Paul concludes his focus on giving and seems very confident in the eagerness of the Corinthian church. However, he does want to drive the point home about being cheerful. When we give to the church or to the work of missions, we should never feel like it is an obligation. Especially when sitting in a pew and the offering plate goes by, our giving is between us and God, and he wants us to be cheerful about it.
In Paul’s day, offerings were collected for the founding church in Jerusalem. Much like today, a church will set aside a portion of the weekly tithes and offerings for benevolence or mission giving. At least this was true for all the churches my husband served over the years. As a child, I didn’t quite understand the historical, Biblical meaning behind that practice. Seeing that we were continuing something Paul and the early church initiated is quite meaningful. Continue reading “2 Corinthians 9:1-15 – Be Cheerful”
