Friday Devo
Scripture:
2 Corinthians 9:7-11
7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.
7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.
Commentary:
9:7–8 God loves (in the sense of “approves of”) a cheerful giver, an allusion to Prov. 22:8 in the Septuagint (cf. Deut. 15:10; Rom. 12:8). God loves such joy-motivated giving to others because it expresses contentment in God’s gracious giving to the believer (see 2 Cor. 9:14) that makes every good work possible and results in thanksgiving and glory to God (see vv. 11–13).
9:9 distributed freely … given to the poor. The good work of God’s people (v. 8; see 1 Cor. 15:58) corresponds to the description of the man in Ps. 112:9, whose righteousness is manifest in his providing for the poor. endures forever. Such righteousness remains beyond the day of judgment because it originates from and is sustained by the Lord’s righteousness, expressed in giving to his people, which also “endures forever” (Ps. 111:3).
9:10 The promise that God will increase the harvest should not be understood in material terms but in terms of increasing your righteousness. Thus the quoted OT texts (Isa. 55:10; Hos. 10:12) refer specifically to the provision of God’s word for the redemption of his people. God’s promise is that he will use his people and their resources as instruments of his grace for the salvation of others.
9:11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way. God will provide for the Corinthians’ needs so that they can continue generously meeting others’ needs and giving resources to advance the gospel.
9:9 distributed freely … given to the poor. The good work of God’s people (v. 8; see 1 Cor. 15:58) corresponds to the description of the man in Ps. 112:9, whose righteousness is manifest in his providing for the poor. endures forever. Such righteousness remains beyond the day of judgment because it originates from and is sustained by the Lord’s righteousness, expressed in giving to his people, which also “endures forever” (Ps. 111:3).
9:10 The promise that God will increase the harvest should not be understood in material terms but in terms of increasing your righteousness. Thus the quoted OT texts (Isa. 55:10; Hos. 10:12) refer specifically to the provision of God’s word for the redemption of his people. God’s promise is that he will use his people and their resources as instruments of his grace for the salvation of others.
9:11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way. God will provide for the Corinthians’ needs so that they can continue generously meeting others’ needs and giving resources to advance the gospel.
Questions:
- One of the ways God will challenge us to step away from comfort is by leading us to fully trust Him with our finances. Living FOR something bigger often means giving ourselves TO something bigger. Can you honestly say you have fully surrendered your finances to God? Why do you think this is so difficult for us? What will it take for you to move in that direction?
- God always honors obedience. He is pleased when we surrender everything to Him. This is also true when it comes to our money. Trusting and honoring God with the way we choose to be generous allows us to see His faithfulness in a tangible way. Has there been a time in your life when you stepped out in faith with your finances and God proved Himself faithful? Is there an opportunity now to give uncomfortably again?
Pray:
- That you would learn to fully surrender your finances to God.
- That you would look for opportunities to be generous.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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