Read 2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Read 2 Corinthians 8:7-15

⁷You are so rich in all you have: in faith, speech, and knowledge, in your eagerness to help and in your love for us.^e And so we want you to be generous also in this service of love.

8 I am not laying down any rules. But by showing how eager others are to help, I am trying to find out how real your own love is. ⁹You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; rich as he was, he made himself poor for your sake, in order to make you rich by means of his poverty.

10 My opinion is that it is better for you to finish now what you began last year. You were the first, not only to act, but also to be willing to act. ¹¹On with it, then, and finish the job! Be as eager to finish it as you were to plan it, and do it with what you now have. ¹²If you are eager to give, God will accept your gift on the basis of what you have to give, not on what you haven’t.

13–14 I am not trying to relieve others by putting a burden on you; but since you have plenty at this time, it is only fair that you should help those who are in need. Then, when you are in need and they have plenty, they will help you. In this way both are treated equally. ¹⁵As the scripture says, “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”

Think

In this rare moment Paul calls on the Corinthians to give generously in order to support ministry to areas that are not as well resourced.  "I am not trying to relieve others by putting a burden on you..." (Verse 13)

Paul encourages Christians to give what they can in order to help those who have less.

Pray

Lord help me to be generous, and when I need generosity - help me to receive it with grace.