So begin planting early in the morning, and don’t stop working until evening. Why? Because you don’t know which things will make you rich. Maybe everything you do will be successful.
Give to other people, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to other people is the way God will give to you.”
This is what I mean: One of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another person says, “I follow Apollos.” Another person says, “I follow Cephas (Peter),” and another person says, “I follow Christ.”
Brothers and sisters, this is what I mean: We don’t have much time left. So starting now, people who have wives should use their time \{to serve the Lord\} like they don’t have wives.
God is the One who gives seed to the person who plants. And he gives bread for food. And God will give you \{spiritual\} seed and make your seed grow. He will make a great harvest from your goodness (giving).
So I thought that I should ask these brothers to go to you before we come. They will finish making ready the gift you promised. Then the gift will be ready when we come, and it will be a gift you wanted to give—not a gift that you hated to give.
This is what I mean: The agreement \{that God gave to Abraham\} was made official long before the law {\cf2\super [38]} came. The law came 430 years later. So the law could not take away the agreement and change God’s promise.
God is fair. God will remember all the work you have done. And God will remember that you showed your love to him by helping his people. And God will remember that you continue to help his people.