DAY 1 – July 13, 2009

TITLE: “MAKE ROOM IN YOUR HEART”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: II Corinthians 7: 2-16

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: II Corinthians 7: 2-3

KEY VERSE: “Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.” II Corinthians 7:2

In my first full time staff position, the church converted a closet into an office for me. There was room for a chair and a small desk and that was about it. I believe I had squeezed a couple of shelves for books in there also. There was not any room in it to put many books and no room for ministry supplies. Especially the type of supplies a Youth Pastor might desire to have in his office. The big challenge remained the lack of room for people to come into the office for meetings or counseling.

There were a lot of things that had to be left out of that office, because there was just not room in it. Towards the end of my ministry, the church built a new office complex. They promised me a large corner office that would even have room for a piano in it. This was before keyboards were popular and during a season when I was doing a lot of song writing for the Youth Ministry. I was so excited about having an office with some room in it. However, I felt led to accept my first pastorate just before the office was completed, so I never moved into the new office with all of its room for ministry.

The church at Corinth had a small heart crowded with other things. Earlier Paul had written, “We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange- I speak as to my children-open wide your hearts also.” II Corinthians 6:11-13. The church had limited its love and held back from opening their hearts to the Apostle Paul. In our key verse for today, Paul said, “Make room for us in your hearts.”

Paul had such a place in his heart for the church of Corinth that he said he would live or die with them. He was a living example of the teaching of Jesus when he said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12. Paul’s heart was full of sincere love for the church at Corinth. There was room in his heart of love for the church.

Making room in our heart for others is central in the teaching of Jesus. Love for one another is the very identification mark of His disciples. He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

Do you need to make room in your heart today for others? Jesus can clean out the junk of self-centeredness, pride, fear, hurt, and other things that crowd your heart and hinder you from making room for others. Spend some time in prayer and ask God to show you if some heart cleaning needs to be done so you can make room to love others.

DAY 2 – July 14, 2009

TITLE: “I AM GREATLY ENCOURAGED”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: II Corinthians 7: 2-16

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: II Corinthians 7: 4-7

KEY VERSE: “I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.” II Corinthians 7:4

I remember reading a touching story about the "elevated train" in Chicago. The elevated train is one that sits on a high track when it comes into the downtown area. There was a young man that rode that train day after day as a commuter. The story is that as the train slowed up for the station, where he got off each day, he could look through an open curtain into a room of a building and see a woman lying in a bed. She was there day after day, for a long time, obviously quite ill. He began to get interested in her since he saw her every day. Finally, he determined to find out her name. He discovered her address, and he wrote her a card, assuring her that he was praying for her recovery. He signed it, "The young man on the elevated." A few weeks later, he pulled into the station, and he looked through that window and the bed was empty. Instead there was a huge sign, GOD BLESS YOU, MY FRIEND ON THE ELEVATED!

This man on the train sent her a card of encouragement and she had been encouraged. In other words, his encouragement worked. Paul gives testimony in our key verse for today that he had been encouraged. Previously he had been discouraged, but God encouraged him through Titus. The encouragement he had received had filled him with joy.

Who can God comfort or encourage through you today? Every one faces situations from time to time that discourage us. Today you very well may come across the path of someone that is discouraged. Does God want to use you today to encourage someone?

Community in the body of Christ offers us opportunity to encourage others. Every time we gather together in worship or groups, we have the opportunity to spur others on with encouragement. Hebrews instructs, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25

Encouragement is one of the great privileges and responsibilities of the child of God. After sharing words of hope about the coming of the Lord, Paul writes to the Thessalonians, “Therefore encourage each other with these words.” I Thessalonians 4:18. Be prepared and ready to share what God is doing today. Ask God to open your eyes to the opportunities you will have today to encourage others.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, You know the discouraged hearts today that will cross my path. Use me today to encourage someone that needs to be encouraged.

DAY 3 – July 15, 2009

TITLE: “GODLY SORROW BRINGS REPENTANCE”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: II Corinthians 7: 2-16

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: II Corinthians 7:8-10

KEY VERSE: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” II Corinthians 7:10

Godly sorrow is deeper than the sorrow of being caught. Godly sorrow is sorrow that we have sinned against God. It is a genuine sorrow for sin. This is the sorrow that leads to repentance. The importance of repentance is seen through scripture. In the ministry of John the Baptist, repentance was the theme as he said, “Prepare the way for the Lord.” Jesus said, “I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:3. Repentance is not just a religious word, it is so much more than an option, for it is a requirement for each of us. Peter empathized the importance of repentance when he instructed, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19

Wabush is a town in a remote portion of Labrador, Canada. It was completely isolated for some time. It is reported that a road was cut through the wilderness to reach it. Wabush now has one road leading into it, and thus, only one road leading out. If someone would travel the unpaved road for six to eight hours to get into Wabush, there is only way he or she could leave---by turning around.

As in Wabush, there is only one way out of the town of sin. It is a road built by God Himself. Repentance is only possible by the work of God. Repentance is the sign that I realize what God has done in Christ Jesus. Through His death on the cross, I can be brought into a right relationship with God. There is no other way. Jesus said, “…I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Repentance requires change. One can not repent and keep going the wrong direction. One of the great stories about repentance is found in Luke 15. It is the story of the prodigal son. In the story, the son takes his inheritance and goes away to a far country to live it up so to speak. When he runs out of money, he finds himself destitute, eating with the pigs. In repentance, he left the far country and returned to his father who received him with open arms. He could not stay with the pigs and return to the father at the same time. True repentance requires action. Evangelist Billy Graham expressing the concern that there must be true repentance warned, “We are dangerously near to saying to the prodigal son, “It is not necessary to return to your father and home; we can make you comfortable in the pigpen.” It is only repentance that takes us from the pigpen of sin to the salvation the loving Heavenly Father provides through Jesus Christ.

DAY 4 – July 16, 2009

TITLE: “GODLY SORROW BRINGS REPENTANCE”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: II Corinthians 7: 2-16

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: II Corinthians 7:11

KEY VERSE: “See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved ourselves to be innocent in this matter.” II Corinthians 7:11

When I went away to college, my father sold the home I had grown up in and moved to another house. He moved about 10 miles from the town of Fontana to the little town of Bloomington, California. Though there were several reasons dad chose to move, one reason was to have enough land to plant and grow a sizable garden. He moved to a house with a sizable amount of land to plant the garden he desired.

After he moved, he purchased a large gas tiller to till the land and prepare the soil. He ordered a seed catalogue and ordered a box of seeds. He then organized where he would plant the various types of vegetable seeds he had ordered and went to work planting the seeds at the appropriate times.

It was not long until when I came home from college to visit dad that he started having lots of vegetables. When I would come home from college, he would take me to the garden and show me all the vegetables that were growing and tell me what had been taking place. He would then take me into the kitchen and show me the vegetables he had just picked. His great joy was to take me to the freezer and show me the fruit of his labor and the great amount of vegetables he had frozen for the days ahead.

One look at the garden revealed there was fruit from the work that was done. The evidence was clear that the seeds had been planted. The Godly sorrow that had been planted in the church at Corinth was producing fruit. There was obvious evidence that God was at work.

In John 15, we are reminded that the branch can not bear fruit by itself. It is only as the branch remains in the vine that it bears fruit. However, as we abide with the Lord, we do bear fruit. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

God desires that you and I bear fruit of His work in our life. Godly sorrow will produce fruit in our lives. A life lived in surrender and obedience to Spirit of the Lord will bear fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control…” The work of God in our lives is accompanied by evidence of His work. Is the evidence that God is at work in your life clearly seen today?

DAY 5 – July 17, 2009

TITLE: “TO TELL THE TRUTH”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: II Corinthians 7: 2-16

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: II Corinthians 7:12-16

KEY VERSE: “I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well.” II Corinthians 7:14

As I child growing up, I remember watching the television show, “To Tell the Truth.” It was an American television game show created by Bob Stewart. It has been aired intermittently in various forms since 1956 and has been hosted by various television personalities. It is one of two game shows in the United States to have aired at least one version every decade for the past six decades. The other is, “The Price is Right,” also originally created by Stewart. Bud Collyer hosted during the original years, with various people subbing in for him in his absence.

The basic premise of the show consisted of a panel of four celebrities correctly identifying a contestant from a choice of three possibilities, members of a "team of challengers". One of the contestants normally held an unusual occupation or had done something noteworthy, and it was this person whom the panel had to attempt to identify. Two of the people told lies, while the real person had sworn, "to tell the truth".

The Apostle Paul was a truth teller. All that Paul had said to Titus about the church proved to be true. While reinforcing the mutual benefit and friendly feelings between Titus and the Corinthian Church, Paul does not let the opportunity pass to strengthen his own case regarding his dealings with the church of Corinth. He had not been dishonest with the church of Corinth, but had openly shared the truth in love. The statements and claims about himself and his ministry were true.

God has called all of us to be people of truth. Proverbs 12:19 says, “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.” Truth will always stand the test of time. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul highlighted the importance of being people who speak the truth. He wrote, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” Ephesians 4:25

We have a wonderful message of truth to give to everyone we come into contact with. The gospel is true and life changing. Jesus said, “…I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. So as not to take away from the credibility of the message of truth, we proclaim we must be people of truth who tell the truth. St. Augustine rightly said many years ago, “When regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful.”  Are you known as a person of truth who tells the truth?