What can I do?

Some days it is hard to describe. And, if the Apostle Paul couldn’t do it some days, I guess it is OK if I can’t either.

But … I can be thankful. And so, I am!!!

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15

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Will I allow God to demolish a massively corrupt culture?

All it takes is to watch the evening news to know we live in a massively corrupt culture. Our Father has given us tools to demolish that culture. To bring it right down. But I can’t fight it the same way the world does. My tools are different. Will I allow God to demolish it in my life?

May I live a life of obedience into maturity. May I receive the good news of God’s new goal for me. May I not miss it in my life today.

The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity. 2 Corinthians 10

Forgiveness is a huge thing

Forgiveness is huge in God’s world. He is love. He forgives us. We must forgive others. Jesus emphasized this over and over. It is in the “model” prayer he gave us. To ignore it is to give our enemy an opening. We don’t want or need that.

And so, there must be no delay. We must forgive, over and over. We are forgiven. Let’s get on with it. Now.

The focus of my letter wasn’t on punishing the offender but on getting you to take responsibility for the health of the church. So if you forgive him, I forgive him. Don’t think I’m carrying around a list of personal grudges. The fact is that I’m joining in with your forgiveness, as Christ is with us, guiding us. After all, we don’t want to unwittingly give Satan an opening for yet more mischief—we’re not oblivious to his sly ways! 2 Corinthians 2:9-11

 

When things are bad

What happens when we trust our own resources to solve the problem? We solve the problem but we don’t see God. Money crisis? Whip out the credit card. Car problem, call AAA. Problem solved but no glory to God there.

Trouble can cause us to trust ourselves or to trust God. And under the right circumstances, to trust Him totally. Now that is a good idea since He is the one who raised Jesus from the dead. And we can trust Him. He will deliver us.

Some times when we think things are so bad it really isn’t. It is an opportunity to trust God. That is what he wants us to do.

We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he’ll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don’t want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God’s deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part. 2 Corinthians 1:8-11

Like the "energizer bunny" but only real

Some days things don’t look good. All I have to do is listen to the news to know that. Bad news at every turn. That is the way of the world.

God has a goal that has nothing to do with that. We don’t lose heart when we are listening to Him. It doesn’t matter what is going on around us. Trouble brings His mighty and awesome outcomes. We see a reality, in Him, that others don’t know exists. We have our gaze fixed on Him. Today’s trouble is no comparison to His love which goes on like Him, forever. There is no end to it. Like the “energizer bunny” but only real.

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. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 TNIV Bible

His generosity

As the Son of God, Jesus the Messiah had all the riches of our Father. Yet He chose to give it all away. He did it for us. He did it so we could share the riches of our Father as well.

It is His nature to be generous. He loves to give to us. Like any father, He delights in making things happen for us even if it means a sacrifice on His part. Now that is love.

You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich. 2 Corinthians 8:8-9

Endorsements

Recommendations. Endorsements. Credentials. References. The way of this world. Is this God’s way? Should we be focused on the ways of the past?

The Spirit of God and the fruit of changed lives is all we need. This is the present and endoresments, etc. are the past. What is happening now is what is important. What is God saying today? What is God doing today?

Does it sound like we’re patting ourselves on the back, insisting on our credentials, asserting our authority? Well, we’re not. Neither do we need letters of endorsement, either to you or from you. You yourselves are all the endorsement we need. Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. The Messian himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.
2 Corinthians 3:1-3

May I live today in the power of God’s Spirit. May that be all I need.

Here today, gone tomorrow

Some times it seems like we just can’t make it. Yet, perseverance rules the day. Even if it looks like things are falling apart, they aren’t. Sometimes others can’t see what is going on inside. God is making a new life for us. He is doing it now. Not a day goes by that God’s isn’t giving us everything we need for the day.

There are things that we see now that have no lasting value. They are here today but may not be 5 years from now. Or even tomorrow for that matter. Unrealized gains and unrealized losses. What is important is what lasts forever.

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

 

May I stick with God today and forever. May I experience His grace.

Flip flop?

Oh my goodness. Am I as true to my word as God is to His?

God doesn’t flip flop when He promises me something. God isn’t glib in His approach to what He says to me. God doesn’t waffle or waiver. Not at all. Not ever. God is always faithful to His word.

May I be as true to my word as God is to His.

Are you now going to accuse me of being flip with my promises because it didn’t work out? Do you think I talk out of both sides of my mouth—a glib yes one moment, a glib no the next? Well, you’re wrong. I try to be as true to my word as God is to his. Our word to you wasn’t a careless yes canceled by an indifferent no. How could it be? When Silas and Timothy and I proclaimed the Son of God among you, did you pick up on any yes-and-no, on-again, off-again waffling? Wasn’t it a clean, strong Yes? 2 Corinthians 1:17-19

Integrity in my being

There is a lot to be said for lining up what I believe, think, say and do. That is the kind of integrity our Father is looking for. It is easy to write one thing and then say another. We all know people who say one thing and then do another.

May I have the integrity of our Father, leaning into Him, hearing what He is saying and representing it every day.

 

Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present. 2 Corinthians 10:11

 

 

Maturity!!

There is a suffering that is for a great reason. It is a suffering for Jesus and it leads to healing and salvation. Now that doesn’t make sense to the world we live in but it is true. Our culture believes that success is the “lack of hard times”. Jesus led the way. His suffering led to our salvation and healing and so it is true for us too.

We all share in the good and tough times in Jesus. None of us are immune and why should we be? Jesus did it for us and we must share in it together. That is a sign of our maturity that we know that nothing can seperate us from God’s love. No matter what happens. When we exhibit this attitude, it shows we are going to make it. Without the willingness to endure the tough times, we would never know.

May I be unflinching in growing in Jesus.

When we suffer for Jesus, it works out for your healing and salvation. If we are treated well, given a helping hand and encouraging word, that also works to your benefit, spurring you on, face forward, unflinching. Your hard times are also our hard times. When we see that you’re just as willing to endure the hard times as to enjoy the good times, we know you’re going to make it, no doubt about it. 2 Corinthians 1:6-7

 

Not showing up

Paul decided not to show up, even though he was wanted. How often, just because someone asks us to come, do we show up not even thinking, is this something God wants us to do?  

Sometimes there is a pain that our Spirit filled life brings to others. Sometimes the timing is off. Better to show up when God wants us and not just because someone asked us to. Seek God. He will lead the way.

That’s why I decided not to make another visit that could only be painful to both of us. If by merely showing up I would put you in an embarrassingly painful position, how would you then be free to cheer and refresh me? 2 Corinthians 2:1-2

Should I keep quiet?

How often do I keep quiet when I should say what I believe? If we believe in a God so powerful that He raised Jesus from the dead, what should we say in any given circumstance? Really, what should we say about our belief?

Well, if we believe that nothing is impossible with God we can’t be quiet. We have to say the truth no matter how “bad” things look. God is God. He wants to deliver. We must have faith and believe. If we do, he will.

We’re not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, “I believed it, so I said it,” we say what we believe. And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise! 2 Corinthians 4:13-15