Feb 11, 2020
Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, For God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “He has scattered abroad His gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in Thanksgiving to God.
– 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Devotion
Here Paul encourages the Corinthians and us to give generously of the good gifts that God has blessed them/us with. Paul states that our giving should be cheerful and Spirit-led. He excludes two methods of giving. The first is “reluctantly,” that is, very literally, sorrowfully. The second method he excludes is “under compulsion,” that is, giving as simply an act of duty and not from an impulse of delight. When we give cheerfully and Spirit-led, two things will happen. First is that giving will meet the needs of other believers. The second is that our giving will bring glory to God.
The Big Question
Do you sow sparingly? How does it affect you when you give? Does your life reflect the generosity of Christ? Do you give out of a sense of duty? Are you able to give joyfully? Is your heart motivated to give before being asked? Does your generosity cause God to receive glory?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.
Feb 10, 2020
Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
– 2 Corinthians 8:1-7
Devotion
Paul now turns to the subject of the collection for the saints in Jerusalem who were undergoing severe persecution because of the cause of Christ. He cites the example of the Macedonian churches. Even though they were very poor, they gave sacrificially to aid the saints in Jerusalem. Paul is provoking the Corinthians to follow through on their pledge to give to this offering by holding up the Macedonian churches as an example of true sacrificial giving. Then he compliments the Corinthians for exceling in faith, speech, knowledge and in their earnest love for the Apostles. Then he challenges the Corinthians to excel in this “grace of giving.” Jesus modeled this grace of giving at the cross. He gave everything so that you and I might be reconciled to God. Now as followers of Jesus our lives should be marked by this grace of giving.
The Big Question
Do you follow through on pledges that you have made to God? Do you give generously of the gifts that God has given to you? Do you excel in this grace of giving? Does your life reflect the generosity and sacrifice of Jesus?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.
Feb 7, 2020
Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
– 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Devotion
Paul clearly states that the motivation for his ministry was the love of Christ! This should always be at the heart of what we do for Christ. Paul then defines his ministry as “the ministry of reconciliation.” As a believer, we have the privilege of being involved in God’s plan for reconciling the world to Himself. We are Christ’s ambassadors! He is making His appeal through us! Paul goes on to say that we have also been entrusted with the “message of reconciliation.” We have the high honor and calling of sharing the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus to a world that is alienated from God. God is holy and just and demands righteousness. When we put our faith in the finished work and person of Christ, His righteousness is credited to our account.
The Big Question
Are you a new creation in Christ? How is your life changing as a result of trusting Christ for your salvation? Are you a good steward of the “ministry and message” of reconciliation? What motivates you to be an ambassador for Christ? How does your love for Jesus show?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.
Feb 6, 2020
Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
For while we are still in this tent (earthly body), we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So, we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
– 2 Corinthians 5:4-10
Devotion
In this physical realm, we are burdened. It is not that we are worried about being unclothed; we know that we shall be clothed with righteousness of Christ. If He is our Savior, then He is our only hope. Once again, we see that the Holy Spirit is the seal or down payment guaranteeing us of what is to come. As long as we exist in these earthly bodies, we are absent from the Lord. Paul says that we walk by faith. We take God at His Word. Then Paul mentions the judgment (bema) seat. This is a place where victors receive reward. Only believers will appear at the “bema” seat of Christ. It is not a judgment of the believer’s sins, which Christ fully atoned for on the cross. This judgment is to see whether you are going to receive a reward or not. We will be judged on the way we lived the Christian life while inhabiting these earthly bodies. This is not the Great White Throne judgment. Knowing that our works and motives for serving Christ will be tested, this should motivate us to serve Him in a way that truly reflects His character.
The Big Question
Are you ready to shed this earthly dwelling for a heavenly dwelling that can’t be corrupted? Can you say, like Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain?” Do you look forward to the “bema” seat judgment? When your motives and works are tested, will they remain like precious metals or will they be burned up like wood and be found in a pile of ashes? What motivates you to serve and worship the Lord?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.
Feb 5, 2020
Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ it is taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
– 2 Corinthians 3:12-18
Devotion
When our hearts turn to the Lord (accept Him in faith) the veil (spiritual blindness) is taken away. Man’s trouble is heart trouble. We are all blinded because of sin in our life. When we are willing to turn from our sin and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, the blindness is removed. Only the Spirit of God can remove this blindness. The Spirit of God takes the things of Christ and reveals them to us. The Spirit of God brings us into the place of liberty. The Spirit doesn’t put us back under the law. When He does, we see Jesus in all His glory as the Son of God. This revelation is life-changing! As we gaze upon His face in this way, He transforms us as He conforms us into His own likeness.
The Big Question
Have you turned from your sin and trusted in the person and work of Christ for your soul’s salvation? How is the Holy Spirit revealing Christ to you? Are you still trying to live your life by keeping the Law? What did Paul mean when He wrote, “The Spirit of God brings us into the place of liberty?” In what ways are you being transformed into the image of Christ?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.
Feb 4, 2020
Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Now it is God who made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
– 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 5:5
Devotion
Here Paul communicates that the Holy Spirit was a deposit, guaranteeing the promise that we would live with Christ for all eternity. The Holy Spirit, poured out by the risen and exalted Savior, applies the benefits of Christ’s redeeming work to the believer’s heart and makes the resurrection power of Jesus a reality of our daily experience. This guarantees our eventual total transformation into the likeness of Christ’s glorified body. When we trust Christ as our Lord and Savior, God marks us with His Holy Spirit, which indicates there is more to follow. Amen!
The Big Question
How do you know if you have received the Spirit of God (see Romans 8:16)? What does this look like in your life? Christ’s promise of eternity is backed up with the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is our seal guaranteeing our future inheritance. How does this feel to know that God doesn’t leave us guessing about the future?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.
