QT 31 Dec 18, 2 Cor 7:2, See life differently

2 Corinthians 7:2 (ESV) — Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.

NOTE: We are so quick to find fault that we never stop to think what really happened. We see people as enemies instead of broken children. We see actions as specifically attacking us when we might have just got caught up in some emotional crossfire. Yes, we deal with sinful creatures all around us, but we are also sinful creatures. We need to show grace to those who hurt us. We need to pray. We need to be kind and gentle. Harsh replies do no one any good. Rather than assuming the worst of those we encounter, we should assume the best. "BUT," we reply, "others do not do that to us!" So what? God is our judge, not others. We seek to please him by obeying him and by loving others as ourselves. We need to stop focusing on the fault of others, and start focusing on our own response.

PRAYER: Father, forgive us for your sin. Reveal to us when we harm others by our words or innuendo. Help us to act as Jesus showed us.

QT 30 Dec 18, Gen 6:6-8, Blinded by Satan

Genesis 6:6–8 (ESV) — 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

NOTE: God uses language to communicate to man and to describe himself to man. But sometimes the language is incomplete. This is an example. It appears that God changes his mind. But the bible says that God does not change his mind, he is immutable. Just as we saw before in the garden when God asks man, "where are you?" We know that God is spirit and he is everywhere. God is not missing in any knowledge and does not asks questions to gain information. Therefore the questions are for our benefit and not for God's benefit. This is another example. God is not unaware or caught off guard by man's sins. The language conveys our loss and is contrasted with Noah's gain. Noah found favor (grace) in the eyes of God. Like Abraham, Noah found favor because he believed God. The story that follows makes that abundantly clear, Noah built an ark on dry ground because God told him too. In contrast, man disobeyed God's commands and their consciences by sinning against one another. One is saved by faith. The other group is judged by their evil. Every single one was considered evil. Even Noah sinned, but the one difference is that he truly believed God. He didn't play religion, or do works, or follow rules, or believe myths -- he truly believed in the one God. I think so many in our world will be amazed in the day of the Lord, that their religion did not save them. Their church attendance did not save them. Their life of good works did not save them. Because they missed out on the only thing that could save them, true belief in Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Father, we are blinded by the god of this world. Not only can we not see correctly, we can't think correctly. Our minds are confused by feelings. Open our eyes, our true eyes, our spiritual eyes to see what we cannot see well.

QT 27 Dec 18, 2 Cor 5:20-21, The Gospel is there, you are forgiven, you need to believe

2 Corinthians 5:20–21 (ESV) — 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

NOTE: This is our message. Jesus has taken all of our sins and nailed them to the cross. There is nothing you have done that has not been forgiven at the cross. Our job is to reconcile sinners to their savior. He wants you to become part of the family, to receive forgiveness, and a new life. There is nothing you have to do but believe. And there is no sin left but the sin of unbelief. That sin alone will send you to hell for eternity. To not believe in the only son of God is a sin because it is attested beyond any reasonable measure. To not believe is to choose hell over life, and for that choice, you will receive just what you believe. Oh world, open your eyes to our savior.

PRAYER: Lord, my world is becoming darker by the hours. The eyes of so many are blinded by sin and the deceits of Satan. They have willfully chosen not to believe. They are willfully choosing to sin against you. Have mercy. Show them your truth. Get their attention before it is too late.

QT 21 Dec 18, 2 Cor 5:1-5, Real life is yet to be experienced

2 Corinthians 5:1–5 (ESV) — 1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

NOTE: We say these things, but we don't believe them. We live for this life and don't believe that heaven is better. I've seen and heard people say, "but I want to see my children grow up, or get married, or have kids …" We don't believe heaven is better. We don't groan for our new bodies. We don't believe God. I suppose we might blame God that he made the temporal life so wonderful (except for our addition of sin during the rebellion), that we don't want to believe. But God said, no one has given up parents, children, homes,…  for my sake will not receive a hundred times more in this life and the life to come. What does that mean? We do not know completely. But can believe the character of God that we will not miss out on anything when we go to be with our savior.

PRAYER: Father, help our unbelief. We want to trust but the world tugs at our heart. We struggle in a body that is diseased with sin. We are set free from our old nature, but the vestiges of that old nature tug at us making us do the things we don't want to do. Forgive us for our sin. Have mercy on us. Give us your strength and grace. Bring good out of the garbage we create and call life.

QT 18 Dec 18, 2 Cor 4:1-2, True faith is based on God's word not on what we want God to be

2 Corinthians 4:1–2 (ESV) — 1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.

NOTE: A true Christian -- one who has experienced the life transforming impact of the Holy Spirit entering the heart upon belief -- understands these verses. Christianity is so different from religion. There are many charlatans who pranced about sharing a partial Christian message, claiming to be Christians, and claiming to do the work of God. But they are false prophets, of which there are many who take the name of Christ but do not really believe what Christ has said. They have picked and chosen what they want to believe from the bible and are left with an idol of their own making because they cannot accept the full teaching of the whole bible. They are fools, but not for Jesus' sake, but rather for their own rebellion. From the beginning, Satan has encouraged men to reject God by choosing to be their own gods. They may even consider themselves "believers" but they are not.

PRAYER: Lord, open the eyes of these pew-sitters to see that they believe in themselves and not the God of the bible. Break through their stubborn darkened hearts. As Paul continues, 2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV) — In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

QT 17 Dec 18, 2 Cor 3:7-8, We need new hearts not efforts

2 Corinthians 3:7–8 (ESV) — 7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?

NOTE: The ten commandments is pictured as the ministry of death. Why do we give it such attention? The ministry of the Spirit is so much greater. Yes, the ten commandments are good rules to live life, but there is something far greater for living life, the Holy Spirit. Because we need changed hearts, not just changed behavior. In fact if we have really been changed in heart, our lives will reflect the indwelling spirit, and so our behavior will change too.

PRAYER: Father, I really felt your Holy Spirit at work on Sunday. Please continue that work in our body. Change us, mold us, renew us in the likeness of Jesus.

QT 13 Dec 18, 2 Cor 3:3, It's not the ten commandments, it's a changed heart that the world needs to see

2 Corinthians 3:3 (ESV) — 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.

NOTE: The tablets of stone are a reference to the ten commandments. Paul dismisses the importance of them here, rather he emphasizes the changed human heart. What God has done in your heart is of far more importance than the ten commandments and can have so much more impact than the ten commandments on changing the world around you.  Our goal is not to follow the ten commandments, our goal is to follow a changed heart, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, that expresses love and seeks an ever deepening relationship with Jesus Christ. That is what we also want to see happen in the people to whom we minister -- changed lives caused by a change in heart. That is the letter we all want to write.

PRAYER: Father forgive me for my attention at times to rules. My focus needs to be on Jesus, who is supreme in all things. My life needs to witness a love for you and for my neighbor. That type of witness is what the world needs to see.

QT 11 Dec 18, 2 Cor 2:10-11, A design of Satan is that you never forgive certain people

2 Corinthians 2:10–11 (ESV) — 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

NOTE: What is one of Satan's designs that is referred to in this passage? Design means a mental perception or an evil purpose. I think the particular design is to get believers in the church to not forgive. To keep them so angry that they do not even want to consider forgiveness as an option. The idea is that the sin is so great, it can never be forgiven. But that thought is antithetical to the very death of Jesus who forgave us of every sin we have ever or will ever commit. He paid the full price. There is no sin too great that Jesus' death could not pay. So when we refuse to forgive another, we devalue what Jesus did for us. We are told to forgive as he forgave us. No sin is too great or too hurtful. We need to forgive and we need to ask God to remove our anger and we need to ask God to help us love the person who hurt us so badly.

PRAYER: Father, this is very hard. I can't think of anyone I hate or have not forgiven, but there are certainly people I do not like and I do not enjoy being around. Forgive me Lord for such a terrible attitude toward others. I can think of one person in particular who I can never say anything nice. Give me a love for that person and a tender heart. Help me to show love to the person. Help me to not talk about that person behind their back.

QT 10 Dec 18, 2 Cor 2:1-4, Conflict is a difficult spiritual area

2 Corinthians 2:1–4 (ESV) — 1 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And 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. 4 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.

NOTE: This is a tough situation for Paul. He is trying very hard to be positive. He knows that there is disagreement. He loves them and desires them to experience the true life of obedience and joy in Christ. He was debating visiting or just sending a note. His real desire was to visit. Obviously, God led him to write a letter. And it appears that the congregation accepted his reprimand well. I'm sure that was very encouraging.

We face many similar situations today. But letters can be cruel especially when written in haste. Or when tagged with some spiritual authority, like "I prayed about this and felt God wanted me to send it." Certainly we should pray and wait, but not mention it to the person. We are not prophets in the OT sense. We can be wrong. A better approach is to humbly suggest changes in another person's life. His or her obedience is an issue between them and God. If it outright sin and blatant, that is an issue for the elders and can be brought to them.

PRAYER: Lord, we are such a dirty smelly group of sheep. Help us to love each other first and foremost, because if we truly love we will only say the things that are helpful and not hurtful.

QT 6 Dec 18, 2 Cor 1:8-11, The New Covenant does not promise health and wealth

2 Corinthians 1:8–11 (ESV) — 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.

NOTE: A strong spiritual life is no guarantee against pain, suffering, and troubles. Paul's life was very difficult -- and not just for him, but also for his traveling companions. The health and wealth gospel is a lie from the pit of hell. The New Covenant (NC) does not promise physical blessings (the Old Covenant did in fact promise physical blessings), but the NC promises spiritual blessing. There will be times of physical blessings (for which we should thank God), but our reward is in heaven and from it we await our savior, Jesus Christ. He will rescue us from the coming wrath and tribulation that will occur in the day of the Lord. He will transform our body to be like his body without the temptations to sin.

In Genesis I noticed that Adam and Eve never considered sinning against God until approached by Satan. It did not enter their mind until Satan mentioned it. I wonder if that is part of the secret that in the millennial kingdom we will not only have a new body but our ears will be deaf to Satan.

PRAYER: Father, life can be very hard at times. Have mercy on us. May we not forget to thank you when times are good, and may we not forget you when times are bad as well. Protect us from the evil one. Provide for us our daily needs.

QT 3 Dec 18, 1 Cor 16:13, The world is intent upon destroying itself by disobedience to God's word

1 Corinthians 16:13 (ESV) — Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

NOTE: I suppose the above statement would fall under the category of "toxic masculinity." The problem is that it is not toxic and it is what our world needs today. It is impossible to make this argument in today's society as it will be interpreted as misogyny. And yet it is quite the opposite. It is a love for women and a desire for them to experience the life God planned for them, with a loving husband who protects and nourishes them. Children should be a joy, not a burden. Everything is so far from God's original intention. But whatever culture says, Christian men can stand firm and be strong. We can because we are men. And we will not shrink back at this important point in history.

PRAYER: Father, give me the strength to follow through. I do want to be strong. I do want to stand up to what is right. I do want to say what needs to be said and not play the spiritually correct song. Father, have mercy on us. Have mercy on my employer. Have mercy on my country. Have mercy on this world. We running into a pit at full steam, all the time mistakenly thinking that are eyes are wide open. We are so blinded and so foolish. Have mercy.