Galatians 1.1–5

¹ Paul, an apostle—sent not with a human commission nor by human authority, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ² and all the brothers and sisters with me,
To the churches in Galatia:

³ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Our devotional efforts today take us to Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia, which is also a letter to us.

As we read through this epistle we’ll find some of the words to be pretty harsh, but here in the beginning Paul reminds us of the compassion of our God. The greeting wishes us grace and peace. Paul then reminds us that Jesus is the one who gave himself up to rescue us from the present evil age.

The first century could be called a “present evil age”. It was a time of violence, a time of uncertainty, a time in which Christians were being harshly criticized; sounds a lot like the twenty-first century. Just browse the internet and you will be flooded with stories of violence, uncertainty and it is easy to find those who are harsh toward Christ’s church.

Take time to examine Jesus, investigate his claims, and then take time to thank him for his willingness to be our eternal life rescuer.

2 Corinthians 13.11–14

¹¹ Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss. ¹³ All God's people here send their greetings.

¹⁴ May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

In this section Paul is basically saying good-by and finishing his letter, but there are some important last minute reminders that he wants to bring up. He says to aim for perfection; a simple reminder that our standards are to be higher than those of the world. He says listen to my appeal. Basically, make sure that you take the advice in this letter to heart and put it into practice. Be of one mind—focus on the things of Christ in your thought life. And, finally, live in peace; be concerned about others even more than you care for yourself.

He goes on to say that they should greet each other with a holy kiss which would be kind of awkward in CCF so I wouldn’t recommend it.

Lastly, he reminds the church that the saints say hello and the most important thing, that no matter what happens God and Jesus are always there for them just like they are here for you and me.

II Corinthians 13:5-10

5Examine 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? 6And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. 7Now 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. 8For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection. 10This 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.

I once had a boss who most of my co-workers didn’t like. But, he was one of those bosses who didn’t really care if we liked him or not. He was one who wasn’t afraid to be tough on you or yell at you when you were screwing up. He could be a real pain at times.

I never had much of a problem with him, though. The thing was, I was good at that job, and did what I was supposed to do. Thus, he never had to show his “tough” side, so we got along pretty well.

Paul’s giving a warning here: he can be the tough boss. He doesn’t want to be, but he will do whatever keeps him on the side of the truth. His preference, though, is for the Corinthians to do what is right, and thus the natural reaction to be on of gentleness and joy.

What do you need to do to keep the boss on his “lighter” side? Who do you need to be “tougher” with?

II Corinthians 13:1-4

“This is the third time I am coming to you EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY
THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES.
2I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I will not spare anyone,
3since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you.
4For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you”

The Apostle again gives us two principles for Christian living as
relates to our interactions with other people. First, it is important for the Christian to live his/her life based on facts rather than rumors or gossip. Don’t trust whatever evil is said of someone else unless you have concrete
evidence of the same i.e. unless it is “confirmed by the testimony of two or three” others. Always give others the benefit of the doubt! The second point the Apostle raises is the service towards others. Jesus modeled this for Apostle Paul who models it for us that we become weak for others just as the Son of God left His lofty throne to serve our needs. In this sense, Jesus is our eternal contemporary. How well are you serving other brothers and sisters in Christ? What about the hurting word at large? This is the real deal!

II Corinthians 12:19-21

19Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening. 20For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 21I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.

Paul, one of the most famous of Christ’s apostles, who endured beatings, shipwrecks, hunger, thirst, ridicule, and all other forms of persecution without showing fear, admits here to being afraid. What is he afraid of? He is afraid of failings. He knows that the Corinthians have had failings in the past: quarrels, jealousy, gossip, and other problems. He fears that he has failed to correct these problems and that he is not capable of correcting them. This fear of facing the failings in ourselves and others still plagues the church today. The band Casting Crowns wrote a song about it called “Stained Glass Masquerade.” As you read the lyrics, consider the message and what should be done.

Is there anyone who fails? Is there anyone who falls?
Am I the only one in church today feeling so small?
‘Cause when I take a look around, everybody seems so strong.
I know they’ll soon discover that I don’t belong.
So I tuck it all away like everything’s okay.
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too.
So with a painted grin, I’ll play the part again so everyone will see me the way that I see them.

Are we happy plastic people, under shiny plastic steeples,
With walls around our weakness and smiles to hide our pain?
Cause if the invitation’s open to every heart that has been broken,
Maybe then we’ll close the curtain on our stained glass masquerade.

II Corinthians 12:14-18

14Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? 16Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! 17Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent you? 18I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not act in the same spirit and follow the same course?

One thing about my parents is that they weren’t the type to always tell me what I wanted to hear. I can think of so many times growing up that I would listen to just about everybody but my parents. Seeking that type of independence is part of growing up, but the hardest lesson is the realization is that we should listen to our parents because they are the ones who are no matter what looking out for our best interests over their own.

Paul is dealing with the same thing with the Corinthians. Other pastors have come in and undermined what he has taught. Part of their tactic is to point out how impressive they are and how unimpressive Paul is. Paul points out that all he has ever done is love them and acted in their interests rather than talk about how great he is.

Who are you listening to? Who should you be listening to?

II Corinthians 12:11-13

11I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the "super-apostles," even though I am nothing. 12The things that mark an apostle—signs, wonders and miracles—were done among you with great perseverance. 13How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!

When we were younger our parents looked out for us and took care of us. They knew what was best for our lives when we were little children. We were dependent upon them to take care of us and knowing what was best for our lives. Our relationship with Christ should be the same. We should rely on Christ to guide us daily as in the direction we should go. For by ourselves we are nothing, but with Christ we can do anything. Christ can give us the strength to do the things we need to do we just need to remember that we need Him in our lives so that He can help us.

II Corinthians 12:7-10

7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But 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. 10That 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.

From lemons to lemon drops

We can’t be entirely sure what the thorn in the flesh was that Paul spoke of, but it was a physical affliction of some kind. In any case, we are still able to apply the lessons Paul learned to our own afflictions, physical or otherwise.
In our lives, we receive many of our blessings through transformation, rather than substitution. When Paul prayed three times for the removal of his affliction, he was saying “God, give me health instead of sickness, deliverance instead of pain and weakness.” But many times, instead of removing what burdens us, God gives us grace so that the affliction works for us and not against us.
That reminds me of my favorite verse of scripture: Romans 8:28. My paraphrase of it goes like this: God causes everything to work out for those that love Him and are seeking to live according to His purpose for them.
I have endured a great many trials in my life, and through every one of them, God has been faithful to help me embrace this verse which assures me that He is with me through ALL things, not merely some or most of them.

II Corinthians 11:21-29

What anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. 22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. 23Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

Everyone loves to be praised. Some crave this praise more than others. Many strive to be stronger, faster, prettier, smarter, and better than everyone else so that they can have more praise. When others do not give forth praise, it is human nature to boast and praise ourselves. Such boasting leads to pride, and pride goes before a fall. Therefore, God instructs us not to boast about ourselves or our possessions or our plans. Ultimately, we cannot control any of that. Therefore, we are instructed to boast in the Lord.
So WHY is Paul boasting here? Even he admits that it is foolish to do so. However, note the topic of his boasting. At first glance, this is not something to be proud of. Paul’s life was full of trials and pain. Still, this serves the purpose of showing his merit, his perseverance. Paul suffered freely and frequently for the sake of the gospel and when he boasts, he boasts not of how many churches he has planted, or how much he gave to the poor, or how many people he led to Christ. No. Instead he boasts about his weaknesses. God strength shines best through our weaknesses, not our strengths. This is a message every Christian martyr can testify to.
What do you boast about? Strengths or weaknesses? Does the light of God’s strength shine through you? Be aware. If you boast, do it for the right reasons and give the glory to God.

2 Corinthians 11:16-21

16I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. 17In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. 18Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. 19You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 20In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. 21To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!
What anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about.


Why is Paul talking so much about his own suffering?
It wasn’t the kind of boasting that expects praise in return. No. I think Paul spoke of his suffering because he wanted people to know how passionate he was about the church. “Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of how the churches are getting along. Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?”
They were aware he had suffered, but the very specific accounts of the offenses against him were sure to attract attention and assure them that he was suffering because he was completely committed to seeing the truth of Christ spoken everywhere he went.
Paul’s ministry and suffering still speak. His testimony, teaching and suffering has been an example to an untold number of people over the past two thousand years. We’ve been charged with taking the truth to the ends of the earth, and Paul is one of the greatest examples of someone who was not ashamed or afraid of doing that.

—II Corinthians 11.13–15—

¹³ For such persons are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Masquerade
Satan does a good job of deceiving people from God’s truth. Satin uses our human desires to influencing us into sinning against God. It starts out simple with the small things, but before we know it part of our everyday life. This is why we as Christians need to spend time in the word of God, the Bible. Studying the Bible will help us understand how to avoid falling into Satan’s trap. The Bible tells us how Jesus lived his life, the true example of what our live should look like. It is also important that we have fellowship with other believers, so that we can be held accountable. In the Bible it says that in the end we will get what our actions deserve. We should keep this in mind as we go about our live and know that some day we’ll have to answer to the things we have done.

2 Corinthians 11.7-12

⁷ Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? ⁸ I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. ⁹ And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers and sisters who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. ¹⁰ As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. ¹¹ Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! ¹² And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.

The college life in Iowa City can be so wonderful, but at the same time harmful to each persons Christian essence. In Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians, he makes light of this issue. He refuses to accept any riches for his teaching and he is distinctly different from those that have come before and those that surround him. He strives to preserve that which makes him different. As a servant of Christ, you need to commit to preserving your essence that makes you distinctly different. It is easy to think you can live the “Christian” life while also balancing a “college party” life. People living what looks to be a perfect life are similar to the false apostles that Paul mentions in his letter. These individuals can be parasitic to our faith; we must guard ourselves and help those who are in need of change.

2 Corinthians 11.1-6

¹ I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! ² I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. ³ But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴ For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. ⁵ I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles." ⁶ I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.


"Do you take this man, forsaking all others, to be your husband." We've all heard words like this at nearly every wedding that we have ever attended. Vows taken by the bride to remain true to the one that they are uniting with. Words that are meant to last for a lifetime.

As we; the bride of Christ, look at our relationship with Jesus; the bridegroom, are we willing to take him, forsaking all others, no matter what? There are some who will use their cunning to lead us astray from those vows. Others will try to steer our devotion to others. Still others will try to cause us to betray our commitment to Christ by belittling the ones who introduced us to Him.

Remember that day you took your vow? Remember when you said yes to Jesus? Hang on to that promise, hang on to that devotion. Replacing him with anything or anyone else would be foolishness.

2 Corinthians 10.12-18

¹² We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. ¹³ We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you. ¹⁴ We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. ¹⁵ Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, ¹⁶ so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else's territory. ¹⁷ But, "Let those who boast boast in the Lord." ¹⁸ For it is not those who commend themselves who are approved, but those whom the Lord commends.


Where does your pride stem from? What causes you to boast about certain things? You might boast about a sports team, a test score or even your faith. In Corinth false teachers were behaving as though there is no standard ofcomparison higher than themselves. Paul, however, “boasts only in the Lord.” Through proper boasting in the Lord the gospel was being able to be spread into greater regions of the world. What things do you boast about? How is your boasting influencing others? But, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” What things has Christ done in your life that you can boast about? Align your yourself with God’s will and He will share in your boasting.

“For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom
the Lord commends.”

2 Corinthians 10.7-11

⁷ You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. ⁸ So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. ⁹ I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. ¹⁰¹¹ Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present. For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing."


Authority is a valuable commodity. Many seek to gain it and become leaders, and those who do achieve it feel its heavy burden, for better or worse. Within the church at Corinth were those who questioned Paul’s authority as an apostle. They questioned his right to collect funds from them to help those in Jerusalem suffering from a famine. They mocked his short stature and unimpressive appearance. They took offense at his forceful letters. They did not accept his authority over them. Paul seeks to expose and refute their foolishness. He says that it is the way of the world to be concerned with such things, not the way of God. He points out that he has used his authority to build his charges up and encourage them rather than to criticize them and tear them down (as these would-be leaders are trying to do to him). He also explains that we he is with the people, he leads by example, using deeds more than words. However, when he is too far away for the people to see his deeds, he uses his words to encourage them and spur them on and to reprimand them when they need it. He implies that this is the proper way for a leader to use his authority.

CCF encourages college students to become leaders in the faith community. When given authority, how do we use it? Do we build others up or tear them down? Do we lead by example? Are our words forceful and profitable to the community? Also, do we respect our leaders? Consider your thoughts and actions concerning your thoughts and actions toward authority. Ask God to lead you to the correct attitudes and practices.

2 Corinthians 10.1-6

¹ By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but "bold" toward you when away! ² I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. ³ For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ⁶ And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.


“This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?”
“The mind is a terrible thing to waste.”
When I was a child, these were two of the more popular slogans appearing in media, one for the Partnership of a Drug-free America and the other for the United Negro College Fund. Each ad emphasized the importance of the mind. Think about it. Okay, now think about what I just ask you to do. I asked you to use your mind to think about your mind. How fascinating, right? And, of course, you’re using your mind to think about how fascinating your mind is when contemplating its ability to think about itself. Mind blowing?
Paul here touches on the mind’s power by likening it to a prison. He undoubtedly knows that most thoughts are in the mind to stay and that if they’re not taken captive they may be taking captive. So, take inventory. Are you Alcatraz or does your prison need to be renovated?

2 Corinthians 9.6–11

⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written:

"They have scattered abroad their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever."

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

I once saw a preacher on TV. He was trying to raise $300,000, and claimed that God wanted him to rise up 300 millionaires. To become one of those millionaires, all you had to do was give the preacher man $1000, and God would make you into a millionaire. If you didn’t have it cash, that was okay, you could show your “faith” in God by putting it on your credit card.

Guys like this are the reason that most ministers are reluctant to talk about money and giving. Too many dishonest men have distorted the reality of giving. Paul says 3 things here: Give what your heart tells you to give (no “set” amount, just do it cheerfully); God will provide for you; you will be a part of God’s work (and in that way, you are rich in every way).

What is your heart telling you to give?

2 Corinthians 9.1-5

¹ There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the Lord's people. ² For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. ³ But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. ⁴ For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. ⁵ So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.


Last semester here at ISU, CCF students took part in collecting and sending Christmas gifts to children overseas through the ministry Operation Christmas Child. It was a wonderful project and several students were already familiar with the ministry either through their churches at home, or from participating in it through CCF in previous years. Naturally, I think those students were the ones that were the most enthusiastic about the cause at first. Eventually, however, I began to see that enthusiasm spread as though it were contagious throughout the entire group of students. The pile of donated toys grew steadily throughout the month of November and into December. In the end, the group filled 23 boxes with dolls, toy cars, crayons, mittens, hats, socks, toothbrushes and toothpaste!

No one was forced to give toys so that poor children could have gifts for Christmas, but I do believe that as we all witnessed the giving and thoughtful spirit, we were quietly encouraging one another to give more.

2 Corinthians 8.22-24

²² In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. ²³ As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. ²⁴ Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.


Representatives

Who comes to mind when you read each of the following?
A bad actor
A bad actress
A great cook
A great author
In your opinion, the names you thought of are examples of their respective categories.
Paul gives us the names and characteristics of afew people he believes to be “splendid examples of those who bring glory to Christ.” He refers to them as “representatives of the church.”
What are the names of several people you know that you consider splendid examples of those who bring glory to Christ? Or. Think about this: if your friends were asked who they thought was an example of someone they could recognize Christ working within, would you make the cut?

2 Corinthians 8.16-21

¹⁶ Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. ¹⁷ For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. ¹⁸ And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. ¹⁹ What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. ²⁰ We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. ²¹ For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of others.

The pastor asked us to reach down under our chair. Certain chairs – five of them – contained an envelope with a one hundred dollar bill inside. I was one of the fortunate ones. Now that c-note came with one stipulation. We were to pass it on to someone who had a need. The only thing that the recipient was to know was that the money was a gift from God. For two weeks I prayed about and fretted about how to best use that $100. I could give it to a homeless shelter. The need was there, and it would be pretty easy. It would make a really good tip at a local restaurant (and what waitress doesn’t need a bonus from God). I really wanted to make sure that the gift was used in a way that the congregation intended and in a way that God was glorified.

In today’s passage, Titus is one of the carriers of a cash gift. Paul and the others were concerned that they handle this endeavor with integrity. They took pains to do what was right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.

Today, look for a chance to give a blessing (financial or otherwise) in a way that will honor the Lord. (vs. 19).