trust

Be of Good Courage

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6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. – 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 ESV

Why do you do the things you do? Most likely, it is either to please yourself or to please someone else. We are either motivated by self-satisfaction or some form of people-pleasing. We are out to make ourselves feel good or to ensure that others feel good about us. But Paul introduces another motivating factor for the believer: pleasing God.

More than anything else, we should desire to do what pleases our Heavenly Father. Paul knew that a life of holiness, living set apart and consecrated to God and His purposes, was what pleased Him. He wrote to the Thessalonians: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification…” (1 Thessalonians 4:3a ESV). God desires His people to be holy and distinctively different in their attitudes and actions. He wants them to live according to His will and in keeping with the godly guidance of His indwelling Holy Spirit.

The apostle Peter described the life of holiness as “doing good.”

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. – 1 Peter 2:15-16 ESV

He went on to say that we must abstain from certain ungodly behaviors such as sexual immorality and lustful passions. But while we “put off” unrighteousness, we must “put on” godliness. Paul echoed this sentiment when he wrote, “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you” (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 ESV).

To refuse to live a holy life is to disregard the very will of God for you. It is to willingly disobey and displease Him. But Paul insists that his primary objective in life was to please God. That was how he maintained his motivation even when doing the right thing produced the wrong reaction from others. He found the strength to endure injustice and abuse for doing God’s will because his real goal was to please God, not man.

Peter claimed that suffering was an expected part of living a godly life.

But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. – 1 Peter 2:20-21 NLT

Just as Christ suffered for doing what was right and godly, so shall we. We should not be surprised when pursuing a life of godliness in an ungodly world brings godless reactions from ungodly people.

But Paul was of good courage. Even though he found life on earth to be difficult at times, he was encouraged by his belief in the afterlife. He was buoyed by God’s promise of a life to come, and his conviction about the eternal state enabled him to live by faith, not by sight. Like the author of Hebrews, Paul knew that faith was “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV). If we live as if this world is all there is, we will lose sight of all that God has promised us for the future. But waiting on what we can’t see requires faith. That is what the 11th chapter of Hebrews is all about. The author chronicles the lives of Old Testament saints such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah and declares that their lives demonstrated faith in the promises of God. But he goes on to reveal, “All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth” (Hebrews 11:13 NLT). 

Each of them had received a promise from God, yet they had to operate sight unseen, having no firm assurance that what God had promised would be fulfilled. And in most cases, they never lived to see the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise. Noah lived through the flood that destroyed the world, but did not live to see the world repopulated and restored by God. Abraham had moved to Canaan because God had promised it to him as his inheritance, but he died a landless nomad. Yet, he was “confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God” (Hebrews 11:10 NLT).

Paul was convinced that faith was essential if anyone wanted to live a life that pleased God, because “it is impossible to please God without faith” (Hebrews 11:6a NLT).

Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. – Hebrews 11:6 NLT.

Paul found courage in the fact that God had promised him eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. He was encouraged by Jesus’ promise to return one day. Paul found hope in the promise of a redeemed and resurrected body, and he longed for the day when he would vacate his earthly “tent” and move into his new body, a “house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (1 Corinthians 5:1b ESV).

But in the meantime, while he waited for the return of Christ or his own death, he made it his aim to live his life to please God. That meant he had to stop trying to please others or himself. He knew that there would come a day when his actions would be judged by God.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. – 1 Corinthians 5:10 ESV

On that day, every believer’s conduct in this life will be judged – every thought, action, attitude, and word will be exposed. Everything we have done since the day we accepted Christ as Savior will be assessed and evaluated as to whether it was good or evil. This has nothing to do with judgment for sin, because all our sins have been paid for by Christ. It is about whether what we have done in this life since coming to faith in Christ was godly or ungodly, righteous or unrighteous, and pleasing or displeasing to God. Did we live our lives in keeping with His will? Since His will for us is our holiness, did we allow that to be our motivating factor? Was pleasing Him our aim?

Our actions and attitudes will reveal whether our lives were pleasing to God. How we lived our lives will expose whether we were trying to please Him or whether we were living to please ourselves or others. Paul’s aim was to please God – even in this life. He made it his life-long objective to do the will of God, to live holy and set apart, and to do good even when it produced less-than-desirable outcomes. He lived by faith, not by sight, trusting in the reality of what he hoped for, yet couldn’t see: heaven and his resurrected body.

Paul actually looked forward to the judgment seat of Christ, because he was confident that his aim in life had been to please God. He was attempting to do the will of God, not men. He was striving to please God, not himself. And while that kind of lifestyle might result in troubles and tribulations in this life, it promised rewards in the life to come. Paul looked forward to hearing the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21 ESV).

Father, I want to live my life to please You, but I don’t want to do it because I think I have to earn Your favor. You have already proven Your love for me by sending Your Son to die in my place on the cross. So my attempts to please You should not be to score brownie points with You. They should be expressions of gratitude for all that You have done for me and all that You have in store for me in the future. When I live with my eyes fixed on the hope of the resurrection and the promise of eternal life, I am pleasing to You. That required faith because I can’t see the future. So, whenever I display “assurance of things hoped for” and “the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV), I am living by faith and that is pleasing to You. Help me to remember to live with the end in mind, to place my faith in Your unwavering promises for my future. I have nothing to fear and everything to look forward to. Thank You! Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Conduits of God’s Grace

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1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. – 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 ESV

Paul ended the last chapter with the words, “You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us” (2 Corinthians 2:17 NLT).

He can’t help but feel frustrated at having to defend himself and his ministry again. In his first letter to the Corinthians, he found himself dealing with those who questioned his authority and apostleship. But as far as he was concerned, he only answered to God and no one else.

As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide. – 1 Corinthians 4:3-4 NLT

Much of what Paul writes in this letter is not new information to the Corinthians; he has said it all before, in writing and in person. He wants them to know that he is not attempting to prove himself to them again. He doesn’t need a letter of recommendation, either from himself or anyone else, to affirm his status as an apostle of Jesus Christ. If they require proof of the effectiveness of his ministry, all they have to do is look at their own lives.

The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you.– 2 Corinthians 3:2-3a NLT

Paul’s ministry was fruitful and had produced results. Lives had been changed. So, there should have been no reason for him to defend himself. The believers in Corinth were his letter of recommendation “written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God…carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3b NLT). There was no greater proof of the validity of Paul’s apostolic ministry than the transformed lives of those who made up the church in Corinth.

When Paul had first arrived in Corinth, he did not impress them with his oratory skills or blow them away with his eloquence and powers of persuasion. In fact, just the opposite was the case.

When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NLT

The establishment of the church in Corinth had been the work of the Holy Spirit, not Paul. He was simply a conduit through whom the Spirit had worked, making him an instrument in God’s hands. Paul could look at the changed lives of the people in Corinth and know with confidence that his work had been effective. He also knew that it had not been because of his own skills or abilities.

Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant. – 2 Corinthians 3:5-6a ESV

Any success Paul had enjoyed was the result of God’s power, not his own.

We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 3:4 NLT

It is important to note that, while Paul viewed himself as a servant of God, he did not believe he was working for God so much as he was being used by God. He truly believed that God was working through him, not that he was helping God out. Sometimes we can easily begin to think that we are doing God a favor by serving Him. We can believe that we are doing all the work, while He sits back, eagerly watching and waiting to see what we will accomplish. But Paul knew that, without God’s power, all his efforts would have been in vain. God is not dependent upon us; it is the other way around. It was Paul who proudly proclaimed, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 ESV). And it was God who said to Paul, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT).

Paul knew that it was the Spirit who gives life, and that only God can make the salvation of men possible. We have a role to play, but we must never forget that our role is that of servants of God. We are tools in His hands, empowered by His Spirit and obligated to do His will, His way. Paul emphasizes his understanding of his God-given role later on in this same letter.

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” –2 Corinthians 5:18-20 NLT

We are conduits of God’s grace. We are PVC pipes carrying the life-giving message of the good news to those who are spiritually thirsty and starving. And we can be confident that God can and will use us as we make ourselves available to Him. Our weakness does not disqualify us; it makes us perfect candidates for God’s service.

God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NLT

So, Paul writes, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31 NLT). God can and will use you. Your value to Him begins with your recognition of your absolute dependence upon Him. Your greatest use by Him starts with your understanding that you are useless without Him. When we understand that God is the power behind our effectiveness, we can become confident conduits of His grace.

Father, thank You for choosing to use me, despite my sometimes over-self-confidence, pride, and arrogance. I am reminded that You don’t use me because You need me. My gifts, talents, and abilities are not assets to You; they are more often liabilities. I am nothing more than a conduit of Your grace and mercy; a means of distributing Your love and communicating Your redemptive message to all those who need to heat it. You chose me, filled me with Your Spirit, gave me access to Your power, and equipped me with a spiritual gift — all so that You might use me to reconcile the lost and build up the body of Christ. But I am more than just a servant to You; I am Your child. You love me and are patiently transforming me into the likeness of Your Son, Jesus Christ. And anything I accomplish in this life that has value or worth is because of You, not me. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Strength In Weakness

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12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. – 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 ESV

Since the moment Paul had sent his troubling letter to the Corinthians, he felt compelled to defend his movements. He has already told them, “I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea” (2 Corinthians 1:15-16 ESV). He had already made one painful visit to the city of Corinth and had no desire to do so again.

I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. – 2 Corinthians 2:1 ESV

In the meantime, he had been quite busy, traveling to Troas and on to Macedonia. The Corinthians needed to understand that they were not the only fellowship he was responsible for. Paul served as an apostle and spiritual father to many congregations. His dance card was full, and he was pulled in many different directions. He wrestled with the weighty responsibility of caring for the spiritual well-being of the new believers who made up the churches he helped found. In his first letter to the Corinthians, he described his attitude toward them.

For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. – 1 Corinthians 4:15 NLT

But when all was said and done, Paul knew his schedule was in God’s hands. He was simply leading them “in triumphal procession” as they followed the will of God and the example of Christ. There might appear to be setbacks and detours, and there would most certainly be difficulties along the way, but because of Christ, the outcome was guaranteed to be victorious.

Paul was content with being the means by which God spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ everywhere he went. It really didn’t matter whether he ended up in Corinth, Troas, Macedonia, Asia, Palestine, Greece, or Rome. He knew his mission remained unchanged: to share the good news of Jesus Christ everywhere he went.

But Paul was also painfully aware that the “fragrance” of the knowledge of Christ wasn’t always pleasant to everyone who heard it. He sadly states, “to those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom” (2 Corinthians 2:16a NLT). In his first letter, the apostle Peter refers to those who refused the gospel message as “those who do not believe” and who “stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do” (1 Peter 2:7-8 ESV).

Because of sin, they are destined to condemnation and death, and eternal separation from God. In their condition, the fragrance of the gospel comes across as a stench; it isn’t good news. As Paul wrote in his first letter, “…people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means” (1 Corinthians 2:14-15 NLT).

So what do they do? If the good news is incomprehensible to them, how do they get saved? It requires regeneration. Jesus told the Pharisee, Nicodemus, “Unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NLT). Because of the fall, men are born spiritually dead; they are without spiritual life and condemned to remain spiritually separated from God for eternity, unless something happens to regenerate them.

In his letter to Titus, Paul reminded him that God “saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5 NLT).  J. I. Packer describes regeneration as “the spiritual change wrought in the heart of man by the Holy Spirit in which his/her inherently sinful nature is changed so that he/she can respond to God in Faith, and live in accordance with His will” (J. I. Packer, “Regeneration,” Elwell Evangelical Dictionary).

So until the Holy Spirit regenerates the unbeliever, opening his eyes and giving him the capacity to see and comprehend the truth of the gospel, he will find the good news both onerous and odorous.

But to those who “are being saved,” the gospel and those who share it are “a life-giving perfume” (2 Corinthians 2:16b NLT). While Paul feels completely inadequate for the task, he knows he is being used by God. He has been an eyewitness to the power of the gospel, as evidenced by the changed lives of countless individuals who were once dead in their sins.

Paul wasn’t in it for the money, and he wasn’t out to make a name for himself or build up his own reputation. He was like a captive being led in a victory parade by the victorious Christ. His place in the line had been made possible by Christ. His role in the spread of the gospel was the result of Christ’s sacrificial work on the cross. So he gladly preached the word “with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us” (2 Corinthians 2:17 NLT).

He had learned to go with the flow, willingly taking the gospel wherever God directed him. He had also learned to view apparent setbacks as nothing more than God’s orchestration of His divine will. Experience had taught him to recognize his own weakness and embrace God’s all-sufficient power. He was insufficiently sufficient, and believed it when he said, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 ESV).

Near the end of his letter, he tells the Corinthians, “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” (2 Corinthians 12:10 NLT). His outlook is reflected in the words of the classic hymn, Just A Closer Walk With Thee.

I am weak but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Thro’ this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Father, we tend to see weakness as a liability, but Paul wore it like a badge of honor. He understood that his insufficiencies were the canvas on which You painted the masterpiece of redemption and spiritual transformation. He viewed himself as the featureless clay in the hands of Master Potter, who alone could fashion “vessels of honor” (2 Timothy 2:20-21) out of something of little or no value. Paul understood that his only worth came from his relationship with Christ. His pleasing “aroma” was not self-produced, but was a byproduct of his transformation by the Holy Spirit. I want to share his humble outlook and view myself as weak and unworthy apart from Christ. I want to recognize my insufficiency and gladly rest in the power and provision of Your indwelling Spirit. Give me an ever-increasing desire to live according to Your strength and not my own. When I grow doubtful and ask, “who is adequate for such a task as this?” (2 Corinthians 2:16 NLT), I want to answer with Paul, “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13 NLT). Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Battle of the Wills

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15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. – 2 Corinthians 2:15-22 ESV

When reading any book in the Bible, especially the pastoral letters, it is important to recognize that the letters were written to an original audience. That means there was a specific context that shaped the letter’s content, and that is the case with our text for today. Paul was addressing an issue that was unique to him and his audience in Corinth. In his previous letter to them, he had said he planned to come and see them.

I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. – 1 Corinthians 16:5-7 ESV

Evidently, Paul’s plans had changed, and he was unable to follow through. The result was that there were those in Corinth who began to question the sincerity of his word. So, on top of having to deal with a faction in the church that was questioning the validity of his apostleship and, therefore, his authority, he was now having to defend his integrity.

Paul wanted them to know he had been sincere when he told them he would visit them. In fact, twice in this passage, he claims his intention was to visit Corinth.

I wanted to come to you first. – 2 Corinthians 1:15 ESV

I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia. – 2 Corinthians 1:16 ESV

But his plans had changed; his agenda had been altered by God. Luke records in Acts that it was not uncommon for Paul’s plans to be influenced by the Spirit of God.

Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas. – Acts 16:6-8 NLT

Paul was a servant of God, and as such, he was obligated to do God’s will. His plans were subordinate to God’s, and yet the Corinthians viewed his failure to visit them as vacillation or, even worse, disingenuousness. So Paul addresses their misgivings by asking a series of questions.

You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say ‘Yes’ when they really mean ‘No’?” – 2 Corinthians 1:17 NLT

Paul insists that his failure to come to see them had nothing to do with vacillation, but everything to do with submission to the will of God. In fact, he claims that he, Silas, and Timothy were being faithful to what God was calling them to do, just as Christ was faithful to do the will of His Father.

Paul’s point seems to be that his will and desires were completely subservient to God’s will. He was obligated to do what God wanted him to do, even when it was in direct conflict with his own well-intentioned desires. 

In essence, Paul is boldly claiming that questioning his integrity and faithfulness is tantamount to questioning the very will of God. He strongly believed that he was obeying the will of God, who is always faithful. God’s yes is yes, and His no is no. As a former Pharisee and a student of the Hebrew Scriptures, Paul would have been intimately familiar with the following passages.

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? – Numbers 23:19 NLT

…he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!” – 1 Samuel 15:29 NLT

God cannot lie, so His word can always be trusted. And because Paul was doing the will of God, the Corinthians were essentially questioning the integrity of God and His Son. In fact, Paul states, “For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between ‘Yes’ and ‘No.’ He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate ‘Yes,’ he always does what he says” (2 Corinthians 1:19 NLT).

The bottom line for Paul was that Jesus was the living example of God’s integrity, veracity, and reliability. Jesus was the unquestioned expression of God’s faithfulness because through Him all the promises of God had been fulfilled. This wasn’t about Paul keeping his word, but about God keeping His. It was about the gospel and its spread throughout the known world. That was Paul’s God-ordained duty and responsibility, and if it meant that his own will had to take a back seat, he was okay with that, and the Corinthians needed to be so as well. Their unmet expectations had to take second place to God’s divine plan. Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that God’s will took precedence over their personal and somewhat petty disappointments.

Rather than being put out with Paul, they needed to remember what God had done for them. As much as they desired to see Paul and were disappointed that he had failed to keep his word, they needed to recall the unbreakable nature of God’s promise and that Paul had been the one to bring it to them. 

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 NLT

People will let us down, but God never will. Even faithful believers, who are committed to and bound by the sovereign will of God, will occasionally disappoint us. But we must remember that God’s word is always reliable and the fulfillment of His will is unstoppable. From our limited perspective, what appear to be setbacks are simply God’s will being done in ways that we can’t understand. What appears to be disappointments or delays is nothing more than the will of God conflicting with our own desires and agendas.

Paul was just as disappointed that he had been unable to make it to Corinth, but he knew that God’s will was better than his own. Paul had plans and aspirations, but he knew that God’s plans were worthy of his trust and obedience.

We can know we’re learning to trust God when we find ourselves gladly submitting our will to His, displaying dependence rather than disappointment.

Father, I’ll be honest, it can sometimes be difficult to discern Your will. There are times when I feel like I am operating within Your will, only to discover that things don’t turn out quite like I expected, and that always throws me for a loop. I feel like I am being obedient and then everything seems to fall apart around me. The least little bit of trouble makes me question whether I was actually doing Your will. But Paul provides me with the insight that recognizing and obeying Your will has more to do with trust than discernment. You said, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,…And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine” (Isaiah 55:8 NLT). Paul said that it was impossible for us to understand Your decisions and ways (Romans 11:33). So, You call us to trust You, even when we don’t understand Your will or Your ways. You don’t always write Your will on the wall for us to see. Sometimes, it is hidden and working behind the scenes. Our inability to see it doesn’t invalidate it. Help me to trust that Your will is always being done. And when I can see it, give me the strength to obey it even if I don’t fully understand it. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Difficulties Produce Dependence Upon God

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8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. – 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 ESV

Paul has just finished talking about the affliction he has suffered as a result of his ministry and the comfort he has received from God. He willingly accepted the first and gladly praised God for the second. He wants the Corinthians to know that his knowledge of suffering and affliction is firsthand and not academic. He knows what he is talking about. To make his point, he refers to a real-life incident of which they seemed to have some knowledge.

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. – 2 Corinthians 1:8 ESV

It’s unclear what occasion Paul is referring to, but we know that his life and ministry were marked by regular persecution and difficulty. The most likely event was the riot that took place in Ephesus at the instigation of “Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis” (Acts 19:24 NLT). This disgruntled artisan stirred up his fellow craftsmen by accusing Paul and his companions of destroying their business. He asserted, “This man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province!” (Acts 19:26 NLT).  According to Demetrius, Paul’s declaration that there was only one true God had diminished their sales of “handmade gods.” Not only that, he asserted that “the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!” (Acts 19:27 NLT). 

Luke records the outcome of Demetrius’ efforts.

Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia. Paul wanted to go in, too, but the believers wouldn’t let him. Some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, also sent a message to him, begging him not to risk his life by entering the amphitheater. – Acts 19:29-31 NLT

The unrest continued to escalate and was only curtailed when the town clerk gave an impassioned speech warning that the local Roman authorities would be forced to take action if they did not disperse.

“I am afraid we are in danger of being charged with rioting by the Roman government, since there is no cause for all this commotion.” – Acts 19:40 NLT

For his own safety, Paul was forced to leave the city. Later in this same letter, Paul offers an autobiographical glimpse into additional trials and tribulations he endured on behalf of Christ.

Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. – 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 NLT

Whatever happened in Asia, it was enough to make Paul and his companions question whether they would make it out alive.

We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. – 2 Corinthians 1:8b NLT

This was an occasion when Paul felt like he had received a death sentence and was going to end up martyred for the cause of Christ. This provides an insight into how Paul viewed his life and ministry. While he knew affliction was to be expected and viewed it as sharing in the sufferings of Christ, he was human and felt the same apprehension anyone would when facing death. Paul never knew the outcome of his work on behalf of Christ. It could end well or turn out poorly, and he had experienced both. But he had also known the comfort of God, which enabled him to continue his ministry with boldness and confidence.

Paul had learned to accept the possibility of death with a certain degree of confident assurance, because it caused him to rely even more greatly on God. He always knew that his efforts on behalf of Christ could end with his death, and he was prepared for that outcome. The “sentence of death” hanging over their heads caused them to put all their trust in God.

…we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. – 2 Corinthians 1:9 NLT

The promise of the resurrection comes into much clearer focus when facing death. Every person will have to come face-to-face with death, and there is little they can do to prevent it. The question is whether there is anything after death. Because of his belief in the resurrected Christ, Paul was confident that he would experience life after death and receive his glorified, resurrected body. As he wrote to the Corinthians in his first letter, “For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies” (1 Corinthians 15:53 NLT).

But Paul’s reliance upon and confidence in God didn’t stop with his assurance of life after death. It was the promise of the resurrection that gave Paul his courage to face the trials and difficulties of life with boldness. He knew his future was in good hands. Since he had no fear of death, he was able live his life with a sense of abandonment. He even told the believers in Philippi:

But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. – Philippians 2:17 NLT

He told his young protege, Timothy:

Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. – 2 Timothy 4:5-8 NLT

Paul could suffer all the afflictions and difficulties that came with his job because he trusted God. He had not only experienced the comfort of God, but he had also been an eyewitness to the salvation of God. God’s constant intervention and protection gave him confidence.

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. – 2 Corinthians 1:10 NLT

Paul also realized that the prayers of the saints played a big part in the success of his ongoing ministry and in God’s miraculous provision and protection. So he encouraged the Corinthians to continue praying for him; they were partners in his ministry because they lifted him up before God. While there was little they could do to physically assist Paul, they could pray and ask God to do what they could not.

Prayer is a form of dependence upon God. We place ourselves at His mercy and submit ourselves to His care, asking Him to act on our behalf. It is a call for Him to display His power and intercede for us in our weakness. Paul was a firm believer in the need to rely upon God. He had learned to trust God for everything, including his life.

Difficulties are designed to make us dependent upon God. Trials have a way of forcing us to trust Him. Afflictions can be perfect opportunities to experience His affection. It is in the daily affairs of life that God intends for us to see the faithful expression of his love.

Father, I’ll be honest, I don’t like to suffer. But the truth is, most of my suffering is self-inflicted and not the result of my efforts on Your behalf. Yet, even my mistakes and miscues can force me to come to You in prayer. They take me to my knees and cause me to turn to You for comfort and rescue. They reveal my weakness and remind me that You are the God of all power and all comfort. You care for me deeply, and are willing to step in and deliver me from my trials, even when they are self-induced. Thank You for this timely reminder that I serve a God who doesn’t keep score. You don’t make me clean up my own messes. You’re always willing to intervene in my life, and all You ask is that I humble myself and rely upon Your love, grace, mercy, and power. Forgive me for rejecting suffering because I believe it has no value. Help me to see that trials have a way of diminishing my self-sufficiency and increasing my dependence upon You, and that is always a good thing. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The God of All Comfort

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1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. – 2 Corinthians 1:1-7 ESV

As the title of this letter indicates, this is a second letter that Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth. Some time between the writing of the first letter and the receipt of this second one, Paul had been able to visit Corinth. Evidently, things had not gone well. His visit had been painful for both Paul and the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 2:1). There were still those in Corinth who opposed Paul and questioned his apostleship and, therefore, his authority. Later in this second letter, Paul addresses those who stood against him.

This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them—since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. – 2 Corinthians 13:1-2 ESV

It appears that Paul wrote a third letter, now lost, that he sent to the Corinthians sometime before writing 2 Corinthians. He refers to this lost letter several times.

I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. – 2 Corinthians 2:3-4 ESV

For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. – 2 Corinthians 7:8-9 ESV

So, Paul wrote 2 Corinthians to encourage the congregation there and to continue his efforts to refute the accusations of an influential minority who questioned his authority and undermined his ministry in Corinth.

But before Paul addresses the issues in Corinth, he spends some time reminding the Corinthians of who he is and what he has endured as an apostle of Jesus Christ. His journey has not been easy. His ministry to them and to the other churches he helped found has not been without its problems. But Paul is not complaining. He is simply stating the facts and letting them know that he is grateful for the opportunity to serve them and for receiving comfort from God Himself. In verses 3-7, Paul will use a variation of the word “comfort” ten times. He will refer to “affliction” or “suffering” seven times. And each time he applies these words to himself and the other men who minister alongside him.

These opening verses offer an autobiographical look at Paul’s life and ministry as he faithfully ministered the gospel, in keeping with the commission he had received from the risen Christ.

Paul refers to God as “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV). First of all, God is compassionate and merciful, but He is also comforting. The Greek word Paul uses is paraklesis, and it means consolation, encouragement, or refreshment. Notice its similarity to the Greek word used for the Holy Spirit: paraklētos.

Before His crucifixion, Jesus told the disciples, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper (paraklētos), to be with you forever” (John 14:16 ESV). He refers to the coming Holy Spirit as an advocate, comforter, and intercessor. The Holy Spirit, as the third member of the Trinity, shares the same nature as God the Father and Christ the Son. And Paul experienced this comforting presence in his life as he faced the trials and afflictions that accompanied his gospel ministry.

Paul had learned to expect opposition and affliction; it came with the territory. But he rejoiced because his affliction was always accompanied by the comfort of God.

…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. – Romans 5:3-5 ESV

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known… – Colossians 1:24-25 ESV

Paul saw his sufferings as reflective of his relationship with Christ and a tangible expression of the bond he shared with his Savior.

For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 1:5 NLT

Paul’s sufferings were not caused by sin; they were the result of his obedience to the will of Christ. He was suffering as Christ did, for doing the will of the Father. The affliction he endured was due to obedience, not disobedience. Therefore, he could rely on the comfort and mercy of the Father. This included having his apostleship rejected by those in Corinth. As long as he was doing the will of God, Paul knew he would face opposition and experience difficulties. But he would also receive the comfort and encouragement of God, which he willingly passed on to others.

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. – 2 Corinthians 1:6 NLT

Paul suffered, and so would they. He was comforted by God, and he passed that encouragement on to the Corinthians.

Jesus told His disciples, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:34 NLT). And just after Paul was converted on the road to Damascus, Jesus told Ananias to go and anoint him, saying, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9:15-16 NLT). Suffering is an inevitable and unavoidable part of the Christian life, but so is the comfort of God. That thought should bring us courage.

Paul’s strange message of comfort in the face of affliction was not reserved just for the Corinthians. It was something he shared with all believers, including those in Rome, because suffering for Christ isn’t just a possibility, it’s an inevitability. 

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. – Romans 5:3-5 NLT

As Jesus said, “You will have many trials and sorrows,” but we can take heart because He has “overcome the world” (John 16:34 NLT) and we serve God, “the source of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3 NLT).

Father, no one likes trials, difficulties, and sorrow. In fact, we avoid them like the plague. Yet, they are an unavoidable and inevitable part of living in a fallen world that is marred by sin. Yet, Your Son said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 ESV). I have always struggled with that verse because it seems to promise Christ-followers a trouble-free existence. But 70 years of life have convinced me He must have had something else in mind. Your Son didn’t come to earth and die on the cross so we could have out best life now; He came that we might have a life free from the condemnation of sin and the threat of eternal separation from You, His life, death, burial, and resurrection have given us new life that will one day result in eternal life. That is how we endure the any present pain and suffering we face. We keep our eye on the prize, the promise of a world made new and a sin-free existence in Your presence. And in the meantime, You extend Your mercy and provide us with comfort, and for that I am grateful. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

What To Do While We Wait

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15 Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— 16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.

19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. 20 All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. – 1  Corinthians 16:15-24 ESV

Paul wraps up his letter with a somewhat random and meandering closing. First, he recognizes three individuals, Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, who were among the first converts in Achaia, the province in which Corinth was located. Earlier in this letter, Paul indicated that Stephanas and his family were the only ones he had baptized in Corinth.

I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else. – 1 Corinthians 1:16 ESV

It seems that Stephanas and the other two had recently visited Paul and had been a source of encouragement to him. He was appreciative of their friendship and ministry and wanted the Corinthian congregation to treat them with respect. He uses these three men as examples of the kind of leadership to which the Corinthians should submit themselves. They were worthy of recognition and stood out to Paul because of their hearts for service and their attitude of humility as they ministered to him and their fellow believers in Corinth. 

Secondly, Paul sends greetings from the house church in Asia, which was meeting in the home of Aquila and Priscilla. Paul had struck up a friendship with this couple after meeting them in Corinth during one of his missionary journeys.

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. – Acts 18:1-3 ESV

This couple had ended up in Corinth after fleeing Rome due to persecution. When Paul left Corinth for Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla traveled with him and later settled in Ephesus, where they started a church in their home (Acts 18:18-20). Like Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, these two individuals were examples of the kind of disciples Paul sought to make wherever he went. They were selfless, and each had the heart of a servant. They were willing to open their home, share their resources, and give of their time to see that the gospel spread throughout the known world. And they used their trade as tentmakers to pay their own way. 

Paul gives his letter a personal touch by writing the final lines in his own handwriting. He had probably dictated the rest of the letter, but penned the last few words to validate that the letter was really from him. What he chose to write is interesting for its seeming randomness.

If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. – vs 22

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. – vs 23

My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. – vs 24

He calls for a curse on those who reject the gospel, prays for God’s grace on the Corinthians, and expresses his love for them. It’s an interesting combination of thoughts, and sandwiched in between them is an appeal for the Lord’s return:

Our Lord, come! – 1 Corinthians 16:22 ESV

Maranatha was an Aramaic expression that became a standard greeting among believers in the early days of the church. Those in the church lived with a sense of the Lord’s imminent return. Their belief that His coming could happen at any time was a motivating factor in their lives, leading them to live with a sense of anticipation and eager expectation. For Paul, the world became a place divided into believers and non-believers: those who were saved and those who remained lost. And if anyone refused to love the Lord, Paul’s response was to let them be accursed. As violent and harsh as this sounds, Paul is simply expressing the sad reality of their condition due to their rejection of the Savior. They were already under a curse, which carried the penalty of death and eternal separation from God. Paul was suggesting that their rejection of Christ would result in their rejection by God. Christ’s eventual and inevitable return would bring bad news and an even worse ending to their lives. But for Paul and the other believers in Corinth, the return of Christ was something for which they could eagerly and faithfully anticipate.

The author of Hebrews reminds us that we should have no fear of death and that we should expectantly hope for the return of Christ.

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. – Hebrews 2:14-15 NLT

In the meantime, while they awaited the Lord’s return, Paul prayed that the grace of Christ would protect them. And he would continue to love them, oftentimes in spite of them. He would continue to write them, sometimes to confront them but also to encourage them in their faith. He expressed his longing to see them face to face, so that he might personally strengthen them. As he wrote in his letter to the Romans, “I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord” (Romans 1:11 NLT).

Paul ends his letter with four powerful reminders:

First, he calls them to continue in their love for Christ, and uses the Greek word phileo, which refers to brotherly love.  He seems to be calling for an intimate, familial kind of love relationship with Jesus. The author of Hebrews described this “brotherly” relationship between Jesus and all those who have been adopted in the family of God and share the privilege of calling Him Father.

So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. For he said to God,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
    I will praise you among your assembled people.” – Hebrews 2:11-12 NLT

Secondly, he encourages them to live with the end in mind, using the phrase “Our Lord, come!” as a reminder of the Lord’s certain return. This world can be a difficult place to live, but we can not only survive but thrive because we have the unwavering assurance that our salvation will culminate in our glorification when Jesus comes back.

Third, he mentions the undeserved and sustaining grace of Christ. This is the same way he began his letter.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 1:3 ESV

Gordon D. Fee writes, “Grace is the beginning and the end of the Christian gospel; it is the single word that most fully expresses what God has done and will do for his people in Christ Jesus” (Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians).

Finally, he declares his love for them but uses the Greek word agapē, which refers to a selfless, lay-it-all-on-the-line kind of love, demonstrated by Christ’s death on the cross.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:8 NLT

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. – 1 John 3:16 NLT

Paul wasn’t talking about a sentimental, Hallmark card kind of love; he was declaring a deep and compassionate affection for them that wasn’t based on their loveliness or loveableness. It was the same kind of love that Jesus demonstrated to us.

We love each other because he loved us first. – 1 John 4:19 NLT

These were all on Paul’s heart as he wrapped up his letter to the Corinthians, and they should be the passion and priority of every believer in the church today.

Father, I want to love Christ more and more deeply the older I get. I want to live with the end in mind, eagerly believing that He could return at any moment. I want to grow in my understanding of and appreciation for Your marvelous grace expressed in Jesus’ death on the cross for me. And I want to emulate Your love for me by sharing that love with all those who are my brothers and sisters in Christ. As daunting as those things sound, I know they’re possible because of the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Unity In Diversity

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12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. – 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 ESV

God’s goal for us is oneness. It was one of the primary requests Jesus prayed to His Father in the garden on the night He was betrayed.

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” – John 17:20-23 ESV

Jesus knew that the unity of His followers would be the greatest expression of the heart transformation that only salvation can produce. It is the Spirit-empowered oneness of believers that proves to the world that Jesus was who He said He was and that He actually accomplished all He claimed He would do.

Paul picked up on the theme of Jesus’ high priestly prayer and echoed those sentiments to the believers in Corinth, whose brand of spirituality was not working. Rather than leading to unity and reflecting the oneness of Christ and the Father, it was producing arrogance, pride, and division within the church. Even their view of the gifts of the Spirit was dividing rather than unifying the body. So Paul gave them a lengthy primer on the spiritual life, with special emphasis on the gifts of the Spirit.

Paul emphasizes that they are all one in Christ, but they are not all the same. Unity does not demand uniformity; instead, it embraces diversity. That is what makes the body of Christ so unique and reflects God’s power. He takes people of all shapes and sizes, colors and creeds, backgrounds and traditions, and molds them into a single entity called the body of Christ, His church. The unifying factor of the church is not our shared ethnicity or ancestry, our common cultural background, or country of birth. It is our mutually shared calling by God and our redemption as a result of faith in the death of His Son. We are one because God has made us so. He has adopted us as His sons and daughters, placed us in His ethnically diverse family, and given us the power of the Holy Spirit so that we might live in love and unity.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul described Jesus as “the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it” (Colossians 2:19 ESV). It is our common faith in Christ that binds us together, and He does so through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer. That is Paul’s point to the believers in Corinth, and to make it clear, he uses the analogy of the human body.

Each of us has just one body, but it is made up of many parts. It consists of muscles, ligaments, organs, and limbs, each assigned a different purpose and designated function. Some parts operate behind the scenes, unseen and unrecognized for their role in the body’s functioning. Others are more prominent and seem to bear greater responsibility for the body’s overall health. We give these “vital” parts the lion’s share of our attention because we can’t imagine life without them. Paul uses the ears, eyes, hands, and feet as an example.

If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? – 1 Corinthians 12:15-17 NLT

It is the diversity and unity of the human body that make it so incredibly amazing. Each part, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, is necessary for the whole body to function properly. In fact, Paul states, “some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary” (1 Corinthians 12:22 NLT).

There is a God-ordained design to the human body that causes it to operate most effectively when it is unified, and each part fulfills its assigned role. The same thing is true of the body of Christ. Paul writes, “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT). That means no one is more important than anyone else and no spiritual gift is more essential than another. The spiritual gift each individual receives is intended to build up the body of Christ, not to stroke the ego and promote an air of self-importance and selfishness.

Paul lists various spiritual gifts, including the utterance of wisdom, the utterance of knowledge, faith, healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, the ability to distinguish between spirits, various kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. The list is intended to emphasize the variety of the gifts, not their order of importance. Yet the Corinthians were categorizing the gifts by what they believed to be their importance. They were focusing on which gift appeared to be the most significant and spectacular. But Paul reminded them that it was the Spirit who distributed the gifts, as He saw fit.

The Corinthians needed to spend more time using the gifts they had been given rather than debating over who had the better gift. The goal was unity, but it was their God-ordained uniqueness that made it possible. Each individual’s gift, assigned to them by the Spirit of God, is intended for the mutual edification of the entire church. But in the Corinthian church, the more flamboyant gifts, like healing and tongues, had been deemed more important and therefore more desirable. But one’s giftedness is not to be a badge of honor or a source of pride.

The Holy Spirit does not give out gifts to stroke our ego or prioritize our importance within the church. We have been gifted by God for the good of the body of Christ. The goal behind our calling and giftedness is “harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad” (1 Corinthians 12:25-26 NLT). Individuality and community. Uniqueness and unity. Giftedness and shared good. That is what makes the body of Christ function and proves that our faith is real and our Savior is alive.

Father, unity in diversity is a difficult concept for us to grasp. We tend to prefer homogeneity and uniformity. because there is something strangely comforting about sameness. Yet, at the same time, we all fight the urge to be different, to stand out in the crowd. And we see the spiritual gifts as an opportunity to set ourselves apart. So we place them into categories that differentiate their importance and elevate our own significance. But that was not Your plan. The gifts were given to unify and edify. As the apostle Paul stated, the diversity of the body of Christ was meant to illustrate Your wisdom. “God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:10-11 NLT). The church was intended to be a melting pot of people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, unified by their faith in Christ and equipped with the gifts of the Spirit for their common good and Your glory. Show us how to make that a reality in our individual fellowships and throughout the universal church. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

No Other Gods

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7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. – 1 Corinthians 10:7-14 ESV

As far as Paul was concerned, the Corinthians had a far too casual approach to sin. He has already chastised them for their laissez-faire approach to the sexual sin that was taking place in their midst.

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans. – 1 Corinthians 5:1 ESV

It appears that they were overly tolerant and dangerously permissive when it came to sin, even among members of their own fellowship. Not only that, but they had developed an unhealthy arrogance regarding their own spirituality and standing before God. Which is what led Paul to warn them, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12 NLT). In an attempt to get their attention, Paul resorted to using the Israelites as an object lesson. Their status as God’s chosen people had not prevented them from sinning or protected them from God’s punishment. They had enjoyed all the privileges and blessings of God’s favor, but had proven to be unfaithful in the end. So, Paul warns the Corinthians, “Do not be idolaters as some of them were” (1 Corinthians 10:7a ESV).

Like the Corinthians, the Israelites had been redeemed from a culture in which idol worship was commonplace. In Egypt, the Israelites had been surrounded by a plethora of false gods, and the ten plagues were directed against many of them. In His outpouring of the plagues, God had proven Himself superior to the false gods of Egypt, providing convincing evidence to the Israelites that He was the one true God. But in the end, even after their miraculous deliverance from captivity in Egypt, they resorted to idol worship. They went back to what they found familiar and comfortable. 

The Corinthians found themselves in similar circumstances. Most, if not all of them, had pagan backgrounds. They had been idol worshipers when Paul and others had brought the good news of Jesus Christ to their city. As a result of God’s grace, they had been redeemed from slavery to sin and delivered from their hopeless worship of false gods. However, some in the congregation continued to dabble in idolatry. They were eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols, and some were attending the feasts where this high-quality fare was served. This is what led Paul to say, “flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14b ESV). When it came to idolatry, they were not to dabble with it, cozy up to it, or have anything to do with it. That included attending any feasts associated with the worship of false gods.

Paul knew the Corinthians had a problem with compromise. They had already compromised their moral convictions, and it was not impossible to think that they might compromise their worship of Yahweh through their continued association with idols and justifying their actions as harmless.

Again, Paul uses the Israelites as an example.

The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry. – 1 Corinthians 10:7 NLT).

This refers to the time when Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God and, in his absence, the Israelites forced Aaron to make a golden calf for them to worship. Moses recorded the events surrounding that infamous day.

So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. – Exodus 32:3-6 ESV

God was angered by their actions and told Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you” (Exodus 32:9-10 ESV).

They were arrogant, prideful, and lacked any fear of God. They failed to honor and revere Him despite all He had done for them. They demanded that Aaron fashion a new version of Yahweh in a form that was more approachable and controllable. In doing so, they turned their backs on the one and only God of the universe. At the end of the day, that is what idolatry really is; it is turning to something other than God as our source of provision, power, significance, and security. It doesn’t have to be a golden calf.; we can end up worshiping our career, family, finances, talents, or even our status as God’s chosen people. In other words, we can easily resort to worshiping our salvation instead of our Savior. We can put our hope in our eternal security rather than in the one who made eternal life possible. 

Paul warns us against developing a casual attitude toward idolatry because idol worship is nothing less than unfaithfulness to God. It is a form of spiritual adultery, making more of something or someone else other than God. Tim Kellerprovide a succinct definition of idolatry in his book, Counterfeit Gods.

“What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give…

“An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, “If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.” There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship.” – Tim Keller, Countefeit Gods

The Israelites were disciplined by God for their unfaithfulness. They put God to the test, “and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day” (1 Corinthians 10:8 ESV). And Paul warns us, “We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer” (1 Corinthians 10:9-10 ESV).

Just because we are in Christ, doesn’t mean we have the right to insult Christ by giving our affections and attentions to something or someone other than Him. We are to flee from idolatry in all its forms. The Corinthians were worshiping their right to eat meat sacrificed to idols. It wasn’t that they were worshiping the idols to whom the meat was sacrificed. They were elevating their freedom to enjoy the pleasures of this life over their submission to the will of God for their life. We cannot afford to get cocky or comfortable. Which is why Paul warns us, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12 ESV).

We each face the constant temptation to worship something other than God. But, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV). Fleeing idolatry is a form of faithfulness. It shows God that we refuse to worship anything or anyone other than him. We would rather run from idolatry, in all its forms, than run the risk of offending a holy and righteous God.

Father, sometimes we think idolatry is not a problem for us because we don’t have figurines of false deities sitting on our fireplace mantle. But as Tim Keller pointed out, idolatry is “anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” According to that definition, we all have god replacements or stand-ins that we turn to for hope, help, happiness, contentment, or significance. Our careers, families, finances, and health can all becomes gods we turn to other than You. We worship them by giving them far more attention and time than we dedicate to You. They are where we turn in times of trouble. They are the source of our assurance when times are tough and our faith is wavering. But Paul tells us to run, not walk, from these subtle forms of idolatry because they are deceptive and deadly. You made it clear when You said, ““You must not have any other god but me” (Exodus 20:3 NLT). But we still have the tendency to replace the one true God with false gods that will never deliver what they promise. Help us keep our eyes and our hopes set on You alone. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

How Firm a Foundation

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10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. – 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 ESV

For Paul, the issue was first, always, and only Christ. Ever since his personal and life-changing encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, he had made it his life’s mission to carry the message of salvation through faith alone in Christ alone to the world. Here, he refers to Jesus Christ as the foundation, the solid rock on which believers are to build the rest of their lives. It is belief in the gospel message of salvation through Jesus that provides the bedrock upon which a truly worthy life can be built. Paul likely had in mind the parable that Jesus told His disciples.

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” – Matthew 7:24-27 NLT

Our faith in Jesus has a starting and ending point. It begins when we place our faith in Him, but it does not stop there. We are to build our lives with Jesus as the foundation. Paul boldly claimed to have helped lay the proper foundation by preaching Christ and Him crucified. He had given the believers in Corinth the truth regarding salvation through Christ and Him alone, and they had received it. Now it was time for them to do something with their faith; they were to build on it.

Their faith was to produce fruit, tangible, visible, and measurable fruit. Whatever they built on the foundation of their faith would be discernible to all those around them. The value of the construction materials they used would be apparent to all. Speaking metaphorically, Paul says that some would use gold, silver, and precious stones — objects of worth and beauty. But others would choose to use wood, hay, and straw — materials with little value or staying power. The second group illustrates those who cut corners and refuse to invest adequately, either out of laziness or a lack of concern. Their faith means so little to them that they refuse to invest the time and resources it deserves. James describes these two groups well.

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” – James 2:17-18 NLT

Christ crucified is the fundamental basis of our faith, but our actions are to rest on that firm foundation. The actions and attitudes that mark our lives should be built on the reality of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection and be visible to all those around us. James refers to these salvation-based behaviors as “good deeds.” They are meant to impact all those around us. They can be seen and experienced by others. And, one day, they will be judged by God.

Paul reminds us, “each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done” (1 Corinthians 3:13 ESV). In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul wrote, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV). The Greek word Paul uses is βῆμα (bēma). It refers to “the official seat of a judge” (“G968 – bēma – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible). The “day” to which Paul refers is that day when all believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ – the Bema Seat. On that day, we will have our work judged. This is a reference to all those things we have done since coming to faith in Christ. This is not a judgment to determine righteousness. We will stand before God fully forgiven and completely righteous because of Christ’s death for us on the cross. But each person’s works will be judged as to their value and worth, and they will “receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” 

What we do with our faith in Christ is essential and has long-term implications. That is why Paul was concerned about the role that teachers played in the spiritual growth of the body of Christ. That is why he warns, “whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful” (1 Corinthians 3:10 NLT). His whole focus in the section of his letter is on the tendency of the Corinthians to put too much stock in their preferred spiritual teacher or mentor. But Paul is trying to get them to realize that good teachers will build on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. When we elevate the role of men in our spiritual growth, we risk constructing a life that looks good but fails to reflect the life-transforming power of the gospel. That is what led Paul to say, “no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11 NLT). Paul boldly declared, “I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it” ( 1 Corinthians 3:10 ESV). But then he warns, Let each one take care how he builds upon it” (1 Corinthians 3:10 ESV). 

That is the whole point of this section. Paul wants his readers to understand that the foundation of their faith is non-negotiable. Christ crucified and resurrected is the key to their salvation, sanctification, and future glorification. And what we or anyone else attempts to build upon our faith in Christ must have lasting value. If we use our faith in Christ to build a life marked by selfishness, greed, materialism, hate, bigotry, pride, and hypocrisy, others will see it, and one day Christ will expose and judge us for it. Those worthless works will be burned up. They will be proven to be of no eternal value because they were done in the flesh, and not in the power of the Spirit of God.

But if we build a life that is marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control, others will see it and Christ will one day reward us for it. Those deeds are the fruit of the Spirit. They will last and survive the fire of God’s judgment because, like gold, silver, and precious stones, they are priceless and eternal.

What we build upon our faith in Christ is extremely important and reveals a lot about us. It shows the condition of our hearts and the priorities of our lives. Our salvation provides us with a solid and secure foundation. We have the assurance of our eternal security and no longer have to worry about future condemnation or fear of death. But that should motivate us to live lives that are worthy of our calling. We should desire that our behavior reflects our status as God’s children and the presence of God’s Spirit within us. That is why, in the very next verse, Paul asks, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT).

God has provided the foundation. The Spirit provides the fruit. And all we are required to bring to the equation is our faith. But our faith must become tangible and discernible, testifying to the change that has taken place within us. That is what James meant when he wrote, “faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (James 2:17 NLT). Fruitless faith is baseless faith; it is a dead and lifeless faith. But Paul insists that when one has true, saving faith and builds their life upon it, they will end up displaying behavior that stands out and survives the test of God’s judgment.

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?  

Father, You care just as much about our sanctification as You do our salvation. You saved us so that You might transform us into the likeness of Your Son. You redeemed us so that You might continually reform and renew us. It is a process and it takes time. It also requires our participation. We must build on our faith. There is no place for complacency in the life of a believer. You expect ongoing transformation and so should we. But we must be careful how we build on the foundation that Christ provided. What we fill our minds with will have a direct impact on the quality and spirituality of our lives. We can start with a firm foundation of faith, but if we build on it with shoddy materials, we will end up with a “house” of cards that fails to reflect that transformative power of the gospel. Keep us firmly committed to and dependent upon the the reality of Christ crucified for our sins and resurrected for our sanctification. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.