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DAILY READ – GALATIANS 1:18-24

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read Galatians 1:18-24

Galatians 1:18-24

v18-21: Paul’s knowledge of the gospel and his authority to preach it was not given to him by any other person.  His call to be an apostle and his qualifications for this role were “extraordinary and divine.”  There is no reason to doubt that Paul was a genuine apostle and that the letters he wrote which have been preserved in Scripture are God’s Word.

v22-24: When the Galatian Christians heard that this violent persecutor of Christians had been converted and was now preaching the gospel, they were filled with joy and glorified God, giving Him the praise and thanks for his wonderful saving work in Paul’s life.  This is how we should respond whenever we hear reports of individuals or groups of individuals putting their faith in Jesus.

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – GALATIANS 1:11-17

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read Galatians 1:11-17

Galatians 1:11-17

v11-12: Our knowledge of the gospel comes from God’s Word and we grow in our understanding of it through the teaching and instruction of those who preach it to us. It was different for the Paul. “He received both his knowledge of the Gospel and his authority to preach it directly from the Lord Jesus himself.” It came to him by direct “revelation from Christ.” Paul makes this point as proof that he is an apostle.

v13-17: It is not enough to have Christ revealed to us, we need Christ revealed in us. It is the power and grace of God that can turn a sinner from the error of their ways and effectually call them to faith in Christ. Those whom God calls to faith in Christ, He has a purpose for, which in Paul’s case, was to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – GALATIANS 1:1-10

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read Galatians 1:1-10

Introduction

The apostle Paul was concerned for the members of the churches in the region of Galatia because false teachers (the Judaizers) were trying to draw them away from the truth of the gospel, especially that of justification by faith alone, by teaching them that they needed to add “the observance of the Law of Moses to faith in Christ.” In writing this letter, Paul’s aim is “to restore those who had been corrupted, to settle those who might waver, and to strengthen those among them who had maintained their integrity.”

Galatians 1:1-10

v1-5: Jesus Christ has died to rescue us from this present evil age.  He gave Himself for us, not to immediately remove us from it, but to save us from its power which enslaves us to its practices and customs, to keep us from its evil, “and at the appropriate time to give [us] another and a better world.”

v6-9: When a professing Christian turns from believing the gospel and living in a manner worthy of it, or are deceived in following another gospel which is no gospel at all, our response should be at the same time “surprise, dismay, and sorrow” at what they are doing, because of privileges and the blessings they are giving up and the danger they are putting themselves in.

v10: The aim of a true minister of the gospel is not to please people and seek to win their approval by what they teach, but to please Christ. “Although he will not unnecessarily displease anyone, he dare not allow himself to satisfy people at the expense of his faithfulness to Christ.”

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS [COMPLETE]

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A resource for The Big Read are these devotional notes covering the whole of 2 Corinthians adapted from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Download Daily Read – 2 Corinthians as a pdf

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 13

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 13

2 Corinthians 13

v1-6: It is “the great duty of all who call themselves Christians to examine their own spiritual state.” The reason why we should examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith is “because it is something in which we may be easily deceived and in which deceit is very dangerous.” Are you in the faith? Is Christ in you?

v7-10: A prayer we should often pray, both for ourselves and for our friends, is “to be kept from sin, that we and they may commit no wrong,” and for God’s grace “to keep us, because without this we cannot keep ourselves.”

v11-14: “It is the gift of the Holy Spirit that qualifies us to enjoy the privilege of sharing in the grace of Christ [as Redeemer] and the love of God [who sent the Redeemer], and we can desire nothing more to make us happy than the grace of Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.”

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 12:11-21

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 12:11-21

2 Corinthians 12:11-21

v11-19: A faithful minister of the gospel is not after the money of those they serve but is seeking to win them for Christ.  They are willing to suffer loss for their good, using their “time, gifts, strength, privileges,” their all, to serve them in any way.  Even if those they serve are unkind or show ingratitude toward them, their love for them will not lessen.

v20-21: There are some sins that are sadly too common amongst God’s people.  These include quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.  Those guilty of committing these sins are to be rebuked (privately, and when necessary, publicly) and are to respond in repentance.

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 12:1-10

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

v1-5: We should “make the most of the revelation God has already given to us in his Word” rather than desiring knowledge of what He has not made known to us. Paul had been caught up to the third heaven and yet did not make known what he heard there, instead his concern was for the teaching of Christ, and it is this “we must build our faith and hope on.”

v6-10: “This is a Christian paradox: when we are weak in ourselves, we are strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; when we see that we are weak in ourselves, then we depend on Christ, are qualified to receive strength from him, and experience most of the supplies of divine strength and grace.”

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 11:16-33

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 11:16-33

2 Corinthians 11:16-33

v16-21: “In obedience to the command and example of the Lord, Christians must and ordinarily will humble and deny themselves. But wisdom must guide them as to the circumstances in which it is necessary to do what we may do lawfully, including speaking of what God has done for us, in us, and by us.”

v22-33: Paul did and suffered so much for the cause of Christ. But what lay heaviest on him, more than all the persecutions of his enemies and the great toil and hardship he went through, was his concern for all the churches. It is a great blessing to have leaders who care for the souls of church members, and which this responsibility lays heavy on them.

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 11:1-15

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 11:1-15

2 Corinthians 11:1-15

v1-4: “Faithful ministers must be afraid and concerned for their people, that the people will not lose what they have received and turn away from what they have accepted.” It is good to have elders who love you and who will pursue you if they see you backsliding in your faith and drifting away from Christ or if you are being deceived by false teaching and believing what is error.

v5-15: In the Old Testament the false prophets wore the clothes and spoke the language of the true prophets of God.  In the New Testament the false apostle were in many ways like the true apostles of Christ.  In the church today, there are false teachers who appear to be like those who faithfully teach His Word.  This is because “just as Satan can turn himself into any shape, put on almost any form, and look sometimes like an angel of light in order to advance his kingdom of darkness, so he will teach his ministers and instruments to do that same.”  So, be on guard.

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 10:12-18

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 10:12-18

2 Corinthians 10:12-18

v12-14: When comparing ourselves with other Christians we must take care. Whilst comparing ourselves “with others who outshine us would be a good method to keep us humble” and to spur us on to grow in godliness, there is a real danger that it leads to pride and arrogantly thinking we are better they are.

v15-18: To boast about our godliness or gifting “is often as foolish and vain as it is proud,” because any progress or success has been given to us by God. We should be pleased and thankful for what we have been given but the praise and glory must all go to God.

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 10:1-11

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 10:1-11

2 Corinthians 10:1-11

v1-6: Ministry is war. It is a spiritual war against spiritual enemies. The devil want to keep people from faith in Jesus and obedience to the gospel. “Ignorance, prejudice, and sinful desires are Satan’s strongholds in the souls of some people.” But the Word of God accompanied by the grace and power of God is able to demolish these strongholds.

v7-11: We must not think that we are the only ones who belongs to Christ and no-one else does except us. “There is room in Christ for many, and those who differ much from one another may still be one in him. It would help heal the differences among us if we remembered that however confident we may be that we belong to Christ, nevertheless, at the same time, we must allow that those who differ from us may also belong to Christ, and we should therefore treat them accordingly.”

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 9

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 9

2 Corinthians 9

v1-5: “When we want others to do what is good, we must act wisely and tenderly toward them and give them time.” This is what Paul does here, as he encourages the Corinthians Christians to give relief to their poor brothers and sisters in Jerusalem.

v6-15: How are we to give? We are to give generously, thoughtfully, and freely. “We should give generously, with open hands, and cheerfully, with an open heart, being glad we have the ability and an opportunity to be charitable.” Remember God “can cause us to have enough in everything, to be content with what we have, to make up what we give, and to be able to give even more.” He can “give us not only enough for ourselves but also the resources with which we may supply the needs of others.”

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)