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9
You and I will be ashamed if your gift is not ready when I arrive.
2 Corinthians 9:1-5
1 Now I want to write more about the gift of money [EUP] that you and other believers are preparing to send to the believers in Judea province. I do not really need to continue writing to you about it, 2 because I already know that you really want to help them. In fact, I have been boasting about you, telling the believers here in Macedonia province that you people in Achaia province have been ready to help, since last year. As a result, because you are very eager to help the believers in Judea province, you have made most of the believers here in Macedonia province also want to give a gift. 3 However, I am sending Titus and the other two believers in order that they will be able to help you finish collecting the money. Then when I and others arrive later, the people with me will see for themselves that the things that I have been boasting about you are true [LIT]. I want you to have your gift ready for us(exc) to take to Jerusalem, just like I have been telling others that you were ready. 4 When I come, if any of the believers from Macedonia come with me, I do not want them to find that your gift is [MTY, EUP] not ready. If that were to happen, I would be very ashamed, and you yourselves would be even more ashamed. 5 So that is why I felt that it was necessary to urge these three believers to go and visit you before I come. In that way, they would be able to help you finish collecting the generous gift [EUP] that had been promised by you {you had said you would give}. If you do that, not only will the gift be ready by the time that we arrive, but everyone will see that you have given because you really want to give, and not because anyone has forced you to give.
If you give generously and willingly, God will always continue to bless you so that you will have enough to continue giving generously, and your generosity will cause many other people to praise and honor God.
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
6 Do not forget this: “A farmer who sows only a few seeds will not gather/reap a large harvest, but the one who sows a lot of seeds will gather/reap a large harvest [MET].” Similarly, if you give just a little to help others, God will give you only a few blessings. But if you give willingly and cheerfully to help people, you will receive in return many blessings from God. 7 Each of you should decide how much you (sg) should give, and then give that amount. You (sg) should not be thinking to yourself, “I really do not want to give this money.” And you(sg) should not give just because someone tells you to give. Instead, you should give willingly and cheerfully, because God loves those who give cheerfully. 8 Moreover, God can enable you to give to others cheerfully. If you give that way, God will in return give you many good blessings. He will do that so that at all times you will always have everything that you need. Indeed, you will have even more than you need. As a result, you will be able to do many more good things to help others. 9 Those who give willingly and cheerfully will be rewarded like the man about whom it is written {about whom ◄someone/the Psalmist► wrote} in the Scriptures,
He generously helps others,
he gives to those who are poor.
God will remember the good things that he did,
and reward him with good things forever.
10 God always gives seeds to farmers to plant, and also gives them food to eat. So, similarly, God will always make it possible for you to have enough money [MET], so that you will be able more and more to generously help those who are needy. 11 God will give you many blessings in many different ways as a result of your generously helping others. Furthermore, the generous gift that you are getting ready for us (exc) to take to the believers in Judea province will cause many people to thank God.
12 Also remember that when you give money to [EUP] help God’s people, you not only give them what they need, but also, because of that, many people will thank God very much for you and for what you have done. 13 As a result of your giving money to help others, they will praise God, not only because you have believed the good message about Christ, but also because you have generously given some of your possessions so that they and other believers will all have ◄enough/their needs supplied►. 14 Also, when they pray for you, asking God to bless you, they will remember how grateful they are [IDM] that God caused you to give very willingly and cheerfully. 15 Finally, we should all thank God because he gave us the greatest gift of all when he sent his Son to save/rescue us(inc) ◄from the guilt of our sin/from being punished for our sin►. That is a gift too wonderful for anyone to be able to tell about completely!

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© 2008-2017 Ellis W. Deibler, Jr.