matching gifts

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions pics November 2017 (2)

devotional post # 2188

2 Corinthians 8:9-11

2Co 8:9 Because you are aware of how our Lord Jesus Christ blessed us, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his becoming poor you might become rich.
2Co 8:10 And in this matter I give my opinion: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to want to do it.
2Co 8:11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your eagerly desiring it may be matched by your completing it from what you have.

matching gifts

Paul encouraged the Corinthians to make good their intentions to give. He told them that giving benefits them, that it is an exercise in being Christlike. After all, it was Christ who took the ultimate pay cut by descending to earth to become one of us — and he did it for our sake.

LORD, make us eager to love as you loved, by sacrificial giving out of compassion.

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success markers

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions pics (of Hamilton NZ) August 2017 (9)

devotional post # 2187

2 Corinthians 8:5-8

2Co 8:5 and this did not happen as we expected it to, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then –because it was what God wants — to us.
2Co 8:6 For this purpose, we urged Titus that just like he had started, so he should complete among you this blessing.
2Co 8:7 But since you succeed in everything– in believing, in speaking, in knowing, in every kind of enthusiasm, and in being loved by us– make sure that you succeed in this blessing also.
2Co 8:8 I am not saying this as a command, but to prove that your love also is genuine compared to the enthusiasm of others.

success markers

It looks like Paul and his team proved better at fund raising than they thought they would. The Macedonians gave more than the team expected. So, now Paul tells the Corinthians that they should give as well — not because of the extremity of the need — but because giving is a success marker for missions. when the missions target choses to believe, chooses to speak its gospel testimony, and chooses to know the Lord and his word better, and, finally, chooses to give as an expression of Christ’s love — then you can count your mission work a success.

LORD, help us to succeed in everything, including giving to express your compassionate love.

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begging to give

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

Oct 2017 (31)

devotional post # 2186

2 Corinthians 8:1-4

2Co 8:1 We want you to know, brothers, about the blessing from God that has been given by the churches of Macedonia,
2Co 8:2 because during a severe test of suffering, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity from them.
2Co 8:3 Because they gave according to their ability, as I can testify, and beyond their ability, voluntarily,
2Co 8:4 with much encouragement, they begged us for the blessing of taking part in the relief of the saints–

begging to give

Even though they were going through a severe test of suffering themselves, the Macedonian Christians had begged Paul and his team to take up a collection from their churches. They understood that needs presented among the churches was a way of participating in a blessing. It was not that they expected to be blessed or enriched in return for their gift. No, that investment mentality is often just a different form of greed. No, they begged for the blessing of giving itself. It is a tangible way of expressing love to the needy, of passing on God’s blessing to others. The Macedonians would have been ashamed not to give.

LORD, warm our hearts to the needy among us, and around us, so that we can be a source of your blessing to them.

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forgetting the hurt

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

Oct 2017 (30)

devotional post # 2185

2Co 7:14 Since whatever confident assertions I made to him about you, I was not ashamed to have made them. But just like everything we said to you was true, so also our confident assertions before Titus has proved true.
2Co 7:15 And his endearment for you is even greater, because he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling.
2Co 7:16 I am rejoicing, because I have confidence in you about everything.

forgetting the hurt

Paul went through some dark days as he struggled with the churches at Corinth. They had stubbornly refused to admit their complicity in the sin of one of their members. But repentance finally happened, and reconciliation did too. Now, Paul appears to have forgotten the hurt. He had confidence in the churches again — about everything. That is the hardest part about reconciliation — learning to forget the hurt and trust people again.

LORD, give us the faith in the Holy Spirit necessary to forgive and forget, and stay true to your gospel and your church.

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the joy change can bring

Posted on October 28, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

devotional post # 2184

2 Corinthians 7:11-13

2Co 7:11 Because — look at the enthusiasm this godly sadness has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.

2Co 7:12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your enthusiasm for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God.

2Co 7:13 Therefore we are encouraged. And besides our own encouragement, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.

the joy change can bring

When the Corinthians discovered how sad it made them that they had disappointed Paul, they changed quickly. It brougth joy to Paul and his team. Such is the joy that can come to God’s people when they respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit through the discipline of godly leaders. No change, no joy.

LORD, show us how to respond appropriately to those who challenge our actions, so that we can bring joy to them and you.

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the gamble of discipline

Posted on October 28, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

Oct 2017 (28)

devotional post # 2183

2 Corinthians 7:8-10

2Co 7:8 Because even if I made you sad with my letter, I do not regret it– although I did regret it, because I see that that letter saddened you, although only for a while.
2Co 7:9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were sad, but because you were saddened into repenting. Because you felt a godly sadness, so that you did not lose anything by what we said.
2Co 7:10 Because godly sadness produces a repentance that leads to deliverance without regret, whereas worldly sadness produces death.

the gamble of discipline

Every time we dare to rebuke someone for not living up to their confession, we take a gamble. To be called to task for sin produces a sadness that can go in either direction. Either the sinner turns that sadness against the sin, or against the persons rebuking the sin. If the Corinthians had turned their sadness against Paul and his team for their rebuke, the result would ultimately have been rebellion against Christ, and the second death. But they responded appropriately, understanding that it was their sin that had threatened their relationship with the missionaries.

Leadership in God’s kingdom sometimes requires words of rebuke and correction.

LORD, give us the courage to challenge our friends when they are being disobedient to you.

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an encouraging report

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

Oct 2017 (27)

devotional post # 2182

2 Corinthians 7:5-7

2Co 7:5 Because even when we entered Macedonia, our flesh could not relax, but we suffered in every way: battles on the outside, fears on the inside.
2Co 7:6 But God is the one who encourages the depressed. He encouraged us by the presence of Titus,
2Co 7:7 but not only by his presence, but also by how he had been encouraged by you, since he reported to us that you longed for, mourned after, and were zealous to have me return. That made me rejoice even more.

an encouraging report

There was a lot of work for Paul’s team to do in Macedonia. New churches needed to be supported and equipped in places like Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. So, Paul’s team set themselves to the task.
But there were plenty of obstacles to the mission work there — just as there had been when Paul and his team had planted those churches. Besides the persecution and tough times they faced, they also worried about the churches they had left — Corinth, for one.

Fortunately, Titus had traveled through Corinth on his way to give a report to Paul about his work. He brought good news for Paul that the Corinthians had not forgotten them, and were longing to see him again.
What a blessing it is when you are having discouragements in your ministry to discover that people miss you and appreciate your work.

LORD, make us the kind of people who encourage those who have served you among us.

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courage and faith

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

Oct 2017 (26)

devotional post # 2181

2 Corinthians 7:2-4

2Co 7:2 Find room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.
2Co 7:3 I am not saying this to condemn you, because I said before that you are in our hearts, dying together and living together.
2Co 7:4 I am showing a great deal of courage toward you; I have a great deal of pride in you; I am filled with encouragement. Despite all our suffering, I am overflowing with joy.

courage and faith

Paul and his team had been rejected by those they were responsible for bringing into the kingdom. Rejection hurts. Betrayal hurts. But Paul has chosen not to condemn and reject the Corinthians in retaliation. Instead, he has chosen to forgive them, and plead for reconciliation. Having done this, his faith lead him to be encouraged and joyful. He knows that God can bring about unity even where Satan has caused great opposition. He knows that those who followed him to Christ can follow him once again.

LORD, give us the courage to keep asking for reconciliation, and the faith to expect it.

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separate to sanctify

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

Oct 2017 (25)

devotional post # 2180

2 Corinthians 6:17-7:1

2Co 6:17 Therefore The LORD commands “Go out from the middle of them” and “be separate” says the LORD, and “Do not touch the impure thing, and “I will welcome you.”
2Co 6:18 and “I will be a father to you” and “You will be sons and daughters to me” says the LORD, the Almighty.
2Co 7:1 Therefore, beloved, Let us purify ourselves, from everything that defiles flesh and spirit as we perfect holiness in the fear of God, since we have these promises.

separate to sanctify

You will recall that the issue Paul was addressing was partnerships with unbelievers in the church. Now, Paul further explains the reason that is a problem. God wants to establish a family relationship with us. He wants to come down and welcome us into his family. But he cannot welcome anyone who has been defiled. The reason believers are to separate from other loyalties is to perfect holiness, so that we can receive what God has promised us.

But how do we reconcile the command to separate with the command to make disciples? Both are kingdom requirements. Both are expressions of God’s love. We reach people with the gospel because God loves them. We separate from sin because God loves us, and wants to be our father.

Jesus is our example here. He closed his heart and body to sin, but opened his life to fellowship with others. He did not acheive his kingdom by forming an alliance with Herod or Caesar.

LORD, show us how to stay separate from sin, while getting close enough to sinners to share our faith in you.

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only one covenant

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

Oct 2017 (6)

devotional post # 2179

2 Corinthians 6:14-16

2Co 6:14 Do not be mismated with unbelievers, because what partnership does righteousness have with lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness,
2Co 6:15 or what harmony does Christ have with the Devil, or what share does a believer have with an unbeliever,
2Co 6:16 or what agreement does the temple have with idols? Because We are the temple of the living God, just as God said “I will live with them and I will walk among them, and I will be their God and they will be my people.”

only one covenant

Some believers in Corinth had apparently formed business relationships with unbelievers, and that had led to all kinds of potentially compromising situations. Corinth was idolatrous in its cultural core. Business agreements with non-Christians would introduce conflict because the Christians had to purge themselves of that idolatry, not compromise with it.

Many today only apply this text to mixed marriages, and it certainly does apply to that kind of agreement — where a believer marries a nonbeliever. It applies in any situation where one’s loyalty to God is strained by competing loyalty. God has decided to live among us, so we cannot make covenants with unbelievers that would force us to compromise our commitment to him.

LORD, give us the wisdom to restrain from compromising covenants.

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