Author: David Short

2 Corinthians 9:6

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Personal Challenge

What does it mean to sow and reap in today’s world. Most of us no longer live in an agricul­tural setting where we have to sow seed for our crops and reap the results. Sowing and reaping applies to all aspects of our lives. If I sow truth, truth will be reaped. If I sow it sparingly, then I will reap it sparingly. If bountifully, then bountifully. I can choose to sow truth, love, compassion, mercy, grace, and any other righteous gift. I can sow from my financial blessings or my gifts and talents or my time. By sowing all of these abundantly, I will see abundant crops being reaped. But I can also sow lies, disparity, dissension, anger, contempt, selfishness, and many other unrighteous actions and beliefs. The same principle applies. If I sow these negative things, then I must be ready to reap in kind. It is so sad to see how much of the focus of our society and even many of our churches have chosen the unrighteous things to sow. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy as we reap what we have sown!

2 Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

Encouraging Words

There is no such thing in the scriptures as the gospel of prosperity that has become a popular thing in our modern, prolific society. Both Jesus and the apostles talk about the great blessings that we will receive as followers of Christ, but the blessings are eternal and spiritual blessings. If we are given material blessings, we are commanded to give those blessings to those in need. Our hearts and our minds should be heavenly focused and not earthly focused. Jesus set this example by giving up all His heavenly blessings to become one of us and live a life of poverty so that we might become rich in His heavenly realm. Glory be to God!

2 Corinthians 6:2

For He says:

“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Personal challenge

Paul begins chapter 6 of this letter by telling his readers to not take the grace of God in vain. We are saved into His family and His mission. What is that mission? To love God above all else and to love our neighbor above ourselves. Our salvation is not just for us to relish in, but for us to follow in His footsteps so that others may know of and receive, His grace and salvation. This often means that we do the hard things, sacrificing our desires and needs, for Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord have mercy!

2 Corinthians 5:20-21

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Personal Challenge

What does it mean to be an ambassador for someone? First it means that we are citizens of the land that is governed by that person. We are then representatives of that person and His land wherever we are. As representatives, we live in such a way that everyone around us knows that our allegiance is to our home country or land and not to where we have been assigned. As followers of Christ, our true home is heaven. We are representatives of our Lord here on this earth. Our allegiance should always to our home and our Lord first. Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Encouraging Words

God does not just expect us to turn a corner in our lives when we receive Him as our Lord and be different. He starts that process by making us new creations in Christ, eliminating the old things, and making us new creations in Him. He gives us what we need to turn that corner and to never go back, if we are willing to follow Him on that path. Glory be to God!

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Personal Challenge

For those of us who follow Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, one thing is in common, we believe that Christ died for all. Where the challenge comes in is whether or not we are willing to die to ourselves and not live for ourselves. The last two years of living in the midst of a pandemic has revealed how easy it is for some to ignore this expectation of our Lord and live for ourselves. There are so many who proclaim Jesus as their Loaf and yet refuse to do what can be atone to defeat this pandemic and protect those around them by choosing to be vaccinated and wear masks. They proclaim that it is a violation of their rights and freedoms, all the while helping to spread misinformation and even Covid. If we are truly choosing to die to ourselves and to live for God and love our neighbor above ourselves then we will have no problem doing what is best for them, not what we prefer for us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Encouraging Words

The whole essence of being a growing and thriving follower of Christ is faith. Jesus is the object, the person, that our faith is put in. He is our Savior. He is our sustainer. He is our Lord. He is our life. The extent of our faith is everything. We trust and hope in Him in every aspect of our lives, every action, every thought, every breath, every beat of our heart. Our faith in Him makes us confident, gives us hope, and makes it possible to walk this journey of life looking to Him. Glory be to God!

2 Corinthians 5:1

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Encouraging Words

It is encouraging to know that even though the bodies that we live in are temporary, we have permanent, eternal bodies waiting for us in heaven. This gives us something to hope for, especially as the years pass by and our bodies begin to wear down. We have a future that is so much brighter than any of our past or present could ever be. That future is illumined by the eternal presence of our God. Glory be to Him!