2 Corinthians 8 - 1.4.24

SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 8:8-9, 13-14

8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

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

OBSERVATION: After Paul established the Corinthian Church (see Acts 18) and had moved on, he received a report that things were not going well there, so he wrote his 1st letter to the church to correct their behavior (1 Corinthians). Many of them rejected Paul’s teaching in that letter. We learn in 2 Corinthians that he then paid them what was called, “the painful visit,” and then he wrote them 2 Corinthians which was written in anguish and tears over the way they were living. Most of them realized the error of their ways and wanted to reconcile. This 2nd letter was to assure them of his love and commitment to them. He talks about “forgotten generosity.” In Jerusalem the Jewish Christians had fallen into poverty because of a famine. Paul was raising money from the churches he started which consisted of mostly non-Jews. Most were happy to give. The Corinthians, however, had not saved up for the gift. This grieved Paul. His grief wasn’t about the money, but it was another sign that the people of Corinth had not been transformed by the Gospel which at its heart, is a story of generosity. Jesus was rich but for our sake became poor so that through His poverty we might become rich. Jesus gave up His honor and wealth and lowered Himself to die like a poor slave so that other people who are impoverished by sin and death could become exalted and wealthy through the God’s grace.

To be a Christian is to let this story sink deep into our minds and our hearts and help us to become more generous and willing to share our wealth and resources with others. At the same time, we need to be good stewards of what we have and not give beyond what we are able. We still need to supply for our own families as well. God is not interested in us going into debt to help others but let God challenge our values.

APPLICATION: There are no rules to force Christians to give. We should give out of love and everything God has done for us. Through love, Christ gave everything, leaving the glory of heaven for a sinful world, so that He might save sinners and give them a share in his riches.

Romans 3:23-25  23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.

So why do some of us find it so difficult to give our time, talents and finances? If we love God and long to be obedient, faithful, acting in LOVE toward others, we need to check in with our hearts and attitudes about what we are giving. Here are a few very basic reasons to give:

1.        Giving is evidence of our obedience to God. In the Old Testament Law, God told the Israelites to give a tenth of what they owned to the Lord for the support of the priesthood. Under the New Covenant, Jesus instructed His followers to give generously in proportion to how we would like God to be generous toward us (Luke 6:38).

2.        Give out of a grateful response to what we’ve been given. When we’ve been given salvation, haven’t we been given everything?! In that regard, Jesus didn’t teach us to give just a tenth…He taught us, in some ways, to give our all. Giving our all to Jesus—of our time, talents and treasure—is evidence of not just our obedience, but our love for Him.

3.        Giving sets our priorities straight. We invest our time and money in what is most important to us. Hmmm, where is mine going?

4.        Giving is not about how much money you have, but about how much faith you have. How much do you trust God that if you give obediently, He’ll provide for all that you need?

5.        Giving Acknowledges that God owns it all. God is the owner of all that we have, and we are merely the stewards of it.

6.        Giving leads to joy. In 2 Corinthians 9:7, we read: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Crosswalk.com

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help us as your Church, the hands and feet that our called to do Your will, be more than generous! Help us to give sacrificially as you have given to us…to not be selfish with our time, or finances. Help us to start this new year by seeking what it is YOU want from us…whether that be to begin working in a new ministry, supporting a cause that you place on our hearts, looking after a neighbor, family member, or friend, to increase our financial giving to the church, or even to BEGIN giving of our finances this year if we have not. Help us to fully trust in you and to acknowledge that you own it all and without you we have nothing!!! Thank you for all of your generous gifts in 2023, and for those that you will bring our way in 2024. May you help us to be acutely aware of them all and to share with others what you have given us, starting with our salvation. In your precious name I pray, Amen!!!!

- Crystal Flory

2 Corninthians 7 - 1.3.24

Scripture

II Corinthians 7:1 - Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

Observation

“Perfecting holiness, a present participle, describes on-going action. It refers to the entire process of becoming like Jesus that begins in salvation and culminates in glorification.” Allan Brown – Bringing Holiness to Completion

Application

Becoming more like Jesus is an ongoing, lifelong, daily process. It isn’t something that we should only focus on periodically, but this verse stood out to me this morning as we are preparing for our time of fasting and prayer. I believe that when we seek him, he will answer. When we put aside the things of the world and focus on him, he will draw close and reveal himself to us.

Prayer

Thank you for your many promises – to forgive my sins, to save me from my sins, to give me a hope and a future. Thank you for your promise to finish the work you started in me. Thank you for teaching me, reminding me, nudging me, and even correcting me on the journey toward becoming more like you. I commit to partnering with you and I look forward to what you will reveal to me in the coming month.

 - Debbie Dunn

2 Corinthians 6 - 1.2.24

Scripture:  ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6:14‬ - Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

Observation: Paul is warning the Corinthian church to not be “yoked together” with unbelievers. The word “yoke” would be easily understood by the early church but maybe not for some today. A yoke is basically a wooden bar that connects two animals for the purpose of working together: Adobe Photos of a Yoke The yoke makes it possible for both animals to be guided down the same path. When yoked together, these animals are in close proximity and have to work together. There’s no way one animal could go right and the other to the left. They are forced to do the same thing!

Paul then brings the command full circle with the common sense correlation in “what do righteousness and wickedness have in common… or light have with darkness?” We would obviously respond to this with an emphatic “they have nothing in common!” They are complete opposites. The same is true between a Christian and unbeliever that are yoked together - they are complete opposites.

Paul is warning the church about being “yoked together” in an intimate or close relationship - just like the yoked oxen in the image.  Some think this scripture means you can’t associate with any unbelievers. If that were the case, how can we lead others to Christ if we don’t associate with unbelievers?

This Scripture is a reminder of a very personal and hard lesson I learned in my life. Long ago I was able to finally meet my maternal half sister who was adopted out at birth. During the short time we were together, she knew I was a believer and I knew she was walking in the world. When we had an opportunity to start a new internet business, I literally talked myself out of this scripture and entered into a business with her. I had all the signs to run the other way and heed the warning of this scripture but didn’t. What a terrible mistake!! Six months later I found out why this scripture is so important: my half sister stole my identity, ran up bills in my name that were sent to her house, and I was left with a huge loan for the equipment I bought for the business. Boy, did I learn a hard but valuable lesson.

Application: The image of the yoked oxen can be very helpful to gauge if a relationship with an unbeliever goes to the level of being unequally yoked. Ultimately we are called to be different, salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13 - 15), and not conformed to this world but be transformed (Romans 12:2). The moment a relationship with an unbeliever transitions from being a witness or a light to the unbeliever and becomes “yoked’ together in a close and intimate type relationship, it’s time to run to God for wisdom and direction. His word commands us to “Do not” be unequally yoked and there’s a reason. The unequally yoked relationship can and will negatively affect your life in many ways physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Trust me - I know! 

 Prayer: Lord, I ask that you give me great wisdom when it comes to being around unbelievers. The mission is to spread the Gospel and shine your light to the world. Help me to avoid situations when a relationship becomes “yoked together” and transitions away from the mission to reach the lost for you. Thank you for your grace, mercy and forgiveness for the time I completely ignored this command. I’m so thankful for lessons learned and your love to guide me in the path of life.

- Mary Oberg