UBF Daily Bread

WE TAKE PAINS TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT

Passage: 2Corinthians 8:16~24

Key verse: 21

Titus Sent to Receive the Collection

¹⁶Thanks be to God,^(A) who put into the heart^(B) of Titus^(C) the same concern I have for you. ¹⁷For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.^(D) ¹⁸And we are sending along with him the brother^(E) who is praised by all the churches^(F) for his service to the gospel.^(G) ¹⁹What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us^(H) as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.^(I) ²⁰We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. ²¹For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.^(J)

²²In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. ²³As for Titus,^(K) he is my partner^(L) and co-worker^(M) among you; as for our brothers,^(N) they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. ²⁴Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you,^(O) so that the churches can see it.

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1. Titus (16-17)

Paul was sending Titus to Corinth. Titus was a young shepherd trained by Paul. He was no longer an intern shepherd; he was Paul's co-worker. He fully understood the importance of bringing this offering from the Gentile believers to the home church in Jerusalem, and he was eager that the believers in Corinth participate for the sake of their own spiritual growth and blessing. He had been involved in this work from the beginning. (6,10)

2. To do right in the eyes of God and men (18-24)

Paul was careful in dealing with money. He sought to honor God and encourage fellow believers. Each participating church chose men to accompany Paul on his journey to Jerusalem. They would deliver the gift and report on God's work among the Gentiles. These men were the fruit of world mission. They were an honor to Christ. Paul was sending a highly respected co-worker to Corinth with Titus. Perhaps he was Luke or possibly Barnabas--the man who taught Paul the principle of giving (Ac 11:25-30).

Prayer: Lord, help me to use money in a way that honors Christ and builds up people.

One Word: Honor Christ in the use of money