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2 Corinthians 9 Devotional – Day 5

ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness

GOD IS PERSONAL 

God is a self-conscious Being capable of thought, will, and interaction with His creation. Adore God again today because he is personal. God is a the ever loving perfect God who hears you. Sometimes we are distracted when people are speaking to us, maybe the TV is on or our phone is buzzing or our mind just wanders off. But God is never distracted. He is present and he always hears you even when you do not know what to say or how to say it. He does not literally have ears, but he has perfect awareness and unlimited insight.

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.

Praise the Personal God
Praise God that he can relate with you personally. Praise God that he hears your prayers. He is aware of all needs of ever person on the planet even before we speak.  Praise him that he is never distracted and unable to respond. 

CONFESSION: Confess your sins to God and receive his continued mercy.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

THANKSGIVING: Giving thanks to God for his specific blessings in our lives.

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100

SUPPLICATION: Bringing our requests to God.

  • Bring your personal prayer requests to God.
  • Pray for River Youth as they return from camp. Pray that the seeds that God has planted in their lives would bear fruit.
  • Ask God to give you strength to be faithful as his ambassador today.

SCRIPTURE READING:

2 Corinthians 9 Christian Standard Bible
Motivations for Giving
9 Now concerning the ministry to the saints, it is unnecessary for me to write to you. 2 For I know your eagerness, and I boast about you to the Macedonians, “Achaia has been ready since last year,” and your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you in this matter would not prove empty, and so that you would be ready just as I said. 4 Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, would be put to shame in that situation. 5 Therefore I considered it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance the generous gift you promised, so that it will be ready as a gift and not as an extortion.

6 The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. 9 As it is written:

He distributed freely;
he gave to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.

10 Now the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the proof provided by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone. 14 And as they pray on your behalf, they will have deep affection for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:

Generous giving brings glory to God in multiple ways. God is glorified when people obey him in sacrificial ways. God is glorified when people trust him with their lives (resources). God is glorified when unity in the church is displayed and increased through acts of faithful service, such as giving. God is glorified because generous giving is a practical display of spiritual maturity. Do you give generously and faithfully? It can be difficult to know exactly what that even looks like? Please don’t over think this or worry too much about it. If you have a heart to obey but are unsure how to start or how much to give then ask God to direct you through his Word, his Spirit, and others. Surely, he will if you seek him this way. If your struggle is not primarily in how much to give but rather whether you can or want to give at all then that is a different matter. What is it that you believe about God, life, yourself, the future, joy…that makes you reluctant to give? In my experience you can’t simply “do the math” on generous giving. If you wait until you think you have enough before you give you may never get around to giving. If you start giving you will be surprised how often you have enough. The reality of God must shape the actions of our lives.

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