Thursday 22 Jun 2023

June 22: 2 Corinthians 11:1-9

Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 11:3
But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the snake’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Devotion:
Have you ever been persuaded to go off and do something which sounded like fun only to be faced with getting into trouble because it was not legal in the end? We all like to be able to do things which are different or exciting but they are not always the right thing to do but the thrill of being able to do them can convince us otherwise! The same can be said about our spiritual lives with Christ – it may seem like a good idea to go and do things which others are saying is ok when you know in your heart they are not right, but God does see everything we do!

Not all congregations who are rich in monetary terms are rich in spiritual terms, and visa versa! Our earthly richness does not have much to do with our spiritual richness because God is not looking for earthly treasures and does not ask us to seek earthly rewards. When Jesus sent out the disciples it was not by giving them a big bag of money to do what they could for others, but by taking nothing with them and depending on charity to get things done.

God would love to see us all working together and sharing what we have, but that is not always possible while living in this world where earthly laws get in the way of effectively sharing the gifts God gives us.

What God does want us to be aware of is the temptation the earthly treasures impose on us when it comes to living for Christ. It is easy to be swayed by people who are willing to throw money at things to make it look like the congregation is doing well; Christ wants you to throw spiritual riches around instead of earthly riches. These are the riches which will last in our Heavenly home!

Points to Ponder:
Do you wander what it would be like in a ‘rich church’?

How is the spiritual health of your church?