2 Corinthians 7–8 | Day 29

2 Corinthians 7 (NIV 1984)

¹ Having these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
² Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.
³ I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and live together.
⁴ I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.
⁵ For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within.
⁶ But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,
⁷ and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing, your grief, your deep concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.
⁸ Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—
⁹ yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.
¹⁰ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
¹¹ See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
¹² So even though I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong or the one who suffered the wrong, but rather that your earnestness for us might be known to you all.
¹³ And this is why I am so very glad. I am encouraged about you, but I was grieved I had to write to you.
¹⁴ I wanted to visit you so that we might talk together face to face and restore whatever was lacking in your faith.
¹⁵ I was confident about you, for I know that you are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.

2 Corinthians 8 (NIV 1984)

¹ And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
² Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,
⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.
⁵ And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
⁶ So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.
⁷ But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
⁸ I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.
⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
¹⁰ And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.
¹¹ Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.
¹² For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.
¹³ Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.
¹⁴ At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality,
¹⁵ as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”