DAY 1, August 31, 2009
TITLE: “SELF EXAMINATION”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test?”
II Corinthians 13:5
Not too long ago my wife, Sharon, and I took a pad of paper and began a journey around our house that took quite a while. The journey took us through our garage, the front yard, and completely around the house. This was not a leisure walk, for we were on a mission. What was our mission? We were out to make a list of all the things that, needed to be done around the outside of the house, to fix it up and maintain it. We began to write item after item as we carefully examined the entire outside of our home.
As we examined the entire outside of our house and talked together, there were a variety of things we discovered that needed attention. Some we knew about and many we didn’t. A few of the items were quick fixes and some of them required planning and other resources. As we shared together, we tried to prioritize the items that needed attention first. Some of the items were very low priorities and some items probably will never be dealt with.
We would have never known all the things we discovered if we had not taken the time for a careful examination of our house. The examination revealed some things that really needed immediate attention.
Self examination can open our eyes to things in our life
that need attention. Jeremiah the Prophet wrote, “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:40. Paul was calling the
Self examination is personal. The pronouns are emphatic. Each one of us must take the responsibility to examine ourselves. No one else can take responsibility for your spiritual life of faith. Author Andrew Murray gives us this word of challenge. He writes, “It is when we face ourselves and face Christ, that we are lost in wonder, love, and praise. We need to rediscover the almost lost discipline of self examination; and then a re-awakened sense of sin will beget a re-awakened sense of wonder.” Andrew Murray
DAY 2, September 1, 2009
TITLE: “A PRAYER FOR OTHERS”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed.” II Corinthians 13:7
Author and speaker, Tony Campolo, tells of an interesting encounter that took place at the conclusion of a church service. After saying the closing prayer, he was shaking hands with a woman who had some interesting comments for him. She said, “You made three grammatical errors in your closing prayer.” He simply replied, “I am sorry, but I wasn’t talking to you anyway.”
Prayer is one of our great privileges. When we pray, we have the privilege of talking with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Prayer is God’s provision for communication with Him. With the privilege of prayer comes the responsibility of praying for others. Throughout the word of God we are confronted by numerous examples of specific prayers we can pray for others. Paul gives a variety of examples for us, in his prayers to the various churches.
In Philippians, the Apostle Paul prayed that their love would abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. He prayed that they would be able to discern what is best, and maybe pure and blameless, until the day Christ filled them with the fruit of righteousness. In his prayer for the Ephesians, he prayed that Christ might dwell in their hearts through faith. He prayed that they would be rooted and established in love, having power, together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul wrote, “...We have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Colossians 1:9
Paul is praying for the
We are more likely to pray for others in this way when we are aware of the seriousness of sin and the importance of doing what is right in God's eyes. Sin and disobedience really do matter. God has given each person the freedom of choice. Because of this it is important that we pray for others that they would do the right thing and make the right choices. Will you take some time today to pray for others, that they would not do anything wrong, but will do what is right, regardless of what others do?
DAY 3, September 2, 2009
TITLE: “FOR THE TRUTH”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.”
II Corinthians 13:8
Tim Stafford writes that Ph.D. Stephen Belynskyj, starts each of his classes with a jar full of beans. He asks his students to guess how many beans are in the jar, and on a big pad of paper writes down their estimates. Then, next to those estimates, he helps them make another list: their favorite songs. When the lists are complete, he reveals the actual number of beans in the jar. The whole class looks over their guesses, to see which estimate was closest to being right. Belynskyj then turns to the list of favorite songs. "And which one of these is closest to being right?" he asks. The students protest that there is no "right answer"; a person's favorite song is purely a matter of taste.
The word of God is full of truth. There is a right and a wrong in the word of God. The teachings in the word of God are not left up to the individual taste or preferences of people. There is truth that is consistent and unchangeable. Truth remains unchanged by opinion. The truth cannot be changed or improved on and neither can it be denied or stretched.
Drawing close to the time when Jesus would die on the cross, scripture records Jesus was before Pilate and said to him, “…My kingdom is not of this world...” John 18:36. Pilot concluded that Jesus was a King. “Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’” John 18:37. Pilate answered with the well known words, “What is truth?”
The primary meaning of the Greek word, truth, is openness referring to what is not concealed. Truth is what is real as opposed to what is fictitious or imaginary and what can be depended upon, for it does not fail or change or disappoint. By the word truth, Paul is speaking of the gospel, or truths the gospel or good news of Jesus embodies. Jesus told His disciples, “…I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
The idea of fighting or striving for truth was a traditional theme in the wisdom literature of Paul’s day. Paul would fight for the truth, but not for his own self-interest or position. Truth implies a choice, but Paul says that he does not have a choice. He cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.
Paul was a proponent of the truth. He refused to say things
or add anything that was contrary to the truth of the gospel. In his dealings
with the
DAY 4, September 3, 2009
TITLE: “A PRAYER FOR THEIR PERFECTION”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection.” II Corinthians 13:9
Earlier this week, we mentioned the importance of praying
for others. Specifically we focused on Paul’s comment, that he prayed to God
that
Earlier in II Corinthians 11, we discovered that Paul committed to present the Church as a pure virgin to the Lord. In his letter to Colossians, Paul expressed his heart of love and concern for the church to be all God desires it to be. He wrote, “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” Colossians 1:28
Paul’s prayer and passion is for their perfection. The word perfecting, denotes a correct articulating of limbs and joints in the body, a resetting of what has been broken and dislocated, and hence a restoration of harmonious and efficient functioning. The basic meaning and idea in the word perfection, is to make suitable, properly equipped, or fitting for a particular task.
This prayer for their perfection is the restoration of all that has been out of order in their lives as members in the body of Christ. To put their lives in order catches the sense of what Paul is trying to say. Paul’s prayer is that through the power of Christ they would fix the things that hinder spiritual growth and effectiveness.
In his letter to Ephesians, Paul gives the reason, “…To prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13. God wants us to be usable in His hands so we can complete the work God has for us to do. Paul prays to this end. I encourage you to take a few moments to pray this prayer for yourself and for others today.
DAY 5, September 4, 2009
TITLE: “BUILDING YOU UP”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority-the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.” II Corinthians 13:10
Paul’s call and heart was to build up the body of Christ.
Paul was putting into practice what he wrote to the church at
We are all called to be encouragers and build others up. Hebrews 10:24 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Some years ago I came across the poem titled, A Builder or a Wrecker. The writer is unknown, but the content and challenge speaks to all of us. As you read it, would you ask God to help you to encourage and build others up in the things of Christ.
As I watched them tear a building down
A gang of men in a busy town
With a ho-heave-ho, and a lusty yell
They swung a beam and the side wall fell.
I asked the foreman, "Are these
men skilled,
And the men you'd hire if you wanted to build?"
He gave a laugh and said, "No, indeed,
Just common labor is all I need."
"I can easily wreck in a day or
two,
What builders have taken years to do."
And I thought to myself, as I went my way
Which of these roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by rule and square?
Am I shaping my work to a well-made plan
Patiently doing the best I can?
Or am I a wrecker who
walks to town
Content with the labor of tearing down?
"O Lord let my life and my labors be.”