4. they begged us insistently for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints,
5. and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves especially to the Lord, then to us by God’s will.
6. So we urged Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete this grace to you.
7. Now as you excel in everything — faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us — excel also in this grace.
8. I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love.
9. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich.