Paul appealed to the church at Corinth for financial support for the church at Jerusalem which was not as wealthy as the Gentile congregations with which Paul had been involved. Apparently, the church at Macedonia had been very generous but the Corinthians had not. The collection was designed by Paul not only to provide economic relief for the church at Jerusalem, but perhaps more importantly, to build unity among the churches and to indicate that the followers of Jesus were united and were living witnesses of the gospel message of love. How well do we illustrate Jesus' message to love others by giving generously to those in need?

Jesus' teachings were shocking, and they turned the world upside-down. Of course, Jesus said, everyone - even tax-collectors who were not respected at all by their fellow Jews - loved the people who loved them. But Jesus was telling people to love their enemies and to pray for their persecutors. He said they needed to be different from everyone else. They needed to do more - to exercise love in action. That would set them apart from others. What about us? Are we living a holy life by showing a loving disposition to those whom we find difficult? Are we growing deeper in our relationship with Jesus by challenging ourselves to reach outside our comfort zone?