Encouragement to Give Generously

¹We want you to know, brothers,1 about the grace of God that has been hgiven among the churches of Macedonia, ²for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and itheir extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. ³For they gave jaccording to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, ⁴begging us earnestly kfor the favor2 of taking part in lthe relief of the saints— ⁵and this, not as we expected, but they mgave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. ⁶Accordingly, nwe urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you othis act of grace. ⁷But as pyou excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you3—qsee that you excel in this act of grace also.

⁸rI say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. ⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that sthough he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. ¹⁰And in this matter tI give my judgment: uthis benefits you, who va year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. ¹¹So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. ¹²For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable waccording to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. ¹³For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness ¹⁴your abundance at the present time should supply xtheir need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. ¹⁵As it is written, y“Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”

Expand Chapter