“We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 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 they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favour of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
—2 Cor 8:1-9
There’s a silly Christian joke out there that goes something like this: if Adam and Eve had been from Hong Kong, we’d all still be living in the Garden of Eden — because neither of them would’ve eaten the fruit, they would’ve eaten the snake instead.
The whole what if the Bible was a Hong Kong thing routine runs pretty thin from there, but maybe we could stretch it just a bit more for today’s passage: If Paul had been a typical Hong Konger, this passage might’ve ended up quite differently.
Here, Paul is writing to the Church in Corinth, full of rich, talented, gifted Christians. Here he’s asking them to basically help out with a charity drive for the Church in Jerusalem, which had fallen on hard times.
Paul doesn’t bluntly command the Corinthians to donate though; he points instead to the Macedonian Church, in many ways the opposite of the Corinthians: not nearly as rich or talented as them, but, Paul says, look at what the Macedonians were able to donate, poor though they are. They weren’t just able to donate, they wanted to. I think you Corinthians, with all your gifts, should try to be like that too, huh?
Now if the passage had ended right there at verse eight, Paul’s speech might sound depressingly familiar: Look at those people over there, why can’t you be like them? Look at how much she’s doing, why can’t you match that? Look at how little he has, and he’s still doing all that, why can’t you be more like him?
Look at how well she’s doing — why can’t I get as many A’s as her…?
But is guilt a good motivator? It makes the fear of failure a constant in our lives. You’ll never enjoy your work, and you’ll end up hating those who ask you to do things. Everything that comes your way becomes a burden that cannot be ignored, or yet another reason to earn your place. But, hey, fear often produces results, at least in the short term. That’s the way of the world. We stick with it. And it rots our souls.
But Paul doesn’t end the passage there. As with all things in the gospel, the main point is not to look at ourselves, and to do better. Instead it’s to look at Jesus. Look at how he had everything — all the fullness and glory and riches of heaven — and yet he gave it all up to live with us and die for us, so that we could have his fullness and glory and riches too.
But also look at what Jesus has already done — don’t look at what you have to do or else, look at what has been completed, and completed for you. And you, Christian, living in the power of Jesus, living a new life given by him, a life that doesn’t follow the patterns and priorities and fears of the world — be like him. Give as he has given. But don’t do, don’t give, in order to earn your place, or to wash away your guilt. Because Jesus didn’t have to do that. And those who trust in Jesus won’t have to either.
That’s what Paul is saying here: do things out of love, as Jesus loves you and gave everything he has for you. Fear and guilt are not good masters. Love is a better master. The kind of love that you see in Jesus.
Remember, My Lord 
Amen.