9I don’t need to write to you about giving to God’s people. ²I know how much you want to help. I have been bragging about it to the people in Macedonia. I have been telling them that since last year you who live in Achaia were ready to give. You are so excited that it has stirred up most of them to take action.

³But I am sending the brothers. Then our bragging about you in this matter will have a good reason. You will be ready, just as I said you would be.

⁴Suppose people from Macedonia come with me and find out that you are not prepared. Then we, as well as you, would be ashamed of being so certain.

⁵So I thought I should try to get the brothers to visit you ahead of time. They will finish the plans for the large gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a gift that is freely given. It will not be given by force.

Planting Many Seeds

⁶Here is something to remember. The one who plants only a little will gather only a little. And the one who plants a lot will gather a lot. ⁷You should each give what you have decided in your heart to give. You shouldn’t give if you don’t want to. You shouldn’t give because you are forced to. God loves a cheerful giver.

⁸And God is able to shower all kinds of blessings on you. In all things and at all times you will have everything you need. You will do more and more good works. ⁹It is written,

“They have spread their gifts around to poor people.

Their good works continue forever.”

¹⁰God supplies seed to the planter. He supplies bread for food. God will also supply and increase the amount of your seed. He will increase the results of your good works. ¹¹You will be made rich in every way. Then you can always give freely. We will take your many gifts to the people who need them. And they will give thanks to God.

¹²Your gifts meet the needs of God’s people. And that’s not all. Your gifts also cause many people to thank God.

¹³You have shown yourselves to be worthy by what you have given. So people will praise God because you obey him. That proves that you really believe the good news about Christ. They will also praise God because you share freely with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴Their hearts will be filled with longing for you when they pray for you. God has given you grace that is better than anything.

¹⁵Let us give thanks to God for his gift. It is so great that no one can tell how wonderful it really is!

Paul Speaks Up for Himself

10Christ is gentle and free of pride. So I make my appeal to you. I, Paul, am the one you call shy when I am face to face with you. But when I am away from you, you call me bold. ²I beg you that when I come I won’t have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people. They think that I live the way the people of this world live.

³I do live in the world. But I don’t fight my battles the way the people of the world do. ⁴The weapons I fight with are not the weapons the world uses. In fact, it is just the opposite. My weapons have the power of God to destroy the camps of the enemy.

⁵I destroy every claim and every reason that keeps people from knowing God. I keep every thought under control in order to make it obey Christ. ⁶Until you have obeyed completely, I will be ready to punish you every time you don’t obey.

⁷You are looking only at what appears on the surface of things. Suppose you are sure you belong to Christ. Then you should consider again that I belong to Christ just as much as you do.

⁸Do I brag too much about the authority the Lord gave me? If I do, it’s because I want to build you up, not pull you down. And I’m not ashamed of that kind of bragging.

⁹Don’t think that I’m trying to scare you with my letters. ¹⁰Some say, “His letters sound important. They are powerful. But in person he doesn’t seem like much. And what he says doesn’t amount to anything.” ¹¹People like that have a lot to learn. What I say in my letters when I’m away from you, I will do in my actions when I’m with you.

¹²I don’t dare to compare myself with those who praise themselves. I’m not that kind of person. They measure themselves by themselves. They compare themselves with themselves. When they do that, they are not wise.

¹³But I won’t brag more than I should. Instead, I will brag only about what I have done in the area God has given me. It is an area that reaches all the way to you. ¹⁴I am not going too far in my bragging. I would be going too far if I hadn’t come to where you live. But I did get there with the good news about Christ.

¹⁵And I won’t brag about work done by others. If I did, I would be bragging more than I should. As your faith continues to grow, I hope that my work among you will greatly increase. ¹⁶Then I will be able to preach the good news in the areas beyond you. I don’t want to brag about work already done in someone else’s territory.

¹⁷But, “The one who brags should brag about what the Lord has done.” ¹⁸Those who praise themselves are not accepted. Those the Lord praises are accepted.

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