Cover-to-Cover

2 Corinthians 9 Grace is an unlimited, unrestrained supply flowing from a heart that is open and free. An open heart liberally supplies the good it has to offer –love, power, favor, and even finances. Grace is generous, overflowing, spontaneous, without holding back. Grace isn’t a light rain; it’s a downpour! Paul encourages the church to give with grace, not sparingly, grudgingly, reluctantly, or under compulsion. Verse 9:7 reads in...

2 Corinthians 8 Paul genuinely cares for the people he leads, wanting them to “abound in everything” – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, in love for their leaders, and in the grace of giving. Their giving wasn’t just to meet the needs of the kingdom; but also to know a wide open heart, giving and receiving in the financial realm. There was a practical, applicable, natural...

2 Corinthians 7 You are a gift. When people open their hearts to you, they will receive from that gift. If their hearts are closed, they won’t receive what God can do through your life. The same goes for other people that God brings our way. Paul asks the Corinthians in verse 2 “Do open your hearts to us again [enlarge them to take us in].” What if someone says...

2 Corinthians 6 Paul is expressing his zeal for the cause of Christ and for the Corinthians. Because of his passion and sacrifices made, he asks the people to open their hearts to receive him. Corinth is known to be a carnal church, where Christians are living sinful lives. Paul quotes a few Scriptures from the Old Testament (Ezekiel 37:26 and Isaiah 52:11). Ezekiel shares God’s heart to be their...

2 Corinthians 5 We’re spirit beings, and as we grow in God, we grow spiritually. We live by our reliant, obedient faith, and we perceive, discern, and act from our heart. We sense the Holy Spirit, who assures us of our salvation, our purpose, and our eternal destiny. As we mature, not only do we look forward to a new body; but we also crave to be home with the...

2 Corinthians 4 Do you know someone in need of salvation? In 2 Corinthians 4:4 we see that Satan blinds people from seeing the truth about Jesus. We have authority over the enemy as representatives of Christ and in His name. We can tell him to stop deceiving the people we love, then pray that God will reveal the light of His salvation to them. Verse 6 says, “For God...

2 Corinthians 3 The glory of God describes the splendor and majesty of God, a glory so great that human flesh cannot see God’s actual face and live to talk about it. God’s glory is lit; the light God projects is so bright that a literal full on gaze into God’s face would take us out. Moses had a physical encounter with God where God hid His face so that...

2 Corinthians 2 When the purpose of correction is to teach, discipline will be followed up with love, forgiveness, and restoration. This is Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. In the first letter he mentions a man that was sexually involved with his mother-in-law. He told the church to separate from the man while he was in his sin. Here Paul is telling the church to forgive, comfort, and encourage...

2 Corinthians 1 God has a comfort for the hurting soul that no one else can supply. God made the soul, He understands the soul, and He alone can provide what is necessary to make the soul whole. God can do what no psychologist can do. A doctor may identify causes of soul issues, share coping techniques, and prescribe medications; but only God can heal and comfort the soul. In...

1 Corinthians 16 Whatever we do with this one, beautiful life, it should be done with love for God and love for people (verse 14). As we come to a close of this letter, let’s see that Paul himself, even though he addressed the sin and error he heard about, in love, he tried to bring correction for their good. If there is someone in our life and if there...

1 Corinthians 15:33-58 Jesus is coming back, and we will receive a new, resurrected body! In this passage, Paul continues to speak on the topic of resurrection, confronting and correcting the erroneous belief that God does not bring the dead back to life. Paul talks about the physical body and the spirit within that body. They body will die, but the spirit continues to live. Then Paul speaks about the...

1 Corinthians 15:1-32 Jesus is alive! Paul, as the Apostle of this church, is the one who started and oversaw this body of believers. Paul’s responsibility was not only to teach truth, but to correct wrong doctrine. There were members of the Corinthian community that believed there was no physical resurrection of the dead (verse 12). They also believed they should be baptized on behalf of the dead (verse 29)....

1 Corinthians 14:21-40 Paul understands that speaking in tongues seems crazy to the natural mind. It is a spiritual phenomenon that shows the world the power of God when it is used in public with an interpretation. In verse 23, Paul says if you don’t have an interpretation, the people only hear an unknown language, which makes no sense to them, and they’ll think you are demented. However, when by...

1 Corinthians 14:1-20 Here in chapter 14, the Apostle Paul writes on speaking in tongues, otherwise known as “praying in the spirit” or a “prayer language.” This is a spiritual endowment, to speak in an unknown language, and it is available to every Christian. It might seem unusual to many, but it is in the Bible and it is an amazing, supernatural function for the New Testament believer. What’s the...

1 Corinthians 13 Have you ever felt like you failed at love? I have good news! We can GROW in love like we can grow in our faith. When we first came to Christ, we began a process of transformation and a development of spiritual growth. We received the love of God in our new nature (Romans 5:5), but receiving it, yielding to it, and applying it are different things....