Daily Devotions from Firmly Rooted (archive of 975 devotions). Browse by book, series, or season, or search below.
“To 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. 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…
“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. (2 Cor. 11:13&14 NIV84) It’s one thing to fight enemies that are outside your group. They are easy to recognize and, therefore, to deal with. But what do you do…
“But, ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’” (2 Corinthians 10:17 NIV84) Seriously, I understand the importance of biblical humility. I understand the importance of avoiding boasting in ourselves. When we place ourselves in the forefront, the picture is quite unbecoming. But what about boasting in the Lord? When was the last time you…
“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.” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV84) Sometimes, most of the time, what goes on in our head is our greatest challenge. We live in an age of information-overload. Someone tell…
“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Cor. 9:15 NIV84) It’s not that people haven’t tried. Writers of the Scriptures used adjectives like love, grace, mercy, hope, joy, peace, deep, wide, East and West in attempts to describe God’s gift to us. During the last 2,000 years, millions of poems, hymns, and books…
“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:7 NIV84) Stewardship is a tough thing for us Christians to grow into. It challenges us at the very line between faith and reason. God has created us to…
“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so…
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV84) So, tell me, what does it mean to be rich? For most human beings in the West, we spend 90+%…
“But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.” (2 Corinthians 7:6,…
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV84) The words sorrow, contrition and repentance are used in Christian circles constantly. I’m certain you have heard them and even used them; but do we know what they really mean? In our verse for…