2 Corinthians 8:10-12 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
The seed of giving to those in Jerusalem was planted a year before Paul wrote this letter. The Corinthians have had quite a bit of time to save and give to this need. Have they become lazy or fatigued in this? Paul has said the things in this chapter to the benefit of the Corinthians. He hopes in this part of the letter that he will be an inspiration to them, for their benefit. By giving sacrificially to this offering, it will help them grow spiritually in their faith and trust in Jesus.
Paul urges them to finish what they started. Don’t give up half way but go the full way. Finish well. It is not just enough to have the desire to do something; we must follow through and complete it. In many churches, there is a special giving campaign called “faith promise.” A person pledges to give a certain amount for the year towards a special project or need (such as missions). A person then follows through by giving what has been pledged. The Corinthians had done a similar thing by intending to give. They needed to complete this faith idea by putting it into action. They have the resources to do as they started. This will take faith and trust in the provisions of the Lord.
Paul reminds them in v. 12 in a proverbial statement that what matters is follow through. “Readiness” (prothymia) can also mean eagerness to do something. They had the right intentions but they needed to do something about them. Their intention to give should not be theory, based on what they do not have, but on reality, what they actually have. A poor man cannot pledge to give a million dollars. We can determine what to give to a need by first praying. God will open our hearts and minds to his will if we will seek him and put his kingdom first.
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