Have you ever experienced an initial burst of enthusiasm about a project, gotten a good start, and then stopped along the way and wanted to give up? Sometimes we find ourselves pausing without finishing. The Corinthians needed to finish what they started and complete their harvest for the mission in Jerusalem. They needed this reminder, since for various reasons they had stopped the mission.
Paul speaks to them about their willingness and rush to collect an offering; they have begun the collection and done that out of their own eagerness. He highlights the fact that God’s concern focuses on the giver’s heart and attitude. The giver’s motivation makes the gift acceptable or unacceptable, and he does not want to pressure them. However, he points out that God’s purpose is to help them understand that money is not real wealth nor the only reason for living. The exalted Christ became human, became poor, and lived and died that they may be rich. Christ completed his task; he finished what he proposed. For that reason, the Corinthian Christians and the Christian church today must act.
God does supply our needs. When we understand that we are part of the mission, we do not stop on the way but continue forward. The One who called us is the one who sustains us, who strengthens our tired feet so that we see our commitments through to the end!