2 Corinthians 5 - 11.13.24

Scripture

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Cor 5:10, NIV)

Observation

We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and receive what is due based on our life on earth! Paul is not writing this to unbelievers. He is writing to the believers of the Corinthian church. 

Paul talks about eternity in the verses before this. When we leave this earth, we will be clothed with our eternal body (verse 1). God has given us his Spirit as a deposit in our hearts, so that we know that we have an eternal future (verse 5).  Therefore we make it our aim to please him in everything we do (verse 9). And then Paul reminds us that all of us, without any exception, will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 

The fact that we will all stand before God’s judgment seat is seen throughout the new testament. Jesus himself said that we will be judged for every careless word. “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:36). Paul reminds believers of judgment in Romans too. “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.” (Romans 14:10). 

When we accepted Jesus, our sins were forgiven, and there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). So this is not a judgment that sends a believer to hell. This is a judgment where our works are judged. We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). God expects us to do good works and live a life producing the fruits of repentance. (Matthew 3:8).

Christ is our foundation. Whatever we build on this foundation will be tested by fire on the day of judgment. Our works will go through fire on judgment day. If we have built using gold, silver, and precious stones, our work will be left standing, and we will receive a reward. If our work is found to be built of wood, hay or straw, it will be burnt in the fire. However, we ourselves will be saved, like someone escaping from flames.(1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

Application

Let us live our life focused on eternity, setting our minds on things above, and not earthly things (Colossians 3:2). We don’t want to live like millionaires on earth, only to go to heaven and find out that we have no savings for eternity! Let us store up our treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves cannot break in and steal. (Matthew 6:20).

Knowing that the whole earth will go through God’s judgment, what kind of people ought we to be, asks Peter in his epistle. We ought to live holy and godly lives (2 Peter 3:11). Whatever we do, including eating and drinking - let us do it for God’s glory. (1 Cor 10:31).

Prayer

Father, I want to thank you for loving me and saving me by your grace. You have forgiven me and the blood of Jesus has washed from all my sin. You have made me your child and your heir. Help me to live a life that glorifies you. Help me to abide in you, so that when Jesus appears, I would have confidence, and would not be ashamed before Him at His coming. (1 John 2:28). Lead me into the good works that you have prepared for me. (Ephesians 2:10). Make my life a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to you. (Romans 12:1). In Jesus’ name. Amen.

- Asha Chacko George

2 Corinthians 4 - 11.12.24

SCRIPTURE:  2 Corinthians 4:16-18  ”Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

OBSERVATION:  In this chapter, Paul is instructing the believers in Corinth to renew their commitment in serving Jesus, look beyond this brief life, and demonstrate their faith to others. 
Paul told them to follow His example as one who did not lose heart when difficult times arose. He followed Christ above all things, and did not allow the things of this world to deter him from sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

APPLICATION:  When difficult times come, we should remember that God is with us, and even when we feel weak, inadequate, overwhelmed, un-qualified, or stressed to the max, every situation we find ourselves in is another opportunity to tap into God’s power and experience His supernatural miracle working ability.  He is always available when we call out to Him!

PRAYER:  Lord, even when we are hard-pressed on every side, we don’t have to be crushed, perplexed, or in despair.  We don’t have to feel struck down or defeated because… our earthly momentary troubles are ALL temporary, and our eternal hope is in You!  Please help us/me to fix our eyes on You, and the glorious things that are up ahead for those who keep our trust in You. Amen

- Robin Orefice

Judges 8 - 11.11.24

Scripture

‭‭Judges‬ ‭8‬:‭33‬-‭34‬ ‭NLT

“As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping the images of Baal, making Baal-berith their god. They forgot the Lord their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding them.”

Observation

Gideon led a group of 300 warriors to go and conquer the Midianites. Gideon and these men had already conquered and killed over 120,000 men with his small army during his leadership. It was obvious that God’s favor was with Gideon and with God on his side, he was eventually able to defeat and conquer the Midianites. During the rest of Gideon’s lifetime, there was peace among the Israelites and the land. But, as soon as Gideon died, things were about to change. The Israelites went back to their wicked ways, worshiping idols and forgetting about God. 🤦🏽‍♂️

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Application

How soon we forget.

Before we get on the Israelites for always seeming to forget about God, and going back to their old ways, we need to pump the brakes here, look in the mirror for a second, and see if we can sometimes do the same thing. It may not be on the scale of the Israelites here, but if we are honest with ourselves, we are just as guilty of forgetting God sometimes too. It could be a time where we received some bad health news. We ask others to pray for us. We even seek God harder than we ever did before. But, as soon as the doctor comes and gives us the news that we are in the clear, we get back to our lives, forgetting God, and allowing the busyness of life get in the way of our relationship with God again. It can be a vicious cycle too! We receive a life crisis.  We then seek God. He helps us. We go back to our “scheduled program”. Rinse and repeat! We treat God like He is our personal “magic genie”, only seeking Him whenever we need something and whenever He gives it to us, we forget about Him. How self-centered can we be? You will see as we continue to read the book of Judges that the Israelites go through this same cycle.  We need to learn from their mistakes, NOT repeat them! 

“These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.” -‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We need to seek God daily! Not just when we need something either. We need to give Him our praise and thanksgiving DAILY. We need to give Him our concerns DAILY. We need to follow Him and His ways DAILY. Just look what God has done for the likes of Moses and Gideon, and see how God’s favor was with them, and how He blessed them. They were men who sought after God  DAILY.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times I forget about Your goodness and faithfulness. Forgive me for ever treating You like a vending machine or my personal magic genie. God, You are so faithful even when I’m not. You desire a daily relationship with me because You love and care for me. May I seek You each day, to give You all my praise and concerns. Help me to walk Your path the way Moses and Gideon did, so I may be blessed and a blessing to those around me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

-Moses Gaddi