,not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.
6 So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well.
7 But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in thelove we inspired in you,seethat you abound in this gracious work also.
8 I am not speakingthisas a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
10 I givemyopinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to dothis,but also to desireto do it.
11 But now finish doing it also, so that just asthere wasthe readiness to desire it, sothere may bealso the completion of it by your ability.
12 For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to whata personhas, not according to what he does not have.
13 Forthisis not for the ease of othersandfor your affliction, but by way of equality-
14 at this present time your abundancebeing a supplyfor their need, so that their abundance also may becomea supplyfor your need, that there may be equality;
15 as it is written, “He whogatheredmuch did not have too much,and he whogatheredlittle had no lack.”
16 But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus.
17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord.
18 We have sent along with him the brother whose fame inthe things ofthe gospelhas spreadthrough all the churches;
19 and not onlythis,but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, andto showour readiness,
20 taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift;
21 for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
22 We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because ofhisgreat confidence in you.
23 As for Titus,he ismy partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brethren,they aremessengers of the churches, a glory to Christ.
24 Therefore openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you.
—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/2CO/8-1630eb2911c841841ea87ecbffc5994f.mp3?version_id=100—