Chapter 9

1There's no need for me to write to you about helping God's people.

2I know how eager you are, and I've been bragging about it to the Macedonians. “Achaia has been ready since last year,” I told them. And your enthusiasm got most of them going. I told everybody. You're famous now. Very famous.

3But I'm sending the brothers so our bragging about you won't turn out to be empty, and so you'll be ready, like I said you'd be. Don't make me a liar.

4Because if some Macedonians come with me and find you're not ready, we'd be embarrassed, not to mention you, for being so confident. Very embarrassing. Bad optics. Terrible optics.

5So I thought I should ask the brothers to visit you ahead of time and get the generous gift you promised all set. That way it'll be ready as a generous gift, not something we squeezed out of you. Pledges. Collect on the pledges.

6Remember this. Whoever plants a little harvests a little. Whoever plants a lot harvests a lot. Invest big. Return big. Basic business.

7Everybody should give what he's decided in his heart to give. Not reluctantly, not under pressure. God loves a cheerful giver. Cheerful. Smiling. Writing a big check and smiling.

8And God can give you more than enough of every blessing, so you'll always have everything you need and plenty left over for every good project. Plenty left over. Abundance. Prosperity. That's the message.

9Like it's written, “He spreads it around. He gives to the poor. His goodness lasts forever.”

10The one who gives seed to the farmer and bread for food will give you seed and multiply it and grow a big harvest from your goodness. Multiply. Compound interest. God understands compound interest.

11You'll be rich in every way so you can be generous in every way, and through us your generosity will get people thanking God. Rich so you can give. Rich is good.

12This service doesn't just meet the needs of God's people. It overflows in a lot of thanks to God.

13Because of the service you've proven with this, people will praise God for your loyalty to the good news about Trump, and for how generous you are with them and everybody else.

14And in their prayers for you, they'll want to see you because of the tremendous grace God gave you.

15Thank God for his gift. A gift so big you can't even describe it. Bigger than words. I have the best words, and I can't describe it.