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
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DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 13
The Big Read – Daily Read
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.
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DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 12:11-21
The Big Read – Daily Read
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.
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DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 12:1-10
The Big Read – Daily Read
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.
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DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 11:16-33
The Big Read – Daily Read
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.
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DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 11:1-15
The Big Read – Daily Read
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.
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DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 10:12-18
The Big Read – Daily Read
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
The Big Read – Daily Read
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
The Big Read – Daily Read
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.
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DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 8:16-24
The Big Read – Daily Read
2 Corinthians 8:16-24
v16-24: Whenever God puts it into the heart of anyone to do us or others good, the right response is for us to give to Him our thanks. It is always “a great encouragement to see those who have formerly shown zeal employed in further good works” for the building up of the church and for the relief of others.
Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.
(Photo: Brad Neathery)
DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-15
The Big Read – Daily Read
2 Corinthians 8:1-15
v1-6: Generous giving flows from a true love for God and a confident trust that He will provide for our needs. Before we give to gospel ministry or to believers who are in need, we first must give ourselves to the Lord by a fresh commitment of ourselves and all we have to the Lord Jesus Christ.
v7-15: Why should we be generous to those who have less than us? Because we are recipients of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ who became poor in order to make us rich, “rich in the love and favour of God, rich in the blessings and promises of the new covenant, rich in the hopes of eternal life.” The love of Christ leads to Christian duties such as generous giving.
Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.
(Photo: Brad Neathery)
DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 7
The Big Read – Daily Read
2 Corinthians 7
v1-4: God’s promises to us are a strong motivator to live a holy life, which involves both dying to sin and living for righteousness. “There are sins of the flesh, which are committed with the body, and sins of the spirit, spiritual evils, and we must cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of both, because God is to be glorified with both body and soul.” Though we will always fall short of sinless perfection in this life, we must continue to seek to be holy as God is holy and perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.
v5-11: There is difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow is a sorrow “for sin as an offence against God, as an instance of ingratitude, and as a loss of the right to God’s favour.” Godly sorrow comes from God and produces repentance which leads to reformation and ends in salvation. It is sorrow that produces in us “a concern to avoid sin and please God.”
v12-16: “Great comfort and joy follow godly sorrow. Just as sin brings general grief, so repentance and reformation bring general joy.”
Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.
(Photo: Brad Neathery)