Knowing God in 2 Corinthians 2:8:1-2, The Grace of God

1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

For Paul, joy is not a happy mood but the saving grace of God in our lives. Because he has unfinished business with the collection for the church in Judea from the Corinthians, he implies a comparison of them with the Macedonians, who have given generously even though they are in extreme poverty. They have given beyond their ability through their acknowledgment of God’s grace in their lives.

Give me thy grace, good Lord,

To set the world at naught,

To set my mind fast upon thee.

And not to hang upon the blast of men’s mouths.

To be content to be solitary,

Not to long for worldly company,

Little and little utterly to cast off the world,

And rid my mind of all the business thereof.

Thomas More, 1478-1535