Friday May 1^st- Walking in Wisdom

II Corinthians 7-encouraging one another through this life of trials and tribulations.

Life as we live it is not an easy one.  We go through many ages of life.  There are challenges with each age.  Yet the Lord does not leave us on our own.

   

II Corinthians 1:4-5 starts out with the comfort that comes from the Lord and that we are to share with others the comfort that we have been comforted from the Lord.

My focus is on verse :6 But God, Who comforts and encourages and refreshes and cheers the depressed and the sinking, comforted and encouraged and refreshed and cheered us by the arrival of Titus. [Amplified Bible]

Who is Titus?

*He was full affection and enthusiasm for the Corinthian brethren (II Cor. 7:15)

*He was effective, free from all sordid motives and shared in Paul’s spirit and example (II Cor. 12:18).

 

 *Paul considered him his brother (II Cor. 2:13)

*and his partner in Christ (II Cor. 8:23)

Have you ever gone through a time of depression, or were discouraged?  

Did the Lord send someone in your life to encourage and refresh you in your walk with the Lord?

Do you have a Titus in your life?  

Do you know someone who is strong in their faith, a sister in Christ?  

Do you seek out those around you who are depressed or discouraged? 

I saw this verse many years ago when I was going through a difficult time in my life and I asked the Lord to send me a Titus to encourage me and He surely did.  I remember it clearly and within a few moments the phone rang and a sister in the Lord felt led to call me and encourage me.  Have you ever had a Titus in your life?  Be a Titus to someone today! 

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

Lyn

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

I could hardly contain myself when I realized I was writing on 2 Corinthians 4!  The end of this chapter has been my favorite for a long time.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”  Clay jars were containers created by potters who took raw clay, shaped and molded it and made it into the desired jar.  Then it was baked until it was hard.  Then they were decorated for whatever purpose the maker had in mind.  I learned that in ancient times, sacred scrolls or valuable documents were rolled up and placed inside.  In fact, the dead sea scrolls were found in clay jars.  Clay jars may have been beautiful, and they contained some pretty important items, but had one thing in common – they were breakable.  The contents could not be forever housed in jars of clay – they were temporary holding places.

According to 2 Corinthians 4:7, we are like “jars of clay” with a “treasure” inside.  This means that our physical bodies are like those jars.  We are made from clay (Genesis 2:7; Psalm 103:14).  Our bodies come in all shapes and sizes, each designed by God for whatever purpose He desires (Isaiah 45:9; Romans 9:21).  Our bodies are beautiful, functional, and breakable.  Our bodies are temporary holding places for the treasure God has given us, namely “the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4).  The knowledge of the gospel is rich in truth!

God entrusts each of us with this treasure that will last forever (2 Peter 1:3).  2 Corinthians 4:6 defines that treasure as “the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”  The treasure that we are privileged to hold, is the knowledge of our Creator through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:26).  We were dead in our sin and destined for destruction, God made a way for us to be made new (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Our physical “jars of clay” will be resurrected one day to be glorified, eternal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).  God extends an invitation for “whosoever will” to come to Him while still in these earthly bodies.  This knowledge and resulting relationship with God are the greatest treasurers any earthly vessel can hold!

I don’t know about you, but my eyesight isn’t what it used to be.  I can’t see the way I used to.  Paul is old now as he writes to the Corinthians.  He’s been imprisoned and beaten.  His body has endured quite a bit.  His strength doesn’t hold up the way it used to, and he is much older.  He admits that this is a threat to his faith and joy and courage.

But he doesn’t lose heart!  Why?

The renewing of his heart comes from looking at something he cannot see.  “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

We “look” at these unseen things through the gospel.  We strengthen our hearts and we renew our courage, by fixing our gaze on the invisible, objective truth that we see in the testimony of those who saw Christ face to face. 

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness, made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 

We see this as it shines in our hearts through the gospel.  Whether we understood this or not, we became Christians when this happened.  And as with Paul, we need to go on seeing with the eyes of the heart, so that we do not lose heart.

Blessings, 

Lisa

Today´s scripture: 2 Corinthians 2

Do you know that you convey a message of eternal life or death without saying a word? To one you are a sweet pleasing aroma, but to another you have the aroma of death! Did you know that every Christ follower has this same power?

Everyone seems to be on the Essential Oil bandwagon these days, but even if you’re not I bet you can instantly think of an aroma or scent that is pleasing to your senses; like homemade bread, apple pie, lilacs. All of these will instantly transport me back to my childhood, but what of spoiled milk or rancid meat? I’m sure all of us have tentatively gone to check to see if the milk in the fridge is still good only to discover it has soured!   

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 says, “In Christ the Messiah, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, He brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse. (MSG)

Have you ever thought of yourself as a diffuser?  The moment we accepted Christ as our Savior, we were filled with the Holy Spirit, and the pleasant aroma we are diffusing is the knowledge of God and the truth of the gospel. If we’re walking in faith like we’re supposed to be, then everywhere we go we should be giving off the aroma of Christ. Isn’t that neat?

Some people will be drawn to the aroma we give off, and will be eager to experience the life giving eternal Salvation that Jesus offers, while others will find the aroma offensive and cast us off.  It’s important to remember that we can’t control how someone will respond to the knowledge of God, all we can do is be a Spirit-filled conduit through which it can flow.

It's time we go out and "declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3) everywhere we go!

 Today’s Passage: 1 Corinthians 16

Here, in the last paragraphs of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, is where the Christian life gets… well…tricky. Paul, in some of his final words exhorts his readers to, "Be on guard... stand firm... be men of courage... be strong!"

He sounds like a military commander, or football coach giving a pep talk to his team before the big game. But then he says something that seems to contradict all he’s just encouraged his readers to, "Do everything in love."

How can we be on guard, stand firm, be courageous and strong, and at the same time be loving? The truth is I don’t think we can do all that on our own! This type of love can only happen as Jesus lives out His life through us each day.

Too many Christians are attempting to demonstrate this love in their own strength and emotion. It seems easier to stand firm and be on guard in our own strength, but demonstrating God’s love to others requires God to work through us, otherwise we may come across as a “clanging cymbal”(1 Cor.13:1).

John told us as much in 1 John 4:7, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."

God’s love goes beyond just words or intense feelings of affection that we may have toward a particular person.

Jesus commanded us to love each other in the same manner that He has loved us according to (John 15:12).Love is defined as a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person, and should be the very thing that binds us together as believers.

Paul also knew that God wants everything that we do for Him in this life is to be done in love, and that we all need to learn how to walk with His love at work in our lives. Notice, 1 Timothy 1:5: "The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."

Therefore our greatest needs, before going off to do anything for anyone else should be to search our hearts to make sure our love is sincere and from a pure and surrendered heart towards God, so that He is free to minister to others through us.

Blessings,

sue

Jeremiah 29:11 has been a verse I have held onto for many years.  When I’ve veered off into a state of worry, this verse always brings me back to my foundation.  And I remember that I am not of this world and my future awaits.

1 Corinthians 15 is a chapter of hope.  Hope in the resurrection.  Hopefully, you are still clinging to the celebration of Easter.  Hopefully you are living in a state of anticipation and you are getting ready for the time of your lives.

I want to share 9 reasons that Christ’s resurrection gives us hope:

1. The bodily resurrection reminds us of our union with Christ. The Christian’s bodily resurrection directly corresponds to that of Christ’s (1 Cor 15:12–28).

2. The bodily resurrection is central to the gospel message. “... and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” affirms the bodily resurrection, not a “spiritual” resurrection (1 Cor 15:4).

3. The bodily resurrection gives hope beyond this life. So, that helps us to understand that our future treasure through Christ is bigger than our bank accounts or life achievements (1 Cor 15:35–49).

4. The bodily resurrection joins us to an eternal kingdom. In that kingdom we continue to serve the Lord without the encumbrances of living in a fallen world (1 Cor 15:50; Rev 22:3).

5. The bodily resurrection motivates us to holy living. Fixing our hope on the future in Christ builds a deeper desire for pure, holy lives (1 John 3:1–3; 1 Cor 15:33–34, 58).

6. The bodily resurrection builds anticipation for a life that outstrips our imaginations. Paul compares our death and burial to a “seed,” while the life ahead is the full grown (“body”) plant. The comparison invites stretching our thoughts to comprehend how much better the future is in Christ (1 Cor 15:35–48).

7. The bodily resurrection affirms an immortal life in God’s presence. This perishable person living post-fall (Gen 3) puts on an imperishable life post-return of Christ (1 Cor 15:50–57).

8. The bodily resurrection declares the ultimate triumph of Jesus over sin and death. Can we taunt sin and death apart from the bodily resurrection affirmed in Christ? (1 Cor 15:54–57)

9. The bodily resurrection affirms that our toil and labor in this life are not in vain. Why grow weary in serving Christ in the present when it’s just good preparation for the future of eternal service? “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58).

For me the mystery of resurrection is like the birth of a child.  It’s a mystery and quite magical how a child is formed in a mother’s womb.  I love how Paul reminds of in verse 51; “Listen, I tell you a mystery.  We will not all sleep, but we will be changed.”