Waist Deep 2018 - A Daily Dip in the Bible

II Corinthians 8: 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. (NIV) True giving is measured by obedience, proportion and need, not by amount.* In the New Testament, God hasn’t specified that we continue the Old Testament practice of tithing, but this passage and others provide us with some giving guidelines for today. The principle introduced here by Paul seems like an “it goes without saying” statement. Of course God doesn’t expect more from us than we have! Paul may be saying that if the heart is in it, the gift is the right amount,* but if we are asking, “How little can I give and still be pleasing to God?” then it doesn’t seem that the heart is in the right place at all.   A heart that is properly willing would realize – and rejoice in the fact – that no, we are not obligated to tithe; we can give more than that!* We often fail to understand that giving is a spiritual ...

II Corinthians 5: 20 We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (NIV) Sin has broken the friendship between God and man.* Like a good mediator, Paul pleads for us to be reconciled to God. Our need for reconciliation implies the existence of certain conditions: that there was a former friendship; that there is now enmity on one or both sides; and that God is the initiator of the reconciliation process.* In human affairs, there can be no reconciliation if only one party makes the effort. One person can forgive, be willing to forget and move on, but unless the other person makes the same effort, the relationship will remain broken. It works the same way in our relationship with God. While it is usually the vanquished who sues for a settlement, not the victor, God has assumed the inferior position as the petitioner in order to facilitate our reconciliation. He is the initiator, standing in “ready mode” in the reconciliation process, just waiting for us...

II Corinthians 5: 7 We live by faith, not by sight. (NIV) True faith relies on God and believes before seeing.* According to language experts, Paul does not mean to imply in this verse that we are unable to see at all. It would be more accurate to say that we conduct ourselves according to what is unseen, not what we can see.* Simply, we believe in Christ whom we cannot see. Faith is more than just hope that things will work out. It isn’t about what happens here. It’s about believing that no matter what happens now, eternity is on its way. Some of Jesus’ promises had applications just for today but most of them were promises for forever. My personal faith in God is strong. But the basis of my faith is what I have seen God do in my life. Is that the same as “faith by sight”? Where is my faith that is truly “not by sight”? Perhaps if “by sight” is the foundation of my faith, then “not by sight” is the walls and the roof!   No matter how m...

II Corinthians 4: 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (NIV) If Paul’s difficulties were “light and momentary troubles,” what are you and I complaining about?* I was a single mom with twin boys. One hot summer day (I live in Florida!), I was running errands with my boys in the car. They weren’t walking yet so at every stop I had to get out, get the stroller out of the trunk, set it up (never easy!), get one boy out of his car seat, strap him in the stroller, go around to the other side and get the other boy out, strap him in the stroller. I guess I don’t have to tell you about the reverse procedure . . . Anyway, we were all hot, miserable, and cranky and I embarked on an epic pity-party. Poor me. Doing this all by myself. Sniff sniff. Later, while I was still indulging myself, God provided me with a ringside seat as another mother proceeded to unload her son from the car. Into a wheelchair. He was...

II Corinthians 1: 3, 4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all com-passion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (NIV) There is a very sweet grace called sympathy, which is seldom found in persons who have had no trouble.* Going through a divorce was one of the worst things I have ever experienced, but God took every painful step with me. I have since been able to be God’s instrument of comfort to others as they walked that path themselves. Sitting by my dad’s bedside for four days as he suffered and died was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. Dreadful as it was, I knew God’s comfort throughout the whole ordeal. A few months later, one of my friends lost her father and I was able to offer her some comfort and perspective. I see three benefits that come out of every bad experience suffered by...

I Corinthians 15: 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. (NIV) Only in the light of eternity is godly living always more rewarding.* Not all of us are called to a life of hardship and persecution. I have never suffered for my faith; have you? I have actually had a life of abundance. But whether my happy life is a result of God’s blessing or just good luck, it would be a pointless existence if I had no hope beyond living and dying. If our only hope in Christ is what we have now, we have no hope because that makes Jesus a liar and not our Savior. If he is not who he says he is, then who is he? What does he have to offer us? The absurdity of believing in and having a relationship with someone who turns out to be the universe’s greatest conman is in stark contrast to the reality of our hope in Christ. How pathetic are those who have died for their faith if it turns out to be a hoax. If there is no resurrection, t...

I Corinthians 14: 33, 40 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace . . . everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. (NIV) To clasp hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.* While my husband was the city manager, we were invited to a Spanish church for a special prayer service for government officials. They asked us to come to the front where they gathered around us, laid hands on us, and began praying. Out loud. All at once. Some in Spanish, some in English. I was very uncomfortable with this at first – it seemed disorderly to me. But then I thought: even if these people were all praying silently, God would still be hearing them praying all at once. And he would hear them. I believe that courtesy is important in any gathering, but the Bible isn’t specific in regard to culture and tradition and personal preference in a worship service. What I might find to be “over the top” may be a moving spiritual expe...