-Psalm 50:10-11

It is so important to remember that God does not need our gifts! We must come to look at every penny we possess as already belonging to God and ourselves as being mere stewards. We can never think that the Almighty has need of our possessions as though He had no other resources from which to draw. God can create what He needs! He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and our offerings neither enrich nor diminish Him.

However, there is a special way that God does need us. He has chosen to use the resources of His people to supply the needs of others. The offering Paul received for the poor saints at Jerusalem was not merely a token gesture, but necessary for their very survival.

We have the awesome privilege as God’s human vessels to supply the needs of His people. Our offerings to others are not needed for God, but are needed by God. He will use our gifts to convince others of our love for them and for Him.

No matter how much or how little we have, God owns all our money. Let’s use it to bring glory to His name while we have the chance!

Daily Readings: Song of Songs 1:1-4:16 • 2 Corinthians 8:16-24
• Psalm 50:1-23 • Proverbs 22:22-23

The One Year Devotional used by permission from Bethany World Prayer Center and Pastor Larry Stockstill . For more information, please see www.bethany.com or www.bccn.com.

-Ecclesiastes 11:1 NIV

Giving is a privilege that God allows us so that we may participate in His blessing. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). When we “so love,” we also will “give.”

Paul challenged the Corinthians to prove the sincerity of their love (2 Corinthians 8:8) with a willingness to give a missionary offering to the poor saints at Jerusalem. By so doing, they literally would be “casting their bread upon the waters,” sending their resources across the Mediterranean to a group of saints in desperate need.

Whenever you purpose to give, the enemy will tell you that you are wasting your money and throwing it away. He will point out to you all your own needs and tell you that you can’t afford to give. In those times, you must remember that God’s Word is true and that whatever you give will one day find its way back to you.

Those you provide for now out of your abundance may one day provide for you out of their abundance (2 Corinthians 8:14). Even if you never see any reward here on earth for your generosity, you will reap in eternity the full return of what you have sown on earth.

The selfish will “die [and] carry nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave” (Psalm 49:17). But those who give will reap a sure reward. Start sowing generously to the needs of others, both here and around the world. The dividends are eternal!

Daily Readings: Ecclesiastes 10:1-12:14 • 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
• Psalm 49:1-20 • Proverbs 22:20-21

The One Year Devotional used by permission from Bethany World Prayer Center and Pastor Larry Stockstill . For more information, please see www.bethany.com or www.bccn.com.

-2 Corinthians 7:10

Godly sorrow for sin is often confused with regret. Tears and remorse are no true indication that a person has truly repented of sin. He may be crying simply because he got caught, not because he is genuinely repentant! The real test of repentance is evidenced by submission, actions that show one has submitted to the authority of another.

After challenging the Corinthian believers to discipline a brother who had fallen into immorality, Paul commended them on their response to his instructions. He said, “Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish the wrongdoer. You showed that you have done everything you could to make things right” (2 Corinthians 7:11).

Worldly sorrow is simply regret. It produces blaming others, emotional shows, dodging of facts, half-confessions (”If I’ve done anything wrong . . .”), and insincere promises to change. Godly sorrow, on the other hand, assumes responsibility, faces the facts, admits the wrong, and makes it right.

The Corinthians demonstrated true godly sorrow. They were alarmed over their sin, desirous to right the wrong, eager to address the issue, and ready to make things right. In a word, they submitted themselves to Paul’s authority and were willing to take the necessary steps to right their wrong. Such action, not emotional regret, indicates godly sorrow.

Daily Readings: Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18 • 2 Corinthians 7:8-16
• Psalm 48:1-14 • Proverbs 22:17-19

The One Year Devotional used by permission from Bethany World Prayer Center and Pastor Larry Stockstill . For more information, please see www.bethany.com or www.bccn.com.

-Ecclesiastes 4:12

Unity is a God-given tool that enables us to attain common goals and to encourage one another during difficult times. Solomon saw that two people working together could help each other if one of them fell, grew cold, or was overpowered in an attack (Ecclesiastes 4:10-12). If we are in a spiritual battle, the best thing we can do is to find a prayer partner who will come into instant agreement with us against the enemy’s attack.

The opposite of this beautiful expression of unity is the disunity experienced by Christians who unwisely join with unbelievers. Verses 14-16 of 2 Corinthians emphatically state that there can be no union between Christians and unbelievers. What a tragedy it is to see believers ignore this admonition and lean upon unbelievers in marriage or business! Far too many times, they trip each other up and both fall when encountering moral and spiritual pressure.

Choose your close friends, marriage partner, and business associates carefully, knowing that God ordained your partnerships to be a source of protection, not destruction.

Daily Readings: Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12 • 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7
• Psalm 47:1-9 • Proverbs 22:16

The One Year Devotional used by permission from Bethany World Prayer Center and Pastor Larry Stockstill . For more information, please see www.bethany.com or www.bccn.com.

-Psalm 46:4

The psalmist envisioned a beautiful river that flows through the city of God, a place in which God has no enemies and where peace abounds. Right now you may be in the midst of tremendous struggle and difficulty, but inwardly that river can continue to flow. In spite of violent earthquakes, crumbling mountains, or roaring oceans (Psalm

46: 2-3), you can still enjoy perfect peace. “Be silent, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world” (v. 10).

Paul experienced the continual trouble of the outward man, but he never lost the inward flow of life. He said, “We are well known, but we are treated as unknown. We live close to death, but here we are, still alive. We have been beaten within an inch of our lives. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything” (2 Corinthians 6:9-10).

Check your “river” today. Has it become choked and clogged by outward pressures, or is it still flowing freely? God lives in the city where the river flows. That city cannot be destroyed (Psalm 46:5), and neither can you if you remain in “the sacred home of the Most High” (v. 4).

Daily Readings: Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22 • 2 Corinthians 6:1-13
• Psalm 46:1-11 • Proverbs 22:15

The One Year Devotional used by permission from Bethany World Prayer Center and Pastor Larry Stockstill . For more information, please see www.bethany.com or www.bccn.com.

-2 Corinthians 5:14

Want to know why you should be a witness for Jesus Christ? Because He died for all, and therefore, all died. Because you died with Christ, you should no longer live for yourself (2 Corinthians 5:15). Because you no longer live for yourself, you are no longer the same person you were. “What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun” (v. 17)!

God has given you, as a “new creation” believer, the task of reconciling people to Him (v. 18). Your message of reconciliation is this:

“For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others” (v. 19). Legally, the world has already been forgiven in Christ; thus, your job is to be His ambassador, imploring people on Christ’s behalf to be reconciled to God (v. 20).

The conclusion? You are dead to your former life and thus unconcerned about public opinion. You live only to inform the lost that Jesus reconciled them to God. Some will receive, some will reject, but all must be told. That, dear ambassador, is your mission!

Daily Readings: Job 40:1-42:17 • 2 Corinthians 5:11-21
• Psalm 45:1-17 • Proverbs 22:14

The One Year Devotional used by permission from Bethany World Prayer Center and Pastor Larry Stockstill . For more information, please see www.bethany.com or www.bccn.com.

-Job 38:11

In this verse God patiently explains to Job the limitations He has set for the waves of the sea. Sometimes we think evil has no bounds- that it has free reign to wreak havoc in our lives without any restrictions. However, God Almighty sets the stopping point for the attacks of the devil against us.

In Job’s life God had a predetermined time when He would suddenly throw the whole process into reverse, thus ending the greatest test endured by any human being other than Christ. Job’s patience in trial became the most significant witness of patience in biblical history: “We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. Job is an example of a man who endured patiently. From his experience we see how the Lord’s plan finally ended in good, for he is full of tenderness and mercy” (James 5:11).

The proud waters of evil may be threatening to overwhelm you, but God knows the moment when they will hit their predetermined limit. On that day your enemy will be like a wild dog at the end of a long chain, and you will be able to rest peacefully as God says to the enemy, “This far and no farther!”

Daily Readings: Job 37:1-39:30 • 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10
• Psalm 44:9-26 • Proverbs 22:13

The One Year Devotional used by permission from Bethany World Prayer Center and Pastor Larry Stockstill . For more information, please see www.bethany.com or www.bccn.com.

Hallelujah Night

   October 31      6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Children’s Christmas Program

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 Children Services

      Sunday

            10:00 a.m.     Sunday School

            10:50 a.m.      M.A.S.T.E.R.S. Club  -

                                       Youth/Children Center

     Wednesday     7:30 p.m.

            MISSIONETTES (Coed)

            3-5   Rainbows - Room 100

            MISSIONETTES (Girls Only)

            6-9   Prims - Room 109

            9-12 Friends - Room 108

            ROYAL RANGERS (Boys Only)

            6-9   Ranger Kids - Room 107

            9-12 Discovery Rangers - Room 106

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-2 Corinthians 4:2

What a powerful witness it is to walk in the light! Paul actually states that a clean, pure walk with the Lord is what helps us to commend ourselves to others. The process is actually very simple. The Holy Spirit shines the light of Christ upon our lives, changing us “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV). That unveiled glory is then reflected from our faces to a darkened, oppressed world whose eyes have been blinded by the “god of this evil world” (4:4).

“For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ” (4:6). From within these “perishable containers” (v. 7) shines out the very glory of the Creator God who spoke a billion suns into existence in one moment!

We are “full of light from the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8), and as we walk in the purity of Jesus’ face, a lost world will behold Him. We walk through pressure, perplexity, and persecution with victory, so that the “life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:10).

Our greatest witness? Our radiant shine!

Daily Readings: Job 34:1-36:33 • 2 Corinthians 4:1-12
• Psalm 44:1-8 • Proverbs 22:10-12

The One Year Devotional used by permission from Bethany World Prayer Center and Pastor Larry Stockstill . For more information, please see www.bethany.com or www.bccn.com.