How you doin? A late devotion this morning. We watched that same Graham Cooke sermon again last night and it's really got my attention. It just makes sense to me. Living as the new creation that I am in Christ. Or that I am because of Christ in me. Graham Cooke's way of speaking is AWESOME!!!!!!! He often says "come on people, think this through". He also says "welcome to the good news". 2 Corinthians 8.
Verses 1-2, "And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." WOW!!!!!!! I work with a few Macedonians and now a little about their history. They have quite a history of "very severe trials". I like here how God's grace is associated with "overflowing joy" and "rich generosity". Even in "extreme poverty" and "every severe trial". Certainly an example of living as new creations.
Verse 5, "And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us." In a story about giving and collections, I couldn't help but to notice that giving "themselves first of all to the Lord" was what exceeded expectations. This is new covenant stuff. The old "dead" me would think that giving people enough money to make them happy or to get them to stop asking me for more would meet the expectation. Now I'm starting to see the importance of giving myself to God and letting Him work out the rest. COME ON!!!!!!!
Verse 9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." WOW!!!!!!! There's no greater gift of giving then what Jesus did for me. This verse is my favorite in this chapter. I'll take that promise. This is what I want to be conscious of. Not sin conscious, but truth conscious. Verse 9 is an incredible truth. "So that you through his poverty might become rich." COME ON!!!!!!! If I can truly believe this truth and become rich in this way... I'll never be poor. Be rich through His grace today.
PS I don't mean to cut this short. I hope you read all of chapter 8. It's wonder-full.
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