Tag Archives: 2 Corinthians 8:16-24

Daily Bible Study

September 6, 2015 Bible Study — Avoid the Appearance of Impropriety

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:22-23

    If you think to rob the poor or exploit the needy in court because you think they cannot defend themselves, you are making a serious miscalculation. God is their defender, you will find yourself up against an opponent whom you cannot hope to defeat.

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Psalm 50

    When we worship God and make offerings to Him, let us remember that God does not need our material wealth. We cannot buy God’s favor. What God truly wants from us is that we be thankful for the good He has done us and that we serve Him to the best of our ability. Further, for those who act wickedly, pretending to be righteous will accomplish nothing for you. God will not be fooled. The only hope for the wicked is to repent of their evil and start truly following God’s path.

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2 Corinthians 8:16-24

    Paul sent Titus to the Corinthians to collect the money which the Corinthians had put aside for the believers in Jerusalem. He makes special note that not only is Titus a person of repute, but there are two gentlemen accompanying him who known by the churches to be men of good repute. Paul notes that it is important to be honorable in our dealing with money, but it is also important to be seen as being honorable in how we deal with money. The leaders of the Church must not only avoid impropriety, they must avoid the appearance of impropriety.

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Song of Solomon 1-4

    The Song of Solomon is a love song which teaches us that the sexual attraction between a man and a woman can be a holy thing. One of the key lessons we learn here is that the attraction was equally strong in both directions. Both the young man and the young woman were willing and eager to dedicate themselves solely to the other. The pursuit went both directions. They entered into this relationship on equal footing.

Daily Bible Study

September 06, 2014 Bible Study — Avoid the Appearance of Impropriety

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:22-23

    Those who exploit the poor and use the courts to oppress the needy will face God’s judgement. The poor may not have the means to resist the efforts of the wealthy and the needy may be unable to mount a defense in court, but God will bring ruin on those who take advantage of this fact.

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Psalm 50:1-23

    God appreciates when we make offerings to Him. Giving of our wealth pleases Him. However, He does not need our money nor our resources. What He truly desires is that we serve Him. If we refuse to follow God’s commands, if we approve of the actions of thieves and adulterers, if we speak evil and lies, if we slander those closest to us, God will not be bought off by offerings and sacrifices. What God truly desires from us is that we be thankful for what He has given us, that we follow the path He has shown us. Let us live righteously, then, and only then, God will approve of our sacrifices and offerings.

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2 Corinthians 8:16-24

    This passage reminds us of the importance of avoiding even the appearance of impropriety when handling money donated for charitable use. Even Paul, for all of his stature in the early Church, was careful to make sure that he was accompanied by people who were not beholden to him while he transported monies donated for the relief of the believers in Jerusalem. He was careful to make sure that not only did he do what was right in the sight of God, but in the sight of man as well.
    This lesson is all too often forgotten by those entrusted with monies intended to do God’s work, and sometimes by those who give those monies, it is just as important that we be seen to be handling that money appropriately as it is to be actually doing so. When doing the Lord’s work it is just as important to avoid the appearance of impropriety as it is to avoid impropriety. One of the reasons it is important to avoid the appearance of impropriety is that it is all too easy to slip into misusing funds, or other improprieties, when no one can see if we are doing something inappropriate.

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Song of Solomon 1-4:16

    The Song of Solomon is a celebration of sexual love between a man and a woman. It speaks of the sensual nature of such love, but it emphasizes the importance of waiting until the time is right to experience such love. The time is right when both parties are captivated solely by the other. Not captivated in the sense we usually use the term when discussing sexual love, but captivated as in captured and unwilling to risk losing the other person. The right time for sexual love is when both parties are unwilling to consider other sexual partners for fear of losing/weakening their relationship with the one that matters.
    This passage also tells us that the appropriate place for sexual love is in private, not hidden from others, but reaching fulfillment when in private.

Daily Bible Study

September 6, 2013 Bible Study — Accountability in Handling Church Funds

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

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Song of Solomon 1-4:16

     The Song of Solomon represents a beautiful exchange between two people in love. The young man says that she is the most beautiful among women. The young woman says that her lover is pleasing beyond words. There is a lot of veiled sexual imagery in this passage, however, the young woman reminds other young women not to awaken love until it is time, to wait until marriage before becoming sexually active.
     The young woman says of the young man that he belongs to her and she belongs to him. The young man says that she has captured his heart and is his treasure. It is wonderful to be in such a relationship. I love my wife and this passage reflects my feelings towards her. I am hers and she is mine. She has captured my heart and is my treasure.

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2 Corinthians 8:16-24

     Paul tells the Corinthians that when he suggested to Titus that Titus return to Corinth, Titus enthusiastically embraced the idea. In addition, Paul was sending two other believers with Titus. One was a man praised by all of the churches in Macedonia for his service to the Gospel and chosen by them to accompany Paul in taking their offerings to the believers in Jerusalem. The second man is someone whom Paul has chosen for his enthusiasm in serving the Lord. Paul tells the church in Corinth to tell those who wonder whether Titus can be trusted that he has been a partner with Paul in his ministry.

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     In this passage Paul gives us a model to follow when gathering money for a charitable cause. When the money has been gathered, Paul is sending it accompanied by two men from the local churches. They have been chosen because they are known and trusted by the people who had given the money. Paul is careful to take every effort to make sure that everyone can be confident that he (and Titus) are handling the money according to the wishes of those who gave it.
     In the same way, we today should manage the financial affairs of our congregations and other organizations striving to do God’s work so that everyone can have confidence that we are spending the money in the manner and for the purposes which we claim.

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Psalm 50:1-23

     The psalmist tells us that God will summon all of humanity before Him and at that time He will pass judgment on those who have entered into a covenant with Him. He does not need our material possessions and giving them to Him is not going to appease His anger. He wants us to be thankful to Him and to fulfill His will in all of our actions. Those who join in with thieves and adulterers will gain nothing from reciting God’s words or promising to enter into a covenant with Him. The only path to salvation from God’s judgment is to accept His free gift and to thankfully honor Him in all that we do.

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Proverbs 22:22-23

     Just because the law will allow you to exploit the poor and prevent the needy to have recourse to the courts to stop your taking advantage of them does not mean that you will be home free. The courts may not defend the poor and needy, but God will. We will all answer to Him for how we treat our fellow man.

Daily Bible Study

September 6, 2012 Bible Study

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

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Song of Solomon 1-4:16

     Today I begin reading the Song of Solomon. This is a book often recommended to young Christian couples. There is certainly some merit to that. You should feel that the Song of Solomon expresses your feelings toward the person you intend to make your spouse before you commit to such an action. Certainly this passage captures my feelings for my wife:

“You have captured my heart,
my treasure, my bride.
You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes,
with a single jewel of your necklace.

     In addition this passage twice advises women not to “awaken love before the time is right.” I am pretty sure that in the context this is a reference to sexual activity. I am also pretty sure it contains within it an admonition about how sexual activity is connected to marital love. We, as human beings, are designed to develop an attachment to those we have sexual relations with. Which is why the Bible repeatedly warns against premarital sex, adultery and sexual promiscuity. Such activities will lead us into deeper relationships with inappropriate people than is healthy for us or for them.

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2 Corinthians 8:16-24

     Paul tells the Church in Corinth that Titus was eager to fulfill Paul’s request that he return to Corinth to collect what the Church in Corinth had collected for the relief of the Christians in Jerusalem. He tells them that he is sending with Titus two fellow Christians who had been chosen by the churches to accompany Paul as he took the money to the Christians in Jerusalem. Paul points out that this was done so that there would be no question that the money that was collected was used as intended. This is an important point for those collecting donations to do ministry. Make sure to structure the way that money is handled to ensure that it you can show that the money is spent according to the standards and priorities that you collected it under. It is also a standard we should follow when considering donating to charities. Do they provide a way that you can ensure that they are spending the money in a manner that aligns with their declared reasons for raising the money?

Gandalf and Tabitha play

Psalm 50:1-23

     The psalmist tells us that God has already gathered the people of earth to judgement. God tells us that he has no complaint with our sacrifices and offerings to Him, but that He does not need them because everything is already His. He tells us that what He desires is for us to follow His commands and be thankful to Him for all that He has done for us. This does not mean that we should not give to worthy causes and make offerings to support God’s work. It just means that we need to remember that doing so does not obligate God to us. We can only ask for things that we desire and need. We should be thankful for everything that God gives us, even those things we don’t think we want. There are probably many other messages that can be gleamed from this psalm, but the one that comes to me today is that we can never obligate God to do anything for us. What God does for us is always out of His loving generousness and we are obligated to be thankful for what we receive.

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Proverbs 22:22-23

     Today’s proverb should be one that no one who claims to be a Christian should need reminding of. Just because you can do something does not make it right. If we use our power to advance ourselves at the expense of others, God will claim restitution. Sometimes people think that it is OK to abuse power they have in petty areas because the one they are so abusing has more power in other areas. God will judge us for that just as much as He will judge a Supreme Court Justice for abusing his power.