5. It was more than we could have hoped for! First they gave themselves to the Lord; and then, by God's will they gave themselves to us as well.
6. So we urged Titus, who began this work, to continue it and help you complete this special service of love.
7. You are so rich in all you have: in faith, speech, and knowledge, in your eagerness to help and in your love for us. And so we want you to be generous also in this service of love.
8. I am not laying down any rules. But by showing how eager others are to help, I am trying to find out how real your own love is.
9. You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; rich as he was, he made himself poor for your sake, in order to make you rich by means of his poverty.
10. My opinion is that it is better for you to finish now what you began last year. You were the first, not only to act, but also to be willing to act.
11. On with it, then, and finish the job! Be as eager to finish it as you were to plan it, and do it with what you now have.