We’ve been moving our way through the Bible (not in order) since January of 2012 and we looked at Paul’s letter to the Church in Ephesus in June so this morning I moved on to Paul’s letter to the Philippians. I have to admit that I was surprised when I came across the same call to holy living in this letter that we have heard every morning since Tuesday in both 2 Corinthians and Galatians.

Paul knows things have been rough for the church in Philippi, that they have suffered persecution for their belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. He too was in prison and understood what it meant to be mistreated for his faith. He encourages them to continue living for Christ and living like Christ.

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation – the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ – for this will bring much glory and praise to God (Philippians 1:9-11).

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ (1:20-22a).

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ…standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith…Don’t be intimidated by your enemies…For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him (1:27-29).

Paul is encouraging them not only to live for Christ even while being persecuted, but to live like Christ by having the same attitude that He had (2:5). He goes on to explain that this is not our own human effort to live as Christ lived but it is a result of God working in us.

Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him (2:12b-13).

We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort…(3:3b).

Paul did not want the believers focused on their own list of accomplishments or good behavior. If that won us eternal life, Paul himself would have so much to brag about. But it’s not about our attempts at righteousness but about the righteousness of Christ.

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection of the dead.

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling you (Philippians 3:7-14).

So those who answer this call to holy living aren’t saying that we are perfect or that we always get it right. It is more a devotion to allowing God to continue to do a work in me through my relationship with His Son. THAT IS HOLINESS. I don’t look back and see my past failures and sins and quit trying to live a holy life. I don’t look back and see what I have accomplished for His Kingdom and feel I have already arrived. No, I continue to look forward each day to what God wants me to do next and how He wants me to live – not by my own human efforts but as a result of His presence in my life. Each day pressing on, each day learning from my weaknesses and seeing His strengths, each day striving for spiritual maturity. I want to know Christ and experience His mighty power, having faith in the God who makes me right with Himself because His Son was willing to die on a cross for my sins.

Again Paul encourages us on to holy living instead of giving into our sinful nature.

Don’t be misled – you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone – especially to those in the family of faith. – Galatians 6:7-10

Wow, what powerful words Paul uses here. He reminds the Galatians that God is not only loving and the source of this incredible grace, He is also a just God. If we as Christians continue to satisfy our sinful nature instead of responding to the Spirit God has given us, we will harvest what we our sowing – death and decay. God cannot be mocked by someone who says, “I prayed the prayer, my eternity is secure so I can do what feels good to me right now instead of what I know God wants me to do.” That is not the servant’s heart God wants us to respond with. He wants us to listen to the urgings of His Spirit living within us and harvest a blessing instead of a curse. He wants us to live for others because we live for Him, not live for ourselves or to please our own sinful nature.

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important (6:1-3).

Humbly and gently – let’s not miss these very important adjectives. The heart of what Paul is getting to hear is that we should not be so concerned about ourselves that we don’t love our fallen brother or sister enough to lovingly help them back onto the right path. We know that God’s plan for them is to live to please the Spirit and not their own sinful nature. Perhaps your loving and kind words can help them see that they are missing God’s perfect plan for their life.

But first, Paul warns that we are to be sure we ourselves are on the right path, living to please the Spirit and not ourselves. We cannot point out the speck of dust in someone else’s eye if we have a plank in our own, right?

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct (6:4-5).

Paul also warns us not to become too proud or boastful about our walk. Then we will begin seeing our conduct, our job well done, as a result of our own strength and ability instead of a gift of the Spirit to help us live a godly life. We become drenched in self-righteousness instead of beautifully clothed in God’s righteousness.

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God (6:14-16).

Remember yesterday? We are saved by grace through faith and not by works. It is not our observance of religious laws or our faithful attendance at church that matters – it is the transformation that God does in our lives through His Spirit when we truly empty ourselves of all of our own desires and allow Him to fill us with His. Then we receive God’s peace and His mercy; then we are a new person of God and no longer a slave to our sinful nature. Praise God!!!

We hear in Paul’s letter to the Galatians the same message we hear over and over again in Paul’s writings – we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not by works yet, if we believe in Christ, works are to be a result of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This trips us up if we are not careful because it is easy to slip into a works mentality. We begin to see our salvation as a result of our works, that we are earning our eternal life, that we are good enough for God’s favor. But God’s plan is that works are a result of our growing relationship with Him – that He is able to accomplish His will and further His Kingdom through us.

Let’s hear what Paul had to say to the Galatians:

We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not by works – no amount of good deeds can earn us heaven, no self-righteousness can make us good enough.

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law (5:1).

We are to follow the urgings of the Holy Spirit and not of the sinful nature. God’s grace is not an excuse to sin. He gave us the give of His Spirit in order that our faith could be expressed in our actions.

Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live (1:4).

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, LET US FOLLOW THE SPIRIT’S LEADING in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another (5:19-26).

Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet each other with Christian love. – 2 Corinthians 13:11b-12

This is how Paul ends his second letter to the Church in Corinth. It is a pretty soft ending for what was a very strong letter. Paul spent much of this letter defending his ministry and scolding the church. In humility, Paul highlighted what could be seen as weaknesses to his ministry. But in strength, Paul came down hard on the church for continuing to live a life of sin instead of holiness.

Paul compares weakness with strength over and over again in the letter. Christ may have seemed weak by submitting to the cross but His resurrection showed just how powerful He was! We, too, experience difficult situations at time that show our human weakness, but in that weakness the strength of God can be evident and God can be glorified.

Christ in not weak when he deals with you; he is powerful among you. Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God’s power…We are glad to seem weak if it helps show that you are actually strong. We pray that you will become mature…For I want to use the authority the Lord has given me to strengthen you, not to tear you down (13:3b-4,9,10b).

Even when Paul is showing the strength of his ministry in this letter, he is showing how that strength came from God and His weapons. His strength is in spiritual warfare and not human weapons.

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ (10:3-5).

If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am (11:30).

Paul went on to boast of the many things that have made him appear weak in the eyes of the church. He was imprisoned and whipped, facing death again and again. He received 39 lashed at 5 different times from the Jewish leaders, 3 times he was beaten with rods and once he was stoned. 3 times he was shipwrecked. Once he spent a whole night and day adrift at sea. He has faced danger from rivers and from robbers, as well as from both the Jews and the Gentiles. He has faced danger in cities, deserts, and on the sea. He has faced danger, worked hard and long, endured sleepless nights, been hungry, thirsty and cold.

If I want to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong (12:6-10).

Paul was faithfully serving God yet he experienced more hard times than any of us will ever know. Had God abandoned Paul? Did these hardships lessen his ability to serve God or weaken his testimony? No, for it showed the strength of the God who rescued him over and over again. The power of God was demonstrated each time Paul got up again and continued to do what God had called him to do instead of giving up or avoiding the possibility of another persecution down the road.

Paul stated that everything he had gone through was to show the strength of God so that the believers could be strengthened, so they could choose righteousness instead of sin. Paul showed them they serve a strong God who is able to help believers overcome temptations and the urgings of the sinful nature, yet he continued to hear of the Church’s “quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly behavior” (12:20).

Now his ending makes so much more sense. Now we understand why he was telling them to grow to maturity – to live in harmony and peace with each other, encouraging each other and loving each other. We serve an awesome God who is able to take our weaknesses and demonstrate strength! When we submit to God and let Him do a work in our hearts, His power is displayed.

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” Grace is not an excuse to keep on sinning but rather the only way we can overcome our sinful nature and demonstrate the power of God to help us not to sin.

Paul had one last thing to say to the Church – a reminder that people should look at our lives and look into the Church and see the evidence of the Trinity at work in our lives instead of arrogance and sin.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (13:14).

Lord, that is my prayer today. May others look at us and see your power at work in our lives. May they see maturity instead of sinful attitudes, harmony instead of quarreling, grace instead of gossip. May they see the evidence of the grace of Jesus, the love of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Amen.

In the next few chapters of Paul’s second letter to the Church at Corinth, he talks about three different ways believers encourage believers.

When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside. But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. His presence was a joy, but so was the news he brought of the encouragement he received from you. – 2 Corinthians 7:5-7a

I love how God uses our brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage us when we are going through difficult times! Our God is the God of encouragement. He knows when we are discouraged and he sends people into our lives to bring us joy, good news and encouragement. Sometimes the encouragement is more in the form of someone encouraging us to do something. In his letter, Titus has gone to the Church to encourage them to be as generous with others as they were when they first believed. This next passage was an encouragement to me this morning.

For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. They even did more than we had hoped for, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.

You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. – 2 Corinthians 8:3-9

I am one of a team of people working hard to start a new pregnancy center in Tazewell County. I have been asking God what He wants me to do to support this new start financially. I can give of my time and pray for the ministry, but I know God is calling me to make some financial sacrifices in order to make a difference in the lives of women considering abortion here in the community I live in. This Scripture encourages me and challenges me this morning.

Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have (8:11).

The third form of encouragement Paul gives is to remind the Church of God’s provision for our needs and for enough to share with others. God is the One who supplies what we need and He will supply what He is asking us to give. The result of God’s provision and my response is that God will be glorified! God’s gifts are indescribable!

Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But he one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say,

As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! – 2 Corinthians 9:6-14

Yesterday I read my dear friend’s blog and it spoke right to the same verse God placed in my morning coffee yesterday: Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Amy Dillman is 22 and on an incredible journey with God. She is currently on an eleven month missions trip around the world, ministering in a different country each month and across four different continents. I would like to share with you what Amy wrote in her blog. She titled this post “Worth His Love”:

Walking the streets of India with my best friend Ashli she shared with me that she had learned from watching me that I am able to love others well because I love myself. She went on to explain that because I know my identity in Christ, it allows for me to love others. She is currently coming into her identity as lovely and learning to love herself and I am blessed to be a part of what God is doing in her.

I didn’t realize such a gift it was that God had secured my identity as Victorious and taught me to love myself. It is only because I allowed His grace and love to enter my life in such vast measures that I am able to love myself, it wasn’t always that way. I can love me because I have come to the understanding that HE loves me like crazy!

This all came together at debrief when my team heard from Rozy about how if you don’t have a secure identity or positive self-worth then you don’t have a very big inlet for the Lord’s love. She cupped her hands together only allowing a little circle of a space to represent the flow of God that would be poured out into someone with such a negative self-worth. She said to us, “but God loves you and the more you know you are loved then the more agape overwhelms you. With this overwhelming agape you are free to love others with agape. It comes straight from God to you and flows out on to others. The more you know you are loved, the more you can give without expecting to receive. Be secure in your identity, know you’re loved, receive agape, and let it pour out on others.”

I was blown away by her wisdom and the truth that was being shared with us. It is simple really. Love God and love others. Love others as yourself that is. But how do you love others if you don’t know how to love yourself. She didn’t leave us hanging; she gave us a place to start, renewing our mind. Get to know who God says you are. She recommended the book The Search for Significance, but if you can’t get a hold of that book then look up scripture about who God says you are! You are beloved, a royal priest hood, a holy nation, His workmanship, free, branch of the vine, a new creation, beautiful, strong, and most importantly a child of the king. You are royalty and highly loved. He claims you as His own. Get to know His character too. Love only comes from God and flows to the other and it doesn’t have to be reciprocated because it is not about you.

Rozy shared a really good example with us about how we need to know our identity and walk freely in it before we can love others. One time, she tied up her bible study girls around the wrists and feet and knees and put them on opposite ends of the room. Then she said okay love each other, come on give hugs, embrace one another. Well they stumbled out of their chairs and were falling over and they were a mess, there was no way they could embrace one another. When you are bound you can’t love; when you are free you are able to love. So get free! Find out who Jesus is and how much He adores you and what He calls you.

I want to focus on the love of God. When you focus on the love of God you don’t force others to love you back, you just love because you are free. As I love many, I want to be full of the love of God and then they don’t even have to say thank you because they are not the ones who fill me. His love fills me and overflows. I am only to carry the love of Jesus because I know who I am. None of this is because of me, I can’t take credit for grace, but there are some steps you can take to start the process of finding out who you are and how loved you are. In my journey to find out what God said about me I found so much freedom. My sophomore year at ONU I named off all the names I was no longer: dirty, unloved, inadequate, incapable, dumb, stained, and several others. In that moment, as I confessed before the Lord the names I had held on to for so long, He helped me let those go and He gave me a new name. (Rev 2:17). He said I call you Victorious. So that is the name I carry now! I am Victorious, daughter of the King.

Last night I dreamt the phrase Beloved I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. God affirmed His love for me over and over again. Today my team made me rest because we just completed four days of travel and 5 days of debrief which as logistics, Ben and I help to coordinate and make sure the whole shindig runs smoothly. I am resting in His love today and it feels so good. To know He delights in me, longs to spend time with me, and calls me Victorious makes my heart full. It is out of this fullness of His love that I am able to give to my team, to my family, to my boyfriend, to my friends, to my squad, and to all those I encounter. The last words from the wise Rozy that I want to share, “We act out what we believe. We reflect love if we feel loved. If we feel loved then we show love and perceive love from others.” I am so thankful for the reminder in the dream that I am loved. You are also loved, so deeply loved, bathe in that today. The Lord wants us to be secure in our identity so that we can all soak in the light of His love and reflect back out the same love to those in our presence.

(You can subscribe to Amy’s blog at http://amydillman.theworldrace.org/)

…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

When we come to believe in Christ, when we repent of our sins, God does a work in our lives changing us from who we used to be into a new person. He does this not just for our sake but because He has a plan for our lives and He wants to make us into exactly who He needs us to be for His purposes.

And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him…So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ (5:18b, 20-21).

As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it (6:1).

This statement hit me really hard this morning. Take a second to read it again. Paul is begging those who have accepted God’s gift of salvation to not be guilty of being the recipient of God’s kindness without being willing to extend God’s gift of salvation to others. We have been saved to serve!

Paul goes on to speak of how our lives can be an example of God’s ability to take away the old life and make us a new person. Others can witness the change in our lives and our devotion for God and be drawn to God through our lives.

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us imposters. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. 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 6:3-10

Wow, Paul’s testimony is written here to encourage the Church in Corinth but it is very much encouraging me today. I want to be all of these things! Today this is my prayer. If it is yours, please pray along with me.

Heavenly Father, my desire is to live in such a way that others will be drawn to you and that no one will stumble because of me. I want to live above reproach, a life of excellence that no one can find fault in. In everything I do, I want to be a TRUE minister of Yours. When troubles, hardship and calamities of every kind come my way, please give me the strength to patiently endure them. When I face accusations, when I am persecuted, when my heart is so burdened that I have difficulty sleeping at night, may others still find in me purity, understanding, patience, kindness and sincere love – not by my own human effort but as a result of the Holy Spirit living in me.

Lord, may my life be more than just an example for others to see but may I also be bold with my words, faithfully preaching the truth. I accept your task of reconciling others to you. I long to be Your ambassador so that You can make Your appeal to the lost through me. Fill me with Your Spirit and give me the boldness to speak for You – “Come back to God!”

Oh, awesome and mighty God, work Your power in me. Place weapons of righteousness in my right hand to proactively go to battle for You and for Your lost children. Place weapons of righteousness in my left hand so that I may defend the truth and defend those who cannot speak for themselves (Proverbs 31:8). Whether people honor me or despise me, whether they slander me or praise me, even if they falsely accuse or ignore me, I want to live boldly for you today.

Lord, I own nothing. It’s all yours. I trade all that I have for all that You have to give me. You are my everything and I love you. Amen.

Let’s give the next portion of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians some context by looking at Jeremiah 31:31-33 – “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord.

“But this is a new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Paul described himself as being a minister of this new covenant – a covenant not of written laws as was etched in stone long ago, but a covenant of the Holy Spirit living within us. The old way brought death by defining two choices – obey these laws and live or disobey and die. The new way brings life as the Spirit lives within us and changes us, making us right with God (2 Corinthians 3:6-9).

When Moses saw the glory of God, his face shone so bright that the people were unable to look at him. But this brightness soon faded away. With the new covenant, God places a light in our heart that shines for all to see the glory of God.

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. – 2 Corinthians 4:6-7

We are not like Moses who had to put a veil over his face so the people would not see God’s glory. When we believe in Christ, when we turn to the Lord, the veil is lifted and we can boldly show the light of God for all to see (3:12, 14). When things get difficult, we do not focus on the darkness around us but on the light burning bright within us. His Spirit reminds us of God’s presence and gives us the strength to overcome our troubles – a power not from ourselves but of God (4:7).

Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up (4:1).

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed.
We are perplexed, but not drive to despair.
We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God.
We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed (4:8-9).

And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. This is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produced for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever (4:15-18).

Our present circumstances are temporary. Paul describes even our physical bodies as earthly tents that will be taken down and replaced by a house in heaven – an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands (5:1). When we grow weary of our present situation, God’s Spirit within us reminds us that He is preparing us for our home with Him. He has made a new covenant with us, we are not alone. When we believe in Him, we walk away from our old self and allow a new light to live within us, bringing glory to the Creator Himself. I now live for him so everything I do and everything I say today is for Him, so that I can reflect His glory for the world to see.

Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others…Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them (5:11, 14b-15).

Therefore, we never give up!

We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our how human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world and especially towards you. Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand – 2 Corinthians 1:12-13

Oh the peace that comes with confidence and a clear conscience. At the end of the day if my concern is whether or not I lived a good life or if I represented Christ well, I will fall asleep worrying. BUT, if I lookly closely at this verse and focus on the word “God-given” then I know that I do not have to produced holiness and sincerity on my own. I can depend on God and HIS holiness, on HIS grace to lead me rather than any human wisdom I could possibly come up with on my own.

It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us – 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

Because of God, I can stand firm in Christ. He has called me and He will equip me. I am HIS child and it is HIS Spirit living within me that leads me and fills me.

Thank you, Lord, for whatever lies ahead. Fill me with Your Spirit and remind me over and over again of Your presence in my life today. Amen.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you also share in the comfort God gives us. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Yesterday morning in Sunday School, the lesson by Jesse Middendorf started out with an illustration from World War II. Hitler had forced many 12 and 13-year-old boys into military service during the war. These boys were treated harshly and made to do some extremely inhumane jobs for their country. When the war was over, these young boys were left homeless and without food.

An aid program came to their rescue by setting up tent cities to house the boys. Doctors and psychologists cared enough about these young men to work hard to restore them physically and mentally. They found that many of the boys would wake up in the middle of the night screaming out in terror. So they tried something unusual. Each night they would feed the boys a large meal and then send them to bed with a piece of bread to hold in their hands, instructing them to save it until morning. The boys began to sleep peacefully through the night. Why? Because after years of hunger, these boys held in their hands the assurance that there would be food for them the next day.

When I have a big decision to make and I go to bed knowing that God has provided an answer for me, I sleep more peacefully. When I know how the bills at work are going to be paid and how we are going to make payroll this week, I sleep more peacefully. But what about those times when tomorrow is uncertain, when I do NOT hold in my hand the bread for tomorrow? Paul has a great answer to this question as we read on in his second letter to the Church of Corinth.

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And HE DID rescue us from mortal danger, and HE WILL rescue us AGAIN. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety. – 2 Corinthians 1:8-11

It is in those moments when I do not have tomorrow’s bread to hold on to, that my hands are free to hold on to the God of my tomorrows. I stop listening to my fears, I learn how to trust God which strengthens my faith. I stop relying on my own wisdom, I stop relying on what I have in the bank, and I start relying on God to provide.

This must be a lesson God really wants me to hear this week because it fits with the passage of Scripture Dr. Jim Diehl preached on yesterday morning in our first service of Revival.

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember the Lord is coming soon. – Philippians 4:4-5

I cannot be full of joy if I am worrying about tomorrow. The NIV version says “let your gentleness be evident to all.” If I am worried, grumbling, complaining or pretty much freaking out over what is ahead of me, I am not full of the joy of the Lord for others to see.

Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus – Philippians 4:6-7

May each one of us rely on YOU for our answer today and for tomorrow’s provisions. May we rest in knowing that you are all we need. Take away from us the worrying and grumbling and fill our hearts with the peace of knowing we can rely on you. Oh God of all comfort, shower us with your joy today. Amen.