“I have learned, and am learning, that there’s no real victory or joy in the Christian life unless there’s also a sense of total dependence upon God. And that sense of dependence is what makes prayer spring to life.”
David Jeremiah, The Prayer Matrix, p. 63.
Share a Comment: Consider sharing a comment in the box below with something God is showing you either about fasting, prayer, or making room in your heart – as an encouragement to others.
Daily Devotionals: As we step into this next season in the life of our church, we are asking the Lord to help us “Make Room in our Hearts” – for the people Jesus loves, and the people Jesus brings. During these 21 Days, our whole church has reflected and meditatedon these same thoughts and prayers together, with one mind, guided by and depending on one Spirit. Today, we break our 21 Day fast and worship together – services at Ascent at 9:00 and 10:45!
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Engage the Word: Making Room In Our Hearts
Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-3
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord,
Connect the Heart
The “grace of God” Paul is referring to here is, as the context makes so clear, the grace of giving. This gracious inclination to give generously had fallen upon the Macedonian churches – and Paul is wanting the Corinthian believers to learn from their example. The Corinthians were far more well-off than their Macedonian neighbors. This “grace” of giving flowed from the primary source of grace – Christ’s reconciliation of sinners – into the riches of God’s grace being poured out on them in many other ways. The Macedonian believers, in turn, returned the favor and poured out what they had on others.
What did the Macedonians bring to the table? Poverty and affliction (v.2)! That’s really all they had to offer. The literal idea here is that they were being crushed by the circumstances of life. The surrounding unbelieving culture kept squeezing them harder and harder because of the their devotion to Christ in the midst of a very pagan society. The Macedonians were poor AND picked on! This is some immense pressure being applied to these poverty-stricken believers. The grinding poverty and the crushing tribulation made life very difficult—honestly, impossible by our standards. What was the result? A supernatural (and unexplainable) joy, overflowing in a wealth of generosity that they in turn poured out on others. Generosity is more about an attitude of the heart than an amount. What an example for us!
Reflect on the Truth
- In what ways can you relate to the Macedonians’ poverty, affliction and persecution? Have you experienced the crushing realities of difficult life circumstances?
- Even in the face of these challenging circumstances, the Macedonians experienced a biblical joy that resulted in overflowing generosity toward others. How might you follow the Macedonian example of joyful generosity?
- If generosity is more about an attitude than an amount, how might your heart better reflect God’s value of generosity regarding your time, talent, truth and treasure?
Depend on the Spirit
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see the deeper longings, desires or motives in your heart that these thoughts are pointing to. (For example: you may write down, “Lord, too often the difficult challenges of life crowd out both joy and generosity. I really need your Spirit to guide me as I seek to better reflect your heart to the world around me.”) The Lord can help us discern the path forward – through His word, His Spirit, His people.
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For Prayer
As we conclude our devotional time, pray that we as a church will be known in greater measure as people who diligently seek to become more like Jesus in every way. And especially in our generosity toward others.
Fasting
Please read the first blog post entitled “Why Fast?” This explains what fasting is and why we follow Jesus in this spiritual discipline as together we seek the heart of God.
Previous Posts
To read yesterday’s blog post devotional, please click here.
To read our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting Introduction, please click here.
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Some parts of our 21 Days devotionals are adapted using various resources on scripture and prayer like The Bible Exposition Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, The New Bible Commentary, Logos Bible Software and other resources.
Share a Comment: Consider sharing a comment in the box below with something God is showing you either about fasting, prayer, or making room in your heart – as an encouragement to others.
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