Daily Devotions · November 17
Reading for November 17
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
2 Corinthians 7–10
2 Corinthians 7–10, Berean Standard Bible
2 Corinthians 7
Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you. I have said before that you so occupy our hearts that we live and die together with you. 4 Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our troubles my joy overflows. 5 For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus, 7 and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced all the more. 8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it—for I see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time— 9 yet now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 Consider what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong or the one who was harmed, but rather that your earnestness on our behalf would be made clear to you in the sight of God. 13 On account of this, we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were even more delighted by the joy of Titus. For his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 14 Indeed, I was not embarrassed by anything I had boasted to him about you. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved to be true as well. 15 And his affection for you is even greater when he remembers that you were all obedient as you welcomed him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you.
2 Corinthians 8
Now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia. 2 In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond it. Of their own accord, 4 they earnestly pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5 And not only did they do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, through the will of God. 6 So we urged Titus to help complete your act of grace, just as he had started it. 7 But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the love we inspired in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 8 I am not giving a command, but I am testing the sincerity of your love through the earnestness of others. 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. 10 And this is my opinion about what is helpful for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give, but even to have such a desire. 11 Now finish the work, so that you may complete it with the same eager desire, according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. 13 It is not our intention that others may be relieved while you are burdened, but that there may be equality. 14 At the present time, your surplus will meet their need, so that in turn their surplus will meet your need. This way there will be equality. 15 As it is written: “He who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall.” 16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you. 17 For not only did he welcome our appeal, but he is eagerly coming to you of his own volition. 18 Along with Titus we are sending the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in the gospel. 19 More than that, this brother was chosen by the churches to accompany us with the gracious offering we administer to honor the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this generous gift. 21 For we are taking great care to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men. 22 And we are sending along with them our brother who has proven his earnestness to us many times and in many ways, and now even more so by his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you. As for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 In full view of the churches, then, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our boasting about you.
2 Corinthians 9
Now about the service to the saints, there is no need for me to write to you. 2 For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting to the Macedonians that since last year you in Achaia were prepared to give. And your zeal has stirred most of them to do likewise. 3 But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove empty, but that you will be prepared, just as I said. 4 Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—to say nothing of you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you beforehand and make arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. This way, your gift will be prepared generously and not begrudgingly. 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: “He has scattered abroad His gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For this ministry of service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanksgiving to God. 13 Because of the proof this ministry provides, the saints will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to all the others. 14 And their prayers for you will express their affection for you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
2 Corinthians 10
Now by the mildness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am humble when face to face with you, but bold when away. 2 I beg you that when I come I may not need to be as bold as I expect toward those who presume that we live according to the flesh. 3 For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. 4 The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete. 7 You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself that we belong to Christ just as much as he does. 8 For even if I boast somewhat excessively about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed. 9 I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you by my letters. 10 For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is unimpressive, and his speaking is of no account.” 11 Such people should consider that what we are in our letters when absent, we will be in our actions when present. 12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they show their ignorance. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond our limits, but only within the field of influence that God has assigned to us—a field that reaches even to you. 14 We are not overstepping our bounds, as if we had not come to you. Indeed, we were the first to reach you with the gospel of Christ. 15 Neither do we boast beyond our limits in the labors of others. But we hope that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you will greatly increase as well, 16 so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. Then we will not be boasting in the work already done in another man’s territory. 17 Rather, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain.
How to SOAP
Grab a journal and a pen. Read the chapters above and watch for the verse that stops you. Then take it through four steps.
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Scripture
Write out the verse that stood out to you.
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Observation
What is it saying? Who is speaking, and to whom?
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Application
What does it mean for your life today? Be specific.
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Prayer
Talk to God about it. Ask Him to help you live it.
Why daily devotions?
Devotions are time set aside each day to read God's Word and let Him speak. The point isn't checking off chapters. It's meeting with Him.
Ten or fifteen minutes is enough to start. Pick a time and a place and keep the appointment. Mornings work well for a lot of us, before the phone and the day start talking.
Missed a day? Don't start over. Read today's chapters and keep going.