Category Archives: 2 Corinthians

⁶ Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. ⁷ You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” ⁸ And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. ⁹ As the Scriptures say,

“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
    Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”

¹⁰ For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

¹¹ Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. ¹² So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.

2 Corinthians 9:6-12

Dear God, it is interesting that I came across this passage this morning. I was struggling to figure out which passage from the Bible to pray over this morning. I went to Bible Gateway first, but their Verse of the Day didn’t resonate. Then I decided to do the Catholic Daily Bible Reading and this was the New Testament reading for the day. It fits because I am about to spend this Saturday with the board of directors of our nonprofit doing some strategic planning. These are always difficult experiences because, if done right, we will struggle to discern where you want us to go from here.

There are usually a couple of ways to go on a day like this. We can either look at spreading our net as widely as we can to touch as many lives as we can (a mile wide and an inch deep) or we can focus on how we will go deeper and make a real change in the lives we already have coming to us (I suppose that would be an inch wide and a mile deep). Sometimes there can be both at the same time, but usually we need to focus on one over the other. Usually, for the sake of numbers, we will go for broader and broader. But as I think about it, it seems that Jesus wanted to go deeper and deeper. He didn’t travel everywhere while he was on earth. He stayed in a pretty controlled geographic area and invested in a few people deeply. Later, they were the ones who spread out and then invested deeply where you put them. I’ve never thought about this before, but it seems to be the pattern you follow. So as I think about planting seed and investing in others I am thinking about how do we really make lasting and deep change in patients’ lives? In the lives in our community and the surrounding communities that we touch?

Father, my head hasn’t really been in the game when it comes to this board retreat. I’ve been distracted by other things. But here I am now. We start in two and a half hours. Get my head in the game. Be with me. Be with us. Prepare all of our hearts as we come together to worship you, figure out how to serve you, and do something that will bring your kingdom and your will into the lives of our patients, volunteers, staff, and board. Something that will bring you into our community. In our hearts, minds, bodies, lives, and work, Lord, be glorified.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

⁶ If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, ⁷ even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

⁸ Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. ⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. ¹⁰ That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:6-10

Dear God, I’ve always read this passage and considered the thorn to be a secret vice Paul had. Or a specific weakness. I’ve heard some say he had a speech impediment. It’s hard to imagine, but maybe. I’ve sometimes myself wondered if, as a single man, he struggled with lust of some sort. I wish he hadn’t been so vague because, frankly, this is the most vulnerable I think we ever see Paul get. There aren’t many times when he suggests he’s less than awesome. But here it is. Proof that there is something that keeps him humble.

As for me, yes, I have vices and addictions against which I struggle. And they keep me humble, to be sure. But this morning, I’m thinking about my source of constant sorrow. And I’ll be a little vague here because I know that others are able to read this as I make these prayers to you available on the Internet. But this constant source of sorrow involves people in my life whom I desperately love. First, I am concerned they are hurt and damaged in some way. Second, my relationships with them are broken, and I desperately want them mended–for their sake, for their sake, and for the sakes of everyone else involved.

I have told my wife in the past that you have certainly used this sorrow to help form me. Without it, in just about every other area my life is unreasonably good. From job, to friendships, to marriage, to my relationship with you bringing me legitimate joy and peace, I live a very fulfilled life. In fact, if it weren’t for this thorn in my side, this area of sorrow, I don’t know who I would be. Would I be arrogant (more arrogant?)? Would I be on my knees in prayer as much to you? I don’t believe you have caused this pain or wanted this pain, but I can see how you’ve used it to form me into someone who is more compassionate and dependent upon you than I would be otherwise.

Father, like Paul, I will continue to pray that you will remove this thorn. But not in my time. In yours. I don’t want to do anything outside of your will. But, well, I love these people. I love them very, very much. There is almost never an hour that goes by that they don’t cross my mind. So please move in all of our lives. But I also recognize that you might be doing something here that I cannot see, and I might not live to see it. So I will press on. I will come to you. I will pray. I will try to become a man who exudes the fruits of your Spirit so that your kingdom might come into this world and your will might be done on earth as it is in the heavens.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

¹³ If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. ¹⁴ Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. ¹⁵ He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

¹⁶ So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! ¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthian 5:13-17

Dear God, going to verse 17, what is the new life? Well, it is the last part of verse 15: “…they will live for Christ…” Live for you. It seems counterintuitive to take this small set of years you give to me and use them living for you. Why wouldn’t I live them for myself?

The fascinating thing is I actually get more out of this life for myself when I live for you. If I spend a couple of days selfishly, it doesn’t take me long before I start to feel pretty empty inside. I’ve had unstructured vacations like that where I’ve just laid around all day and done nothing but indulge myself in lethargy. The result is a terrible feeling. The same would be true if I were to allow myself to pursue my vices, focus on accumulation of wealth, or even go down the road of reacting to fear of losing my idols that my sin nature wants to set up as my source for the fruits of the Spirit instead of your actual Spirit. I think about the people who are wrapped around the axle about political issues and how they are not only angry about everything, but they spend a lot of energy getting other people to be as angry as they are. It is very sad to me to watch, but it’s also a cautionary tale because I can see how I could and I have allowed myself to be tempted by those same idols.

Father, I am here today to live for you. That starts with spending this time with you this morning before I get going on the other parts of my day. I need you. I need you totally and completely. I need you so that this one, short life I have will be full of as much joy, love, peace, etc. as there is in this world. Thank you for offering me this new life. For making me a new creation through my rebirth into your kingdom.

I offer all of this to you because Jesus made it possible,

Amen

³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. ⁴ He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. ⁵ For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. ⁶ Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. ⁷ We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Dear God, there is a lot on my mind this morning, and I wanted to make sure I woke up early so I could really spend some concerted time with you at the beginning of a day that has the potential to be difficult. Specifically, there is a meeting at the end of the day that has the potential to be controversial and even confrontational. I intended to spend most of my time this morning praying over this meeting. Praying that your Holy Spirit will be in it. Praying that you will use it for your good and the ultimate good of everyone in our community. Praying that you will use it to heal and truly reveal yourself to everyone there. Praying that, if you need it to be painful, that you will make the pain count. And I do pray all of this. I pray over this meeting, that you will truly bring your presence in there and that you will enter this world so that your kingdom comes and your will is done through our meeting today. Give me an open mind that will listen for your Holy Spirit to speak to me. Give the others in the meeting–most of whom I know call on you as their God–to do the same.

But reading this verse of the day from Bible Gateway this morning, made mem also think of all of my coworkers who are struggling. Some have sick relatives. Some are grieving loss. Some are facing their own physical ailments. Some have children who are struggling. Then I read this passage from Paul and, although he is referring to comforting each other through religious persecution, it can also refer to us comforting each other through our shared burdens. You comfort us. We then know how to pass comfort on to others. We suffer and one of the side effects of the suffering is that we learn to empathize with others. It’s why you put us in community, whether it be through church, family, work, or just a good friend group. You put us in community so that we might be part of ministering to each other.

Father, help us to all comfort each other today. Help us to know how to love others. For all of the staff at work, give us eyes to see and ears to hear our coworkers, our patients, our volunteers, and our donors. Help us to see beyond facades and discern what is happening under the surface. Help us to also see that we are not alone as we face our own struggles. Help us to be exactly who you need us to be for your kingdom’s sake.

I pray this through Jesus,

Amen

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Dear God, I have been completely overwhelmed and stressed this week. Too much to do. Too little of me to do it. It’s been oppressive. I’ve been exhausted. And losing a week to COVID last week and then losing two employees to COVID this week didn’t help.

But then I was listening to a friend’s podcast last night and I was reminded that being at the end of ourselves is actually a good thing because that is when you can truly take over and do it better than I could have done it alone. It’s also when I stop taking credit and acknowledge that all of the good around me happens from you.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I offer you my coworkers for whom I am concerned. Some are facing some significant personal problems. Some are getting over illness. Help all of us to completely lean into you and upon you. Help me to bring you into the workplace. I pray for the volunteer who texted last night that she was heading to the hospital in San Antonio. I don’t know what is happening with her, but I pray over her body. I pray that you will strengthen and comfort her mother and family. Give them answers for her. And help me know how to truly lean into you today and turn things over to you.

I pray all of this submitted to you and under your authority,

Amen