But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.
Thanks is due to God, who by His Spirit put and stirred the same earnest care and concern for the Corinthian believers into the heart of Titus that Paul himself had, as a gift and as evidence of the Spirit's working upon hearts. Titus accepted the appeal, went to the Corinthians willingly, and continued the work of gathering their contribution for those in need, showing that his care and service in the collection were genuine and God-given in motive.
The verse belongs to 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 and to the record of the liberality of the Macedonian churches, concerning Paul's appeal to the Corinthians to contribute for the poor believers in Jerusalem, supported by the Macedonians' generous giving despite affliction and poverty, outlining how to gain God's blessing and to be presented, studied, and read in the churches. Chapters 8 and 9 teach the spirit of benevolence and liberality that should mark offerings, calling believers both to devote means and to give self, to deny self willingly and give liberally of entrusted means even in deep poverty and beyond their power, after those who laid offerings at the apostles' feet and entreated that the gift be received, so that blessings come to God's people and, as they impart, they receive, for God gives to them that they may give to others. The same chapters teach a liberal spirit in supplying means, rejecting selfish motives for withholding needed funds and emulating the Macedonians in giving beyond their power to meet the need.
God-given earnest care leads His people to see the necessities of the work for this time and the needs of His work, so gifts flow into the treasury for the proclamation of present truth and the message for this time, helping them see things in a correct light and meet the pressing emergencies that arise in aggressive warfare. The verse calls believers to show earnest care by giving liberally to provide a house where they can assemble to worship God, and to supply means with a liberal spirit for foreign fields and unworked fields ready for advance. Such God-given care is an example to be studied and kept ever before workers in the hard and destitute Southern Field, calling for liberal, self-denying effort there, with the entire profits of books designated for it used there and not diverted to better-favored fields, since the design and facilities originate with God. Neglect of that duty and deception in handling means increase guilt, will be met in the judgment, and require restitution and doing more than merely beginning where work should have begun years ago, and He will reward according to heed or neglect of His purposes and specified methods.
Thanks is due to God, who by His Spirit put and stirred the same earnest care and concern for the Corinthian believers into the heart of Titus that Paul himself had, as a gift and as evidence of the Spirit's working upon hearts. Titus accepted the appeal, went to the Corinthians willingly, and continued the work of gathering their contribution for those in need, showing that his care and service in the collection were genuine and God-given in motive.
The verse belongs to 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 and to the record of the liberality of the Macedonian churches, concerning Paul's appeal to the Corinthians to contribute for the poor believers in Jerusalem, supported by the Macedonians' generous giving despite affliction and poverty, outlining how to gain God's blessing and to be presented, studied, and read in the churches. Chapters 8 and 9 teach the spirit of benevolence and liberality that should mark offerings, calling believers both to devote means and to give self, to deny self willingly and give liberally of entrusted means even in deep poverty and beyond their power, after those who laid offerings at the apostles' feet and entreated that the gift be received, so that blessings come to God's people and, as they impart, they receive, for God gives to them that they may give to others. The same chapters teach a liberal spirit in supplying means, rejecting selfish motives for withholding needed funds and emulating the Macedonians in giving beyond their power to meet the need.
God-given earnest care leads His people to see the necessities of the work for this time and the needs of His work, so gifts flow into the treasury for the proclamation of present truth and the message for this time, helping them see things in a correct light and meet the pressing emergencies that arise in aggressive warfare. The verse calls believers to show earnest care by giving liberally to provide a house where they can assemble to worship God, and to supply means with a liberal spirit for foreign fields and unworked fields ready for advance. Such God-given care is an example to be studied and kept ever before workers in the hard and destitute Southern Field, calling for liberal, self-denying effort there, with the entire profits of books designated for it used there and not diverted to better-favored fields, since the design and facilities originate with God. Neglect of that duty and deception in handling means increase guilt, will be met in the judgment, and require restitution and doing more than merely beginning where work should have begun years ago, and He will reward according to heed or neglect of His purposes and specified methods.