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Christian Devotional – August 29, 2013
VERSE: 2 Corinthians 9:11–You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. TRUTH: God blesses us in so many ways: money, time, experiences, wisdom, just to name a few. Why does God bless us? He blesses us so that we can bless others. We are to be generous with everything that God allows us to have. As we are generous with God’s blessings, others give thanks and praise back to God. God’s blessings lead to our generosity, which results in thanksgiving and praise back to God. RESPONSE: Father, Your cycle of blessing,…
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Christian Devotional – August 28, 2013
VERSE: 2 Corinthians 8:12–For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to that one does not have. TRUTH: How does God evaluate giving? For God, giving is evaluated based on willingness, not quantity. People can give large amounts of time or money, but if they are only giving out of duty or obligation, then they are not giving an acceptable gift. However, if their heart is willing and they give a gift, even if it is a small gift based on their ability, that gift is acceptable and pleasing to God. RESPONSE: Father, I desire to give. The contents of the…
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Christian Devotional – August 27, 2013
VERSE: 2 Corinthians 7:10–Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. TRUTH: When we are confronted with having done something wrong, we have a couple of ways we can respond. We can experience Godly sorrow, which is being truly sorry for how our sins have hurt God. This kind of sorrow leads to repentance and salvation as we seek to restore our relationship with God. We do not get bogged down with regrets as we experience the love and forgiveness of our Savior. Or, we can display Godly sorrow, which is being unhappy about going through the consequences of the sin. This…
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Christian Devotional – August 26, 2013
VERSE: 2 Corinthians 6:2–For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor and now is the day of salvation. TRUTH: What does it mean that now is the time? It means that today is the day when God will hear and help us. He is listening to us and He is poised to help us as we come to Him. Do we see today as the day of God’s favor? We don’t have to wait for it, God hears us and helps us today! RESPONSE: Father, You are…
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Christian Devotional – August 25, 2013
VERSE: 2 Corinthians 5:15–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. TRUTH: Here, in one simple statement, is the essence of the Christian life. Jesus died for all so that we who are still living can choose to submit to Him and allow Him to live through us. While we are still trying to control ourselves, our lives, and are living for ourselves, we cannot be living for God. As we come to Jesus, we sacrifice ourselves, with our sinful habits and practices, and we choose to live for the one who…
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Christian Devotional – August 24, 2013
VERSE: 2 Corinthians 4:18–So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. TRUTH: What are we focused on? As we are going through each day, are we focused with intensity on the eternal things that matter? Or are we focusing on the things that are temporary? The temporary things are more distracting because they are easier to see, but the eternal goals that God has for us require discipline of mind to stay focused on because they cannot be easily seen. Are we choosing to focus on the unseen and eternal or…
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Christian Devotional – August 23, 2013
VERSE: 2 Corinthians 3:5–Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. TRUTH: No matter what it is we are thinking of, we are not competent in anything solely by ourselves. The knowledge we have, the understanding we have, these are all gifts from God. We are to be careful that we do not become prideful about what we think we know. Knowledge is from God and He deserves the glory and praise for it. RESPONSE: Father, You are the only reason I know what I know. It is only by Your grace and understanding, and I praise You for allowing…
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Christian Devotional – August 22, 2013
VERSE: 2 Corinthians 2:15–For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. TRUTH: When we are following Christ, allowing Him to live through us, our life has a distinctive aroma. Only the aroma of Christ is pleasing to God and as we allow Him to fill us and work through us, our life gives off the pleasant aroma of Christ. Without Christ, our actions and attitude leave a stench that is disgusting to God. Are we allowing the sweet smell of Christ to define our life? RESPONSE: Father, I want my life to be a pleasing aroma to…
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Christian Devotional – August 21, 2013
VERSE: 2 Corinthians 1:9–Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. TRUTH: Paul shares about the comfort of God in this first chapter. He explains how they were experiencing horrible trials and how they all assumed it would be death for them. Why did God allow Paul to go through these difficulties? It says in this very verse that the purpose was to teach Paul not to rely on himself, but to rely on God. God is the One we can trust in any circumstance, but often it is hard for…
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Christian Devotional – August 20, 2013
VERSE: Jeremiah 52:13–He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. TRUTH: Finally, the destruction Jeremiah had warned them about happened. The Babylonians came and destroyed everything that the people valued. God allowed it because He wanted the people to understand that there are consequences for their actions and that they can’t trust in things because they can be destroyed. We can trust in God because He never fails. He is all that we need, but if we trust in other things, God will actually show us that they can be destroyed so that we…