2 Corinthians 1

On June 12^th we began reading First Corinthians and I noted that ten times in the first ten verses Paul invoked the name of Jesus. In that letter Paul’s theme was about the person and work of Jesus Christ and Paul laid that foundation at the very beginning of the letter.

In Second Corinthians Paul uses the word comfort ten times in five verses. Again, Paul has laid a foundation for the theme of his letter. There are extraordinary qualities to this very special comfort of God that Paul is assuring the church God is providing for them.

First, the Comforter can identify with your pain and suffering. The Comforter has personal experience with similar pain and suffering.

Second, the Comforter brings the assurance that your life has meaning. Nothing is being wasted, or as we saw yesterday, your labors, even though they may result in pain and suffering, are not in vain.

Third, the very presence of the Comforter is strengthening to you. There is a quality to this comfort that allows you to see beyond the shadows of earth into the light of eternity where the ultimate truth of God is revealed to you. You learn that what is true of Jesus the Messiah becomes true for his people. The all-encompassing quality of Jesus’ life was that he rested in the sure knowledge that he was the beloved child of God. Paul teaches that this was true for Jesus, and it is true for the followers of Jesus. God’s people can rest today in the sure knowledge we are the beloved of God and that nothing can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus.

What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

Maran Atha. Most often we now see this Aramaic phrase written as Maranatha. It is translated, ‘Our Lord, Come.’ Isn’t it interesting that Paul would inject an Aramaic phrase into a letter written in Greek. This phrase is from the earliest Christian worship and relates to the line in The Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingdom Come.” The phrase summed up the hope of the church and was a means to bind all of the churches together in unity, regardless of where they were or their native language.

The phrase embodies the wonderful words in the opening verse of today’s passage: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

As Paul affirmed in the beginning of this letter some of our work for the Lord is to plant seeds of hope just as many churches do when they offer VBS. The church may never see how the Lord uses what they give the children. However, they can trust the Lord is using their labor of love and thus their labor is not in vain, it is for the Glory of the Lord.

Maran Atha. Amen

What does today's reading reveal to you about God?

What does it reveal to you about yourself?

Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

Reading for July 2, 2011: 2 Corinthians 1

1 Corinthians 15: 35-57

Jesus said to Peter, “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) Jesus had asked Peter to pray for him. Peter wanted to pray for Jesus, but couldn’t.

God inspires our church when we gather in worship on Sunday and we leave with a desire to share Jesus. But, we don’t. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

We see the needs in our community and we hear the call of Jesus to follow him into the world to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and set the captives free. We want to follow, but we don’t go very far. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

We are in a social setting and someone speaks words of hatred, or bitterness, or racial prejudice. We want to speak for God and against injustice, but we remain silent. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

In our passage today Paul says there is coming a glorious day when our Lord shall return and when He returns our flesh will no longer be weak. In his letter to the Romans Paul writes, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”

Here is what Paul believed. God has promised that He will establish His Kingdom on earth where there will be peace and harmony and eternal life. God has given the followers of Christ His Holy Spirit as a sign; the scriptures actually call it a down payment, to guarantee the coming Kingdom. In this present time we live with our hearts longing for the Kingdom. This is the Spirit within us. The Spirit is in our natural bodies which are destined to die. Our natural bodies seek to control our life and thus in our natural life now we are in conflict with the Spirit of God within us. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

But, as we learn to trust God and as we become more willing to surrender our lives to God, the Spirit within us ascends and the flesh or natural life within us descends --- until ultimately when Christ returns He completes the transformation within us and we become like Him: The spirit indeed is willing and without any weakness. Amen

God has now given us two huge promises which together form the foundation for our faith, hope and love: The Resurrection of Jesus and our eventual resurrection and transformation.

1 Corinthians 15: 12-34

Our passage today reminds me how important it is for me to keep focused on the foundation of my faith. Our culture tempts me to believe that if I do the right things in the right way then the church I lead will be successful. The pews will be full and the offering plates will be overflowing. With that thinking, when the pews are vacant and the offering plates are near empty, it can be quite depressing. As well as it should be if I am putting my faith in me doing the right things the right way. Our passage today reminds me that as a Christian my faith rests on one fact and one fact alone: The resurrection of Jesus.

If Jesus has not been resurrected there is no hope for today, much less an eternal future with God the Father. If Jesus has been resurrected from the dead it is still very important that I do the right things the right way. However, the purpose of my service changes from seeking to be successful for God to being faithful to God. My Father has promised me that because Jesus has been raised from the dead, I most definitely have a hope for today and for the future. Because Jesus has been resurrected I can serve God trusting that He is working all things together to accomplish His will.

For me, it makes all the difference in the world whether I go through life trusting in my ability to be good or trusting that God my Father, who resurrected Jesus, knows my name and has saved me from sin and death.

All my faith rests in one basket: The resurrection of Jesus.

What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?