20 Saturday Jun 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
No matter how hard we try, we are nothing without God. All that we are comes from God and His strength working through us. In 2 Corinthians 11:30 Paul says, If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The more we admit to our weakness and our source of strength, the more we can point to the One who deserves all the glory.
19 Friday Jun 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
When we accomplish something great, or even not so great, we want to tell the world and be recognized for it. With social media it is even easier to do this. But recognition can be dangerous because it takes away the glory from God. In 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 Paul tells the Corinthians this: 17 But, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. When we accomplish great things, we should give all glory to God and let Him praise us. Praise from God is all that matters.
18 Thursday Jun 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
We should give everything with the same generosity Christ gave to us and we should be willing to give it all back, knowing our reward is already set for us in eternity. 2 Corinthians 9:6 reminds us, Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Just like a good investment, when we give fully, we have the potential to receive fully as well. Sometimes we feel our return on an investment is not what we expected, but we must remember where and when our reward comes from.
17 Wednesday Jun 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
How we define “richness” is different than the way God defines it. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 Paul reminds the Corinthians of this, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. Our richness is defined by what we received from Christ when He died on the cross for us. Our richness comes in the form of eternal life and richness in glory spent with Him. How we define richness in this life will pale in comparison to what He has in store for us. We allow ourselves to be blinded by the temporary and fleeting riches of this life while we should be focusing on what eternity has in store for us. His plan is greater than we could ever hope or imagine.
16 Tuesday Jun 2015
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When we attempt to bring others to a place of repentance based on our own convictions, we fail. It is only through God’s conviction, through the Holy Spirit, that brings true repentance leading to salvation. In 2 Corinthians 7:10 Paul says, Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. When we act like everyone else, in self-righteous judgement, we bring no one closer to God or a place where they can repent. God called us to love Him and love others. Everything outside of that, especially judgement, is unproductive and leads people further away and not closer to Him.
15 Monday Jun 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
Once we have received God’s grace through salvation, it is easy to take it for granted over time. In 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 Paul urges the Corinthians to take a different approach, 1 As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 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, now is the day of salvation. Many people do not see the urgency of making the decision to follow Christ. They feel there is time and see little benefit in making that decision a priority. The truth is there is no better time than the present . When we put off the decision to follow Christ, we also put off the potential blessing receive from Him. There is no better time than the present.
14 Sunday Jun 2015
Posted in Reflection
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As I reflect this Sunday morning, I can’t help but realize I do not spend enough time on my knees. My tendency is to work hard, not pray harder. Maybe it’s time I change that.
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13 Saturday Jun 2015
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Because of Christ we are brand new people. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! The Holy Spirit lives in us and gives us new life. We are no longer the same. We are not reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated; we are re-created.
12 Friday Jun 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
It is a good thing for us that this life is not all there is. In 2 Corinthians 4:18 Paul says, So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. As believers we all know there is life after death and the best is yet to come. When we look at this life in the light of eternity, we look forward to a place that can help us live above the hardships we face in this current life.
11 Thursday Jun 2015
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When we try to follow all the rules in order to please God, we fail every time. But there is freedom in the Lord according to 2 Corinthians 3:17, Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. When our trust is in Jesus to save us through His sacrifice on the cross, He removes the heavy burden of trying to follow all the rules and the guilt associated with failing to do so. When we trust in Christ we are accepted, forgiven, and free to live our lives the way God intended because we are loved so dearly by Him.
Daily Devotion 