2 Corinthians 9 - 2.11.26

Scripture

II Corinthians 9:6-8

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 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. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Observation

In yesterday’s reading, Paul speaks about the Macedonian churches’ rich generosity in giving to support the spread of the Gospel in spite of their poverty and trials. Chapter 9 continues that discussion, boasting about their eagerness and pointing out that their enthusiastic giving stirred others into action. Paul is talking about financial giving. We are all called to bring the tithe into the storehouse. But in these chapters, Paul is talking about generosity above and beyond the tithe that God expects of all believers. And he urges us to remember that if we sow generously, we will also reap generously.

Application

I believe that the idea of generosity can be applied to other areas of our lives also: giving of our time, talents, love, support, and service to others. And just like I struggle sometimes with financial generosity, I also struggle with generosity in these other areas. I savor my time and have a hard time giving it away. Sometimes I commit to someone or something, and then struggle with my attitude. I have felt God speaking to me about this lately, and it is reinforced in today’s reading. 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. If I feel that God has called me to serve, then I need to serve with a cheerful heart. I need to go into each and every opportunity prayed up and prepared for God to use me. 

I will always remember the time I called Brian Moen to ask him to help with a ministry at church and his response was, “It would be my honor.” Brian is a great example of someone who cheerfully gives of his time and talent to serve others. And there are many others in our church family who do the same. Thank you for your eagerness to help and the example you set.

Prayer

God, thank you for reminders, just when we need them. Thank you for working on my heart. Thank you for the many examples of generosity, both financially and in service to others, in our church family. May I serve You enthusiastically in all things knowing that you provide me with all I need.  

- Debbie Dunn

Daniel 6 - 2.10.26

Scripture: Daniel 6: 3-5, 13, 23-27

Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.”

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: “May you prosper greatly! I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the Living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions”

Observation:

Daniel was a man full of integrity and God’s hand was upon him. His character and devotion to God allowed him to be seen as trustworthy, yet these other men attempted to destroy him. They knew Daniel’s character so they knew they couldn’t tempt him with evil. Instead they chose to use his relationship with God to trap him. When they went to the king, they didn’t even acknowledge Daniel as an administrator. They identified him as “one of those exiles from Judah” which seems to be dismissive and almost to belittle his position. But Daniel trusts God and his daily prayer life left him unshaken. Full of integrity and reverence for God, he was prepared to accept the consequences of breaking man’s law, and he walked into the lions den without fear. Once found, this faithful witness testified of what God had done, which caused the king to exalt God’s name joyfully. King Darius was full of joy when he heard Daniel’s voice. The Bible says he couldn’t sleep because he was afraid of what might happen to him. That speaks volumes about the character Daniel had. Even in a time of exile, he remained faithful to God.

Application:

Proverbs 22:29 says “Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank” When we are skilled in the work the Lord has placed before us, we have opportunities to step into rooms and situations we never thought possible to bring Glory to God. This will come with opposition. We have a very real enemy in the devil. When he sees us prospering for the kingdom of God, he will come against us. If we remain faithful and reverence God, there is nothing to fear. God himself gives us this influence as we serve Him so He will be glorified. 1 Peter 2:12 says “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of wrong doing, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” We should live according to the Word, which means we should study it enough to know it, and let it help us grow into Christlikeness more and more. When we live that way, though many trials will come, people can never say of us that we were wicked; only that we served God well, with our whole lives, and sought His counsel in all that we did. Lastly, Proverbs 26:27 says, “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.” Time and time again we see throughout life that it’s often easier, in a worldly sense, to trap someone by being a stumbling block or just setting a trap. As Christians, people will set traps for us as we see in this scripture; though the lack of integrity led to destruction for the ones who set it. We have to remember, and be aware not only of those around us who may seek to ensnare us, but also be aware of times we may be the ones setting the trap for someone else. As humans, our duality often leads us to see no wrong in the things we do. In as much importance to watch for enemy snares, we should see to it that we do not lose our integrity and dig pits for other people, as well by not forgiving, gossiping, slandering or causing others to stumble.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I am your servant and I want to serve you well with full integrity. In 2 Corinthians 8:21 it says “For we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.” Help me to do what is honorable always even when its not easy. Help me to be a faithful witness that brings glory to your name everywhere I go and regardless of the circumstance. Help me to face down adversity in the name of Jesus and lean not on my own understanding. Help me to stand firm on your word and not back down from false accusations. The bible says Jesus never launched a defense for himself. Heavenly father, help me to not seek to defend myself but stand firm on your word, knowing you will provide and protect those who are founded in you. Lord help me to be like Daniel, a woman of influence where your name needs to be revered and exalted and faithful until the end. Amen

- Shanese Hamilton

Daniel 5 - 2.9.26

SCRIPTURE:  DANIEL 5:5 - 6

“Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.”

OBSERVATION:

In this chapter, we see King Belshazzar, who was the son of King Nebuchadnezzar, is having a party. He decides to bring out the gold and silver goblets that were stolen from the temple of God in Jerusalem. Everyone at the party had a chance to drink from these special goblets – the king, nobles, his wives, and concubines – in an act of outright defiance of what belongs to God. While drinking, they praising the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.

Imagine being there and suddenly seeing human fingers on a hand, suspended in the air, and then writing on the wall. The King had just praised other gods yet the God of Heaven is showing his mighty power.

You might have heard a common use of the phrase “the writing on the wall.” This exact scripture is what gave rise to the use of this phrase. Many people use this to reference a situation or something that’s very obvious but someone can’t seem to understand the unpleasant answer. In the instance of this scripture, King Belshazzar is more consumed with finding an answer to what was written than to understand what was really going on.

Daniel recounts how King Nebuchadnezzar repented and followed the Lord. King Belshazzar personally witnessed his dad’s conversion yet his own pride keeps him from seeing what needs to be done: his repentance and to follow God. Daniel then interprets the writing on the wall but King Belshazzar doesn’t hear the answer:  his days are numbered. Even with all he experienced, witnessed with his own eyes, being reminded of his dad’s repentance, the King doesn’t repent or see the error of his ways. The “writing on the wall” is evident!!

APPLICATION:

We don’t need a hand writing on the wall for us to see the truth. God’s word has everything we need to know. There is one thing that will keep anyone from seeing the truth or God’s plan for our life:  human pride. The King probably thought he didn’t need God. I don’t know how he could have even thought that way. He had a front row seat to see everything, even a hand writing on the wall, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to repent. He saw God’s mighty power, was afraid and trembled but couldn’t take the next step of submission.

PRAYER:

Lord, I come before you, knowing you are the one and only mighty God, the only one worthy of all praise. Your scriptures hold the answer to everything. Thank you for all that you have provided for us to see the truth. Help me to always be humble and never hold onto any human pride. Forgive me for the times I’ve had my own plans or didn’t follow your lead. I only want to seek you and follow the plans you have for my life. In Jesus name – Amen.

- Mary Oberg