Daily Devotions from Firmly Rooted (archive of 975 devotions). Browse by book, series, or season, or search below.
“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1 NIV84) There is only one way to rightfully teach and understand why we as Christians ought to do good works. All other approaches lead to bad practices…
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14, 15 NIV84) As a young pastor I recall these verses…
“We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.” (2 Corinthians 6:3 NIV84) There is a bit of Paul that needs to rub off on all of us in ministry today. We seem to be driven by events, special-interest ministries and budgets. In the spirit of true discipleship,…
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV84) Just ask anyone who has been in my Bible classes or who has ever heard me preach, and they will tell you that this verse is quoted by…
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making…
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV84) For a moment, let’s focus on the word “creation.” Creation is a powerful word. It takes us back to the beginning of time when God made the heavens, the Earth, and everything…
“And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (2 Corinthians 5:15 NIV84) Living for one’s self began in the Garden of Eden. No, not when Adam and Eve were created, but when they fell into sin. The…
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10 NIV84) Have you ever found it confusing to hear that we are saved by grace through faith, and not by…
“We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV84) A seven-word sentence that packs more meaning than entire novels. And if you know anything about Paul’s writings, a seven-word sentence is almost unheard of coming from him. Paul makes it clear by this verse, and the context surrounding it, that we as Christians…
“For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” (2 Corinthians 5:4 NIV84) In this fifth chapter of 2nd Corinthians, Paul is stressing the fact…