Posts with the tag “2-corinthians”

Daily Devotional from 2 Corinthians 13--Verse 11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Paul’s final greeting consists of an exhortation to “aim for restoration.” As a community of believers, restoration and reconciliation should be our bread and butter. We are a ragtag bunch of od...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Corinthians 12--Verse 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”God’s wisdom is not like worldly wisdom. If we are preparing for battle, wisdom says we should attempt to strengthen both our offensive and defensive a...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Corinthians 11--Verse 30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weaknesses.Theologian, Karl Barth, used to say, “When we speak of our virtues, we are competitors, but when we confess our sins, we become brothers.” There is something disarming when we disclose our weaknesses. However, weaknesses are something we typically don’t like to put on display. We’d r...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Corinthians 10--Verse 17Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.Boasting, or bragging, about ourselves and our own successes falls short. When we take credit for what God has given us, we tell Him that we don’t “need” Him. We also take credit away from the true provider.It’s tempting to want to be self-important—in fact, our culture teaches us to be: “Sell yourself for th...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Corinthians 9— Verses 6-8The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Corinthians 8--Verses 14-15 …your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”If 2 Corinthians 8 were to be given a main topic, it would be “generosity”. As believers, Paul urged the Co...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Corinthians 7--Verse 6But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus...What a great promise!  There will be a number of times in every person’s life when we will be downcast. There will be potholes in the road of life that affect our spirits negatively. But Paul tells us that God comes to the rescue and comforts us when we are down and depressed. He...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Corinthians 6--Verse 2Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.Carpe Diem is a Latin phrase that means seize the day. More literally it means pluck the day.Yes! Pluck the day for it is ripe. You can’t pluck yesterday because it’s beyond ripe. You can’t pluck tomorrow because it’s not quite ripe. But you can pluck today because there’s fruit tha...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Corinthians 5--Verse 18All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.Have you ever been estranged from someone? Whether it was a family member, a friend, or even a spouse—I’m sure it was difficult. Sometimes the estrangement is our own fault, and sometimes it isn’t, but if you were able to reconcile that relatio...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Corinthians 4—Verses 16-17So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.Every day lived is another day closer to Jesus, we get older and weaker but our Spirit continues to be strengthened as we are daily being...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Corinthians 3--Verses 18We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.When Moses spent time in God’s presence on Mt. Sinai, he had to cover his face because he reflected the glory of God so much that the Israelites physically couldn’t...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Corinthians 2--Verse 4For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.Sometimes love hurts. Sometimes we must act in a way toward our loved ones that  causes them pain, but is for their benefit. This is sometimes known as “tough love.” It may hurt us as much o...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Corinthians 1--Verse 12We behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity.We can spend so much time wrapped up in Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter—peering into the lives of others because we are too bored with our own. The mundane tasks that scream for our attention don’t seem as compelling as the latest thread of vacation pics of the family we barely know. There’s...  Read More

2 Corinthians 13:14The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Think of it. The grace of Jesus is with you. His favor and unmerited kindness belong to you. The love of God is with you. His affection rests firmly on you and gives you eternal worth. And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is open to you at any hour of the day. Can it ge...  Read More

2 Corinthians 12:10 When I am weak, then I am strong. Paradoxes are interesting. They’re these absurd statements that seem to contradict themselves. They lead to a conclusion that is senseless and implausible because they contain two concepts that cancel each other out. For example, “working vacation” and “instant classic.” When I am weak, then I am strong? Implausible! However, weakness is God’s ...  Read More

2 Corinthians 11:30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weaknesses. Famed theologian Karl Barth used to say, “When we speak of our virtues, we are competitors, but when we confess our sins, we become brothers.” There is something disarming when we disclose our weaknesses. However, weaknesses are something we typically don’t like to put on display. We’d rather people to see our ...  Read More

2 Corinthians 9:10He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.  When Farmer Bob holds his seed, he sees bread, and thinks “it’s going to be a long winter.” Farmer Bob is primarily concerned about today. But when Farmer Joe holds his seed, he sees seed, and thinks, “I got to be ready for the summer...  Read More

2 Corinthians 8:2Their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity. Did you catch that? Let me put it into an equation—Abundant joy + Extreme poverty = A wealth of generosity. Now how does that work? Shouldn’t that be extreme “riches”? No, it says extreme “poverty.” When you take joy and add it to poverty you have a wealth of generosity. Joy seems to be the...  Read More

2 Corinthians 7:10For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. Do you know grief can be either be godly or worldly? This is a very important distinction. Godly grief will produce life change. Some people call it conviction. It helps you move in the right direction. Worldly grief, however, stymies any sense of direction. Some pe...  Read More

2 Corinthians 6:2Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Carpe Diem is a Latin phrase that means 'seize the day'. More literally it means pluck the day. Yes! Pluck the day for it is ripe. You can’t pluck yesterday for it’s beyond ripe. You can’t pluck tomorrow 'cause it’s not quite ripe. But you can pluck today because there’s fruit that hangs from the tree. There’s...  Read More

2 Corinthians 5:15He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. He died for all, yes. But take a moment to personalize that. He died for you. YOU! And he did so, so that you wouldn’t live for yourself but for him. When we let that reality sink in it really changes everything. Imagine a person saving you from drowning or...  Read More

2 Corinthians 4:17For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. No one enjoys going through affliction. But if you know Jesus, the trouble you face today is preparing you for tomorrow. Did you hear what Paul said? “Light and momentary.” Yes, the trouble you face today will one day take on an eternal perspective. When we’ve been there ...  Read More

2 Corinthians 3:18And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. Transformation can only occur to the level you see Jesus. If you can see him, you will be changed to look like him. Therefore, look for him today, scan the pages of His Word, follow his promptings, and heed his directives. Come on Sunday ...  Read More

2 Corinthians 2:4I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. There’s this new online trend right now called, “cancel culture.” If someone says or does something, or posts something that you find objectionable, you can call them out, denounce them, and in a variety of ways “cancel th...  Read More

2 Corinthians 1:12We behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity. We can spend so much time scrolling Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter—peering into the lives of others because we are too bored with our own. The mundane tasks that scream for our attention don’t seem nearly as compelling as the latest thread or the vacation pics of a person we barely know. There’s just something gratify...  Read More