The Devotional - A Look at the Book #568

The Devotional - A Look at the Book #568

by Jesse Abel

A Thought for today by Papa “J”

I like the concept of this universe being surrounded by eternity. The thought of this is comforting knowing that God who created us completely surrounds us with His existence that cannot be measured by time. 2 Peter 3:8-9 or Psalm 90:1-17 The LORD is our dwelling place.

Good Morning

People strive at coming up with plans and purposes for living in comfort. Many dedicate their lives to accomplish things like extracting money from people by offering comfort through enticement. What? I thought about the odds of winning the lottery while watching the news this morning. The commercial: “Have you played today?” Someone has taken the phrase; have you prayed today, and changed just one letter in the four words to give those four words a different direction in the matters that pertain to life and liberty. Have you gone mad…? Well the truth is that I wish that were true; then you could just turn me off. Did you know that if you are a Connecticut resident and play the lottery that your chances of winning the targeted reward is greater than 195 million to 1. There are only 3.5 million people who live in the state including children; this means that if everyone of us played the lottery we could expect to win the full amount once every fifty-six years. Now if you extract the children and people like me who do not play, the odds of winning march rapidly up to once every seventy years. As one pastor friend used to say, we are a needy people; the context of this need is not in economy or jobs. He meant and I believe him that we need to return to the basics. We as a nation have become ignorant of truth; we have become dull of hearing, thus we no longer tolerate TRUTH; we now live to believe the impossible LIE! We are the new apostates; like those of the old, as recorded in Jude 1:5-11.

2 Corinthians 9

2 Corinthians 9:1-5 – The mechanical submarine does a maneuver called by the sailors on board; “angles and dangles” which simply means that the sub is capable of doing twenty degree down or up angles; or is capable of dangling in the water like it is hanging from someone’s fishing rod, sort of like the helicopter that dangles over a fixed or moving object. These maneuvers are quite normal for subs but if I were to apply some angle or dangle some enticement over giving back to God what He already owns I should be like those that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 5:21-26. Defilement of truth begins in the heart.

Each of us is encouraged to give and to administer what we give, so this means that we are all responsible for the gift. In other words; it is not the ability to give, nor is it the amount, so the focus then, is not on the giver or the administering, but on the resulting glory to God. Yet with all of this said, there needs to be organization. I dislike using the word champagne since many churches have stuck their angles and dangles in the MUD causing many to jump ship or drown.

In verse one the apostle says that he is going beyond the need to write to the Corinthians about this matter of giving to the saints. He also considers their willingness to participate as valid and has been boasting to the Macedonians. So he is not presenting a new angle for giving to the saints, nor is he dangling any promise before them that has not already been promised by the Corinthians. There are no pledge cards or phony promises, but simply the challenge to do what has already been promised the year before.