Date: 2/16/13
Day 47
Good Morning! My name is Enoch Watt, and I was asked to give you a devotional thought from the book of II Corinthians, chapters 4 and 9.
KEY VERSE:
II Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
REFLECTIONS:
As I read II Corinthians 9, I was reminded that as Christians, we are not here to represent ourselves. We ought to live each day as we believe Christ would if He were physically here living among us. We have a message to share with the lost world, and the message is not about us. Verse 5 says, “we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord.”
As we represent Him, we may encounter difficulties. Paul spoke from experience about being troubled, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down. Yet he was not distressed, not in despair, not forsaken, nor destroyed. Just as Christ died for us, we are to die daily that His life “might be made manifest in our body.” (v.10)
Verse 14 in chapter 4 is such an encouragement. “Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus…” Whatever trials we may face as we serve Christ will all be worth it as we stay true to Him. Chapters 4 and 9 both teach us the principle of sowing and reaping. II Corinthians 4:17 says “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” Chapter 9 deals with the Lord giving to those who give to Him.
APPLICATION:
We see in these two chapters that the reward for serving God far outweighs the cost. We heard recently a story about a man who sold all that he had to purchase a field which contained a vast treasure. Do we feel sympathy that he had to sell all that he had? Certainly not, because he gained a far greater treasure. Whatever it is that you are hanging onto, whether it be time, money, relationships, etc., give it all to God. He can invest it much better than you or I can, and you will be glad you did when you receive HIS return on YOUR investment.
Thank you for being a part of Route 66. Thanks for reading, and you have a blessed day!
In Christ,
Enoch
SAVED: September 1987
FAVORITE BOOK IN BIBLE: I John
FAVORITE BIBLE CHARACTER: David
FAMILY: Wife – Andrea; Kids – Grace (6), Isaac (3)
OCCUPATION: Ironworker