2 Corinthians 6 - 3.29.23
Scripture
2 Corinthians 6:4-10
4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Observation
“Paul is writing to people he cares deeply about. He helped to establish the church in Corinth and led many people there to faith in Christ. Now he seems concerned that some among them who have heard the clear message of the gospel from him have not come to full faith in Christ alone for their salvation. This may be based on continued association with idol worship, or false teachers among them distorting the gospel of Jesus and accusing Paul of being a false apostle.”
Furthermore, when Paul speaks in this chapter of what he and his ministry partners have experienced, it was to prove that he wasn’t a false apostle. Everything they did for Jesus was with full integrity and not with a “hidden or self-serving agenda.” (Reference: Bibleref.com)
Application
Whatever God has called us to (for His Kingdom purposes), a servant of the Lord must get rid of idols, remain humble and have great endurance to finish the race.
What has God called you to?
Tonight, we have the kick off for our 3 day Ascent (prayer and fasting) at 6:30p. Come join us and let’s get rid of idols, remain humble before Him and be strengthened to endure for Jesus alone!
Prayer
Dear Lord, I admit that apart from You, I am not a humble person and cannot endure the race. Holy Spirit, help me to remain humble in You and endure the race/path You’ve called me to until the end. When the devil tries to pull me off course, I know that Your Spirit living in me is greater and stronger. Help me to not be discouraged or defeated as I rely on and seek You deeply everyday. Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi
2 Cor 5 - 3.28.23
Scripture
II Corinthians 5:17-19
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
Observation
“If it sounds as if Paul is calling us to grit our teeth and try harder to be good, then we are missing the point of 2 Corinthians. Paul intends for us to see the world in a completely new way, so that our actions stem from this new understanding, not from trying harder.” (Theology of Work Bible Commentary)
Application
God reconciled us to himself. He looked on us in all our sin and created a bridge to allow us to have relationship with Him. He reconciled us to Him – not counting our sins against us – simply because He loves us. And He says that we are new creations – in the likeness of Him. As we have received reconciliation, God has called us to the ministry of reconciliation. That means sharing the Good News. But it also means that, as new creations, we should view others as God does. We should not see people from a human point of view, as something to be judged or adored based on our opinions or observations. But instead, we should view everyone we come in contact with as someone Jesus died to save. We are to spread a spirit of love and reconciliation in every situation – reconciling people to people and people to God. “Finally, being seeds of God’s creation, of course, requires that we remain in constant fellowship with Christ. If we do these things, we will be in a position to bring Christ’s power to reconcile the people, organizations, places, and things of the world so that they too can become members of God’s new creation.”
Prayer
God, thank you for this reminder. I so gladly accept your love and forgiveness and I am so stingy in sharing it with others. Transform me and help me to see others through Your eyes and fill me with Your love for them. I want to be a reconciler.
- Debbie Dunn
Psalm 27 - 3.27.23
Scripture
Psalms 27:1 NLT
“The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?”
Observation
In this psalm, David writes of his faith in God. David knows that whatever troubles come his way, he has a God who will never leave or abandon him. God has showed up for David time and time again. Why would God fail David now?..He won’t.
David wasn’t immuned from having trials and tribulations in his life. Even the Son of God himself, Jesus, wasn’t immune to it. So, what makes us think that we can go through life without experiencing any? The key for David and Jesus to be able to get through those tough times was their strong faith in God. Knowing that God is Almighty, that He is Sovereign, and that He loves His children was enough for them to know that God will give them everything they would need to overcome it. All glory and honor belongs to God!
“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”-2 Corinthians 4:17-18
Application
With God on my side, what is there to fear?
For me, it’s almost like when you were a kid and you had that best friend or big brother that all the kids at school or in the neighborhood were afraid of. It gave you the confidence to walk around that you always had someone watching your back when things got dicey.
Well, with God on my side, I have the strongest and mightiest person fighting for me. Who better to have fighting in your corner than the One who created the universe?! He is undefeated. He is in control. He is…ALMIGHTY GOD!!!💪🏽
“Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the Lord on high is mighty.” -Psalms 93:4
Prayer
Thank You Jesus for being at the right hand of God, praying for me, intervening on my behalf. Thank You for never leaving me or forsaking me. Thank You for Your faithfulness. I pray that I always remember just how mighty and faithful you are and that there is nothing in my life that You cannot handle. May I run to you for refuge and strength before I turn to anything or anyone else. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi