Tuesday Devotion, December 1

Tuesday Devotion, December 1

Isaiah 1:16-20

¹⁶ Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. ¹⁷ Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. ¹⁸ “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. ¹⁹ If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat. ²⁰ But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Quick Notes
These five verses could be the book of Isaiah. If Christians could live these out, the Kingdom of God would be alive and well. There is a mentality that because Jesus died for me, it is okay if I still sin - I mean, no one is perfect. Yet right here we see that Jesus' death is not enough. We are to become God-bringers to this world through being good, just, and helping those who cannot help themselves. To do this, we will be obeying God and be fulfilled.
Quick Questions
Which do you spend more time doing: learning to be good, seeking justice, helping the oppressed, defending orphans, or fighting for widows' rights? Which do you need to spend more time doing?
Quick Prayer
O God, continue to teach me your ways. May I be able to obey. Amen.

Monday Devotion, November 30

Monday Devotion, November 30
Isaiah 1:2-15
² Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the Lord says: “The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me. ³ Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care—but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.” ⁴ Oh, what a sinful nation they are—loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him. ⁵ Why do you continue to invite punishment? Must you rebel forever? Your head is injured, and your heart is sick. ⁶ You are battered from head to foot—covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds—without any soothing ointments or bandages. ⁷ Your country lies in ruins, and your towns are burned. Foreigners plunder your fields before your eyes and destroy everything they see. ⁸ Beautiful Jerusalem stands abandoned like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard, like a lean-to in a cucumber field after the harvest, like a helpless city under siege. ⁹ If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of us, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah. ¹⁰ Listen to the Lord, you leaders of “Sodom.” Listen to the law of our God, people of “Gomorrah.” ¹¹ “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. ¹² When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? ¹³ Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting— they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings. ¹⁴ I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them! ¹⁵ When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.

Quick Notes

The Lord makes some fairly strong statements here. The people have been living unjust lives, yet have practiced good church attendance, praying, giving, etc. Going to church or doing the "right" things does not qualify you as one who is a Christian. How you treat people is as important. How you connect what you believe about God and how you live your life are not separate categories, but an ongoing interchange.

Quick Questions

How well do you do the "right" things? Does your actions match your beliefs of God?

Quick Prayer

Lord, help my actions be consistent with my beliefs and my beliefs to be consistent with your character. Amen.

Sunday Devotion, November 29

Sunday Devotion, November 29
Isaiah 1:1

¹ These are the visions that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. He saw these visions during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.

Quick Notes

Isaiah is one of the longest books of the Bible. There are many stories that will be told and reflected on. We start today with one simple verse. These visions are beautiful, horrifying, and disturbing. Yet, over the next couple of months, Isaiah might help us pattern our lives in such a way that these visions will become reality in the Kingdom that is coming.

Quick Questions

What sets the pattern for your life?

Quick Prayer

God, as we start the expectation of waiting for your son to change the world, let our lives weave a pattern that reflects you.

Saturday, November 28, 2009 Devotion

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Habakkuk 3:16-19

¹⁶ I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror. I will wait quietly for the coming day, when disaster will strike the people who invade us. ¹⁷ Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, ¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! ¹⁹ The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.

(For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)

Quick Notes

One of my top 5 passages of scripture easily. The reason has to do with why we worship this God - the one in Christ Jesus. Some people worship for the hope of good on this world or one beyond death. Habakkuk worships because the God of Jesus is Lord of all.

Quick Questions

Why do you worship Jesus? Is it to go to heaven? To avoid hell? If everything in your life goes bad, will you still worship him?

Quick Prayer

Christ Jesus, I affirm you to be Lord of my life. Amen.

Friday, November 27, 2009 Devotion

Friday, November 27, 2009

Habakkuk 3:1-15

3 ¹ This prayer was sung by the prophet Habakkuk,

² I have heard all about you, Lord. I am filled with awe by your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy. ³ I see God moving across the deserts from Edom, the Holy One coming from Mount Paran. His brilliant splendor fills the heavens, and the earth is filled with his praise. ⁴ His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise. Rays of light flash from his hands, where his awesome power is hidden. ⁵ Pestilence marches before him; plague follows close behind. ⁶ When he stops, the earth shakes. When he looks, the nations tremble. He shatters the everlasting mountains and levels the eternal hills. He is the Eternal One! ⁷ I see the people of Cushan in distress, and the nation of Midian trembling in terror. ⁸ Was it in anger, Lord, that you struck the rivers and parted the sea? Were you displeased with them? No, you were sending your chariots of salvation! ⁹ You brandished your bow and your quiver of arrows. You split open the earth with flowing rivers. ¹⁰ The mountains watched and trembled. Onward swept the raging waters. The mighty deep cried out, lifting its hands to the Lord. ¹¹ The sun and moon stood still in the sky as your brilliant arrows flew and your glittering spear flashed. ¹² You marched across the land in anger and trampled the nations in your fury. ¹³ You went out to rescue your chosen people, to save your anointed ones. You crushed the heads of the wicked and stripped their bones from head to toe. ¹⁴ With his own weapons, you destroyed the chief of those who rushed out like a whirlwind, thinking Israel would be easy prey. ¹⁵ You trampled the sea with your horses, and the mighty waters piled high.

Quick Notes

Today, many across the U.S. of A. celebrate a day called "Black Friday", the number 1 shopping day of the year. If we were really honest with ourselves, most of us would rather get that deal at Best Buy or Toys 'R Us than everlasting salvation. In a sense, we kind of like the chaos of our lives. It makes sense to us. To go and completely abandon that so we can live a life of salvation seems foreign, strange, and kind of cuckoo. Despite all the sales that the day may hold, none of these things and items will satisfy our lives. As Christians we believe that God in Christ can?

Quick Questions

How often do you seek the next great thing instead of the Great One?

Quick Prayer

O God, it is my confession that I consume everything around me and do not allow for your grace to consume me. Break me and fill me so that I may overflow love into others' lives. Amen.

Thursday, November 26, 2009 Devotion

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Habakkuk 2:5-20
⁵ Wealth is treacherous, and the arrogant are never at rest.They open their mouths as wide as the grave, and like death, they are never satisfied. In their greed they have gathered up many nations and swallowed many peoples. ⁶ “But soon their captives will taunt them. They will mock them, saying, ‘What sorrow awaits you thieves! Now you will get what you deserve! You’ve become rich by extortion, but how much longer can this go on?’ ⁷ Suddenly, your debtors will take action. They will turn on you and take all you have, while you stand trembling and helpless. ⁸ Because you have plundered many nations; now all the survivors will plunder you. You committed murder throughout the countryside and filled the towns with violence. ⁹ “What sorrow awaits you who build big houses with money gained dishonestly! You believe your wealth will buy security, putting your family’s nest beyond the reach of danger. ¹⁰ But by the murders you committed, you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives. ¹¹ The very stones in the walls cry out against you, and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint. ¹² “What sorrow awaits you who build cities with money gained through murder and corruption! ¹³ Has not the Lord of Heaven’s Armies promised that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes? They work so hard, but all in vain! ¹⁴ For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord. ¹⁵ “What sorrow awaits you who make your neighbors drunk! You force your cup on them so you can gloat over their shameful nakedness. ¹⁶ But soon it will be your turn to be disgraced. Come, drink and be exposed! Drink from the cup of the Lord’s judgment, and all your glory will be turned to shame. ¹⁷ You cut down the forests of Lebanon. Now you will be cut down. You destroyed the wild animals, so now their terror will be yours. You committed murder throughout the countryside and filled the towns with violence. ¹⁸ “What good is an idol carved by man, or a cast image that deceives you? How foolish to trust in your own creation— a god that can’t even talk! ¹⁹ What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols, ‘Wake up and save us!’ To speechless stone images you say, ‘Rise up and teach us!’ Can an idol tell you what to do? They may be overlaid with gold and silver, but they are lifeless inside. ²⁰ But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him.”

Quick Notes

What a great passage for the day of Thanksgiving. Be grateful for what you have in life. It is when we are not satisfied with what we have that dear rears its ugly face. Greed is closely associated with pride. Be grateful. Be thankful.

Quick Questions

Who are you thankful for? What are you thankful for? What do you need to be thankful for?

Quick Prayer

O Lord, thank you for your grace and mercy. May we be satisfied. You are enough. Amen.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Habakkuk 2:2-4

² Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. ³ This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. ⁴ “Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.

Quick Notes

Because God is reminded the kind of God God is, God condemns he crooked and lifts up he righteous. This might seem like a "duh" statement, but sometimes it is that simple.

Quick Questions

How often are you proud? How often are you righteous?

Quick Prayer

Lord Jesus, form me into a righteous faithful servant. Amen.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 Devotion

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Habakkuk 1:12-2:1

¹² O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal— surely you do not plan to wipe us out? O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us, to punish us for our many sins. ¹³ But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they? ¹⁴ Are we only fish to be caught and killed? Are we only sea creatures that have no leader? ¹⁵ Must we be strung up on their hooks and caught in their nets while they rejoice and celebrate? ¹⁶ Then they will worship their nets and burn incense in front of them.

“These nets are the gods who have made us rich!” they will claim. ¹⁷ Will you let them get away with this forever? Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?

2 ¹ I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.

Quick Notes

Not liking God's response, Habakkuk decides to respond by reminding God of God's attributes. If saving his people is not worth it, maybe remembering that it reflects on God's character will cause God to act. Sometimes being a witness to Christ is witnessing what God has done to remind God to continue doing.

Quick Questions

How often do you remind God of the kind of God God is?

Quick Prayer

Almighty God, you are the Creator and Sustainer of life. Continue to lift up the lowly and free the oppressed. Make us instruments of your peace. Amen.

Monday, November 23, 2009 Devotion

Monday, November 23, 2009

For the last week of the Church Calendar, I thought we should take a journey with Habakkuk. I think he will help set us up for the Advent season and Isaiah's writings. Now, I do do a bit of injustice to Habakkuk, because I do not keep his writings in the poetic like form (for space reasons). Feel free to pick up a Bible and read the beauty that comes with the form. Now that we are out of the Corinthians, I am going back to the New Living Translation (NLT). Happy Thanksgiving in advance and be thankful for everything that grace has allowed you to be apart of and that you have.

Grace & Peace,

Mike

Habakkuk 1:1-11

¹ This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received in a vision.

² How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. ³ Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. ⁴ The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous so that justice has become perverted.

⁵ The Lord replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it. ⁶ I am raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and violent people. They will march across the world and conquer other lands. ⁷ They are notorious for their cruelty and do whatever they like.⁸ Their horses are swifter than cheetahs and fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their charioteers charge from far away. Like eagles, they swoop down to devour their prey. ⁹ “On they come, all bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind, sweeping captives ahead of them like sand. ¹⁰ They scoff at kings and princes and scorn all their fortresses. They simply pile ramps of earth against their walls and capture them! ¹¹ They sweep past like the wind and are gone. But they are deeply guilty, for their own strength is their god.”

Quick Notes

Imagine being tired of all the things going on in the world and finally decide to pray to God about it. God, the one we go to with our prayers, responds, "Guess what? You think it is bad now, wait! It is going to get worse!" Not really comforting. Then again, we have a tendency to start a fire, throw gas on it and then ask for God to put it out once it comes close to the house. Israel is a nation of starting gas fires. We as individuals, and collectively as a group, start a lot of gas fires. Step number one: Take responsibility. Confess your part in the gas fire.

Quick Questions

Why do we expect God to fix the problems that we cause?
Quick Prayer

Jesus, I seem to start a lot of gas fires and expect you to put them out. Give me the wisdom to avoid starting them in the first place and let me act on it. Also, can you teach me how to put out these fires? I trust that you are my answer... even when I am the problem. Amen.

Sunday, November 22, 2009 Devotion

Sunday, November 22, 2009

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

¹¹Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. ¹²Greet one another with a holy kiss. ¹³All the saints send their greetings. ¹⁴May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Quick Notes

Live in peace... That is so hard to do for me. Sometimes people just plain annoy me. I try to mind my own business, but there they are. Part of it is we are of different minds. Sometimes, though, it is amazing to be among a group of people who are all together for the same reason. We look forward to the collective fellowship of the same goal. Peace seems to come much more naturally. So set yourself to the goal of Christ. Find a group to help you reach that goal. Together you will experience the grace of peace.

Quick Questions

Who are you at peace with the most? Why do you think that is?

Quick Prayer

Almighty God, grant us peace that your Kingdom may come. Amen.

Saturday, November 21, 2009 Devotion

Saturday, November 21, 2009

2 Corinthians 13:1-10

¹This will be my third visit to you. "Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." ²I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, ³since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. ⁴For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you.

⁵Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? ⁶And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. ⁷Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. ⁸For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection. ¹⁰This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.

Quick Notes

Truth-telling is one of the most important things that Christians can do. We say that the truth will set us free, but it is amazing how many things we keep secret and unknown. When we tell the truth, we expose our weakness, which allows Christ to make perfect what is a stumbling block for us. Truth releases the oppression towards what is weak and allows it, by grace, to become strong.

Quick Questions

What weaknesses are you afraid to share? What truths can set you free?

Quick Prayer

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires know, and from whom no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You, and worthily magnify Your holy name, through Christ the Lord. Amen. - From The Book of Common Prayer, 1979

Friday, November 20, 2009 Devotion

Friday, November 20, 2009

2 Corinthians 12:11-21

¹¹I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the "super-apostles," even though I am nothing. ¹²The things that mark an apostle—signs, wonders and miracles—were done among you with great perseverance. ¹³How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong! ¹⁴Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. ¹⁵So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? ¹⁶Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! ¹⁷Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent you? ¹⁸I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not act in the same spirit and follow the same course?

¹⁹Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening. ²⁰For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. ²¹I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.

Quick Notes

Though we are not to hold ourselves higher than we are, we are also not to think lower of ourselves than what we are. It is equally bad to be a good for nothing as it is to be a better than you. The image of God laid upon our lives is by his grace and not of our deeds that give us value. It is by grace that we are able to give other people value as well.

Quick Questions

Do you tend to think you are better or worse than others? Why?

Quick Prayer

O God, let me look in the mirror and see your creation with your eyes. Amen.

Thursday, November 12, 2009 Devotion

Thursday, November 12, 2009

2 Corinthians 12:1-10
¹I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. ²I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. ³And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— ⁴was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. ⁵I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. ⁶Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say.

⁷To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Quick Notes

Grace is a funny thing. Though we live in a world that relishes "what you have done lately", grace operates more in a "what can you not do" kind of mode. It seems to fail most when we are self-sufficient, but gloriously is able to expose our weaknesses and make perfect the power of God. Unlike other gods, our God uses the weak to display perfection and strength.

Quick Questions

What strengths do you have that might keep grace from being sufficient? What weaknesses do you have that might be made perfect?

Quick Prayer

O Lord, I am not used to my weaknesses allowing me to grow closer to you. Sometimes I feel it is what "I" accomplish that makes everything right and forget that your grace is what I need. May your power be made perfect in my weakness. Amen.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 Devotion

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

2 Corinthians 11:16-32

¹⁶I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. ¹⁷In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. ¹⁸Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. ¹⁹You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! ²⁰In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. ²¹To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!

What anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. ²²Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. ²³Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. ²⁴Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. ²⁷I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. ²⁸Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. ²⁹Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

³⁰If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. ³¹The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. ³²In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. ³³But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.

Quick Notes
Most of us have become great in certain areas because of what we have accomplished in the past. Some of us were born into money or power. Some of us have worked our way up from being nobodies. Ultimately, all of this is meaningless to this world. We are here to be peacemakers in the name of Christ. If it is not for his glory, it really has little meaning.

Quick Questions

How much of what you have has been for the glory of Christ? How much for yourself?

Quick Prayer

Lord Jesus, I wonder how much I do for you, sometimes. Help me find a balance in how I live my life. Amen.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 Devotion

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

2 Corinthians 11:1-15

¹I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. ²I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. ³But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. ⁵But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles." ⁶I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.

⁷Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? ⁸I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. ⁹And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. ¹⁰As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. ¹¹Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! ¹²And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. ¹³For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Quick Notes

Sometimes we get caught up in how skilled someone is to adequately do a job or assignment. We do not all have to be the best to communicate the gospel, nor should we expect others to be the best. That being said, we should all try our best to be the best communicator of freedom to the Kingdom of God.

Quick Questions

How often do we judge people based on what they can or can't do? How often are you judged for it?

Quick Prayer

Lord, may I see others with your eyes and realize we all have a place in your Kingdom. Amen.

Monday, November 9, 2009 Devotion

Monday, November 9, 2009

2 Corinthians 10:1-18

¹By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but "bold" when away! ²I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. ³For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ⁶And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

⁷You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he. ⁸For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it. ⁹I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. ¹⁰For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing." ¹¹Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

¹²We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. ¹³We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. ¹⁴We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. ¹⁵Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, ¹⁶so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man's territory. ¹⁷But, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." ¹⁸For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

Quick Notes

Actions speak louder than words. Several people say that they love God in Christ, but their actions seem to show little, if any, proof. When we say we are Christians, we allow everyone to judge us according to our faith. If we don't do Christian-type things, then there is no reason to expect those around us to want to be Christian.

Quick Questions

Have you ever gone to church just to see that those in attendance look like they would rather be somewhere else? Do you think it is better or worse for them to be there? Why or why not?
Quick Prayer

Jesus, may my actions match my words when I speak of you. Amen.

Saturday, November 7, 2009 No Devotion

Saturday, November 7, 2009

There will be no devotion today or tomorrow, November 8. Devotions will continue on Monday, November 9. Have a great weekend.

Friday, November 6, 2009 Devotion

Friday, November 6, 2009

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

⁶Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And 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. ⁹As it is written:
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." ¹⁰Now 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. ¹¹You 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.

¹²This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Quick Notes

Sometimes I think we the church try to pressure people using guild and judgment to get them to give. Yet Paul says we should give out of cheer, or love. I really think that when we give generously that we receive generously, but we give generously because we are compelled by the grace that has gone out before us. I think that as we encounter God we will be changed, and through that we want or choose to give back out of thankfulness. We don't give to get, rather it is because we get that we want to give.

Quick Questions

What does it mean to give generously?

Quick Prayer

O God, thank you for all you have given. Allow me opportunities to give graciously as well. Amen.

Thursday, November 5, 2009 Devotion

Thursday, November 5, 2009

2 Corinthians 9:1-5

¹There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. ²For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. ³But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. ⁴For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. ⁵So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.

Quick Notes

Helping others seems to be a trademark for us... or at least it should be. Sometimes it is hard to believe until it is seen. We live in a world where people do not expect free help and are suspicious when it is offered. Yet it is by this grace that Christ can be made known.

Quick Questions

When someone offers to help you with something, how does that make you feel?

Quick Prayer

Publish Post

O Lord, help us to help others by your grace. Amen.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Devotion

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

2 Corinthians 8:16-24

¹⁶I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. ¹⁷For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. ¹⁸And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. ¹⁹What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. ²⁰We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. ²¹For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.

²²In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. ²³As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. ²⁴Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.

Quick Notes

It is our job to encourage one another and to be all we can in hopes to bring glory to Christ. We might make mistakes along the way, but our attitude is very important.

Quick Questions

What kind of attitude do others see you display?

Quick Prayer

Lord Jesus, create in me a right attitude worthy of you. Amen.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 Devotion

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

2 Corinthians 8:8-15

⁸I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. ⁹For 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.

¹⁰And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. ¹¹Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. ¹²For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

¹³Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. ¹⁴At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, ¹⁵as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."

Quick Notes

The Kingdom is about sharing. It is not so some have much while others have little or vice-versa; it is about all of us having enough together. When we learn to share what we have with others, things tend to balance out and we truly mediate the presence of God.

Quick Questions

How much of your plenty do you share?

Quick Prayer

Lord, thank you for surrounding me with people that make me whole as I make them whole. Amen.

Monday, November 2, 2009 Devotion

Monday, November 2, 2009

2 Corinthians 8:1-7

¹And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ²Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. ⁵And 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. ⁶So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. ⁷But 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.

Quick Notes
Giving has little to do with what we have and more to do with how we see the world. Whenever we think about how much we have, we see it as little and not enough. When we see the world as a place where giving is part of the cycle, we never have enough to give because we look at those to whom we give with the eyes of Jesus.

Quick Questions

Do you see giving as a blessing or a chore? How much do you give? Why that much?
Quick Prayer

Jesus, you gave up everything in heaven o show us the way. May we follow well. Amen.

Sunday, November 1, 2009 Devotion

Sunday, November 1, 2009

2 Corinthians 7:8-16

⁸Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— ⁹yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. ¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. ¹²So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. ¹³By all this we are encouraged.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. ¹⁴I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. ¹⁵And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. ¹⁶I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.

Quick Notes

Sometimes, we have to tell people things the way they are. More times than not, we do not do it for the right reasons. But sometimes, probably less than we would like to admit, we have the responsibility to tell people when they are doing things that are unfitting for followers of Jesus. This is rarely easy, but the self examination that occurs afterward gives the opportunity for repentance and reconciliation.

Quick Questions

How many times has someone told you something you don't like, but needed to hear? How many times have you told someone something they needed to hear?

Quick Prayer

Almighty God, may our minds and our hearts be open to hear the truth and be changed by it. Amen.