EXPAND TO READ: 2 CORINTHIANS 9 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 7): I have struggled with this exact topic quite often in my life, even since coming to faith. You tell us that You want us to do things from our heart, not out of necessity and not reluctantly, because You want a cheerful giver. Although I do have a giving spirit in my heart thanks to You, I have not always followed my heart in the topic of giving. Sometimes I have gone, with reluctance, the route that I feel pressured by others to go. This is not what You called me to do with my life and with my heart, so I ask for Your forgiveness on this topic. I do not want to be a giver just to be a giver because that’s what others expect of me. I want to be a cheerful giver so that I can follow my heart’s desires and be pleasing to You. Help me to learn more about this, but also be better at not falling into the pressure of others; instead help me to follow my heart and always be a cheerful giver, so that I am aligned with Your will for my life.
PROMISE (verse 6): The promise here is a practical one that makes perfect sense. You essentially promise us that we will reap what we sow. If we sow generously, then we will reap generously; if we sow sparingly, then we will reap sparingly. This is essentially a farmer’s mental picture example for sowing and reaping, but I see the lesson You are giving also applies to our life. You promise us that we will reap the rewards of what we sow in equal amounts. If we diligent and generous with what we sow, then we should reap quite a bit back as a result. This promise doesn’t specify earthly rewards, which I’m thankful for as it provides some clarity on the “reaping” topic. Some of our rewards may be in this life, but some may be in Heaven when we join You. I need to remember that not all promises are fulfilled while I am still walking in the flesh, so I should not get disappointed or frustrated when I feel all my efforts are in vain. If what I am sowing is pleasing to You, then I should not be concerned with what I am reaping in this life from those efforts. Thank You for this amazing promise and lesson, Father.
ATTITUDE (verse 7): This verse is my sin confession, but I feel it is also an attitude adjustment/application that I need to work on in my life. You tell us that we should do our heart’s desire, assuming that as our heart’s desire aligns with Your will You’ll make it more clearly known to us what we should be doing with our lives. You tell us that we should do these things willingly and joyfully, without reluctance and without the feeling of necessity of those actions. Help me to have a cheerful attitude towards giving of myself, Father. Help me to have an attitude that embraces the spirit You’ve put into my heart, so that I may begin to do things out of joy and willingness, instead of out of pressure or with reluctance.
COMMAND (verse 7): I really just feel this one verse speaking loudly to me today. I see it also as a command. I feel that You are commanding us to follow our hearts. You have blessed us with amazing gifts and passions and if we are not truly following our heart’s desires as You have planted them in there, then we are not following Your will for our lives either. Of course, this does have limitations as our “heart’s desire” will not want us to commit a sin; that’d be our flesh. Help me to be better at differentiating between the two desires, Father. Help me to be better at willingly and openly following the desires You’ve placed on my heart, so that I may do in this life what is pleasing to You.
EXAMPLE (verses 8, 14): I always love the examples You provide to us, Father. The examples here are dealing with grace and how we should be accepting of Your grace to the point that it overflows out of us. Your grace should overflow in every aspect of our lives, so that we may excel in every good work. This is the example I should be living by in all things that I am and do, so please help me to be better at living in Your grace for my life, Father. Help me to be better at acceptance of Your grace, understanding of Your will for my life, embracing Your grace, and then allowing that grace to overflow out of me into all that I am, all that I do, and all whom I encounter in my life.
*DAILY NOTE: Not only did You feel the need to convict me through verse 7 about my heart’s desires, but You also felt the need to continue the lesson on Your grace in my life. I do need to be better at both of these topics. Discerning between my heart’s desires and my fleshly desires has always been a struggle of mine. You fill our hearts with desires, but our broken, sinful ways of living and worldly influence all fill our fleshly desires. Thank You for today’s lesson to help discern between the two, but also to help me understand the importance of living with overflowing grace. Thank You for continuing to work on me and remind me daily of the great lessons You have for me, Father. Help me to continue to move forward in my spiritual growth so that I may be better at aligning my personal desires with the desires You’ve placed on my heart. Help me to be align my heart’s desires with my actions so that I may be a more joyous, willing, and generous giver in this life, Father.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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