Do It Now!

 

Scripture

  2 Corinthians 8:7-15

⁷Now as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you — so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

⁸I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others.⁹For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.¹⁰And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something — ¹¹now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means.¹²For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has — not according to what one does not have.¹³I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between¹⁴your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.¹⁵As it is written, "The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little."  (NRSV)

Devotion

 Today's portion Paul's second letter to the Corinthians is one of those that hits closer to home than we may like to admit.  When Paul mentions the generous undertaking that the Church in Corinthians had begun the year before, he is referring to a collection for the Church in Jerusalem.  At this point, the needs of Christians in Jerusalem far outweighed their means.  Paul had been busy collecting money from other churches in Jerusalem's hour of need.  This offering wouldn't just help Christians in Jerusalem with their physical needs; it would help built connections between the mostly Gentile Christians associated with Paul and the predominately Jewish Christians congregations served by James and Peter. If the Gentiles could share some of their abundance with the Jews in need, then the bonds between all God's people would grow stronger.   If this worked the way Paul wanted it to, this act of generosity would help bring about a balanced and unified Church in which no-one had too much or too little.

The Church in Corinth had originally committed wholeheartedly to this endeavor.  A year later, though, members are dragging their feet on getting their money to Paul.  Perhaps they are embarrassed that they haven't been able to raise as much as they expected.  Perhaps they've been distracted by some other need or have begun second-guessing the their decision to money to a group of people they don't know and don't necessarily trust.  Whatever the reason for their delay, time is running out.  Paul is almost done collecting what he can from other churches, and he will heading to Jerusalem soon--with or without the Church in Corinth's donation.  As Paul prepares for the journey, he reminds the Corinthians of their initial eagerness to help and urges them to follow through on their commitment.  Whatever they are able to give, eagerly giving it now is a million times better than making promises that are never fulfilled.

Paul's words about fulfilling our commitments are just as challenging today as they were almost 2,000 years ago.  After all, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of an idea and say we are going to do something; it can be much harder to actually do it.  As a procrastinator and perfectionist, I am all too familiar with the urge to put off doing something until I feel like I have the time, money, and energy to "do it right."  The longer I wait, though, the harder it is to get started.  Then, there are the projects that are bigger, more complex, or more time consuming than we expected.  The ministries that encounter an unexpected road-bump or detour.  The plans that aren't developing the way we expected.  The activities that are less fun and more frustrating than expected.   When faced with these kinds of situations, it is little wonder that we find ourselves tempted to put off finishing what we started...especially when we are pretty sure that even best efforts won't yield the grand results we originally envisioned.

Paul's point is that the results of our efforts don't always have to be grand or perfect to be enough.  The important thing is that we eagerly do what we can with what we have been given...and to do so in a timely fashion.  When we honor our commitments to be partners in service of Christ, God combines what we have been able to do according to our means with what others have been able to accomplish according to theirs.  Together, our eagerly-given gifts are enough to create a fair balance in the world.  When we all gives as we are able, Christ ensures that we all receive what we need.

This week, let us all commit to actually finishing something we agreed to start in Christ's name.  Let us give an do as we are able not in some hypothetical future, but in the here and now.  And whether we end up volunteering at a food pantry or reaching out to that person who has been in our thoughts or giving money to Christ's work in your community, let us be eager in fulfilling those commitments.  After all, even our biggest and most exciting promises mean little if we do not act on them.  And though what we may be able to give/accomplish may not seem like much to us, Christ will combine them with other's gifts in order to create something beyond our wildest dreams. 

Prayer 

Christ, thank you for calling me to be a partner in your service.  Help me to eagerly fulfill the commitments I have made to you, so that what abundance that I have to offer may be used to aid those who are need.  And may all the world come to know the fair balance you desire for your children.