2 Corinthians 4:1
Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.
Personal Challenge
We are all called to be ministers and priests for our Lord Jesus Christ. We all have opportunities to have a positive and lasting impression on someone else. We should not lose heart in this responsibility for we have received mercy from our God and He will provide for us as we follow His calling. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Isaiah 30:15
For thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel: “When you return and groan, then you will be saved and know where you were. When you trusted in vain things, vain was your strength, and you did not will to listen.”
Personal Challenge
Repentance is not confession. Confession is the act of admitting our sin to someone else, whether it be to God, to our priest, or to another person. Confession is the first step in repentance. Repentance is the set of steps following confession where we return to our Lord and grieve, or groan, as Isaiah calls out for our wrongdoing, followed by fleeing that which draws us to commit this sin and striving to pursue godly acts going forward. Without repentance, we end up trusting in vain things and therefore having vain strengths and an unwillingness to listen to our Lord. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
Personal Challenge
One of our fallen human characteristics is to desire to be in positions of authority, whether it be in our places of work, our homes, or our churches. Why do we embellish our resumes to paint such glorious pictures of our careers? Why do we demand absolute submission from our spouses or our children? Why do we play political games and butter up all of the “right” people in our churches? We do all of this as a way to build up “letters of commendation” for ourselves. Isn’t this really what is becoming the source of all of the fake news that we are seeing today…attempts to put ourselves first above those around us so that our dreams and desires will come true? What Paul is focusing on here is that these kinds of letters of commendation mean nothing for they are false documents. What really counts are those things that we have written on the hearts of those around us. If we are truly living our lives the way that God wants us to, loving Him and loving our neighbors, then the resume of our life will be evident in the life of everyone that we have come into contact with for we would have sincerely imparted a part of Christ upon them. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner and forgive me for seeking to build “letters of commendation”!
Isaiah 29:13
So the Lord said, “These people draw near to Me and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and they worship Me in vain, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men.
Personal Challenge
We are called to love the Lord our God with all of our heart and body. However, it is so easy to slip into the mode of just going through the motions of liturgical practices and leaving our hearts guarded and protected from even God. I see it every Sunday…older, seasoned adults who come to the liturgy and yet glare at the young parents because their child is restless. I see it regularity with people who are striving for some position in the local church body and yet do things to others so that they can be their stepping stones to their desired goal. And yes, I see it in myself as I regularly show up for liturgy with the appearance of piety and having my act all together just to find myself thinking about, and judging those around me for their behaviors when mine is just as bad, if not worse. I too must continually be searching the depths of my heart to ferret out those areas which I guard and protect from turning over to my Lord and God for cleansing. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
2 Corinthians 1:10
(God) who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us,
Encouraging Words
When Adam and Eve introduced sin into God’s creation, the ultimate consequence was death, both physical and spiritual. It is this death that Jesus Christ defeated on the cross. Through His victory over death, we have all been delivered from its constraints and bondage. Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs, bestowing life.
Isaiah 28:16
therefore, thus says the Lord: “Behold, I lay for the foundations of Zion a costly stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone for its foundations, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.
Encouraging Words
Christianity is not founded on some person’s teaching or special accomplishment. It is founded on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is founded on the only one in the history of mankind and eternity to be fully God and fully man. It is because of this foundation that the Church can be built and nothing will ever prevail against it. It is because of this foundation that we who are finite can claim eternal life by believing in Him. Glory be to God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Encouraging Words
We often wonder why God allows us to go through different trials and tribulations. There are as many answers to this question as there are people asking it. One important thing that Paul points out to the Corinthians, and us, is that what we do with our trials and tribulations is also extremely important. One of the most important things that we can do is to use our experience to provide comfort and guidance to another who is going through a similar trial or tribulation. We have been through it. We have survived. We can offer compassion to the other that is a sincere and experiential compassion. We can be God’s hands, feet, and arms to offer comfort, support, and guidance to another. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Isaiah 26:7
The way of the godly is straight; and the way of the godly is prepared.
Personal Challenge
We are told here by Isaiah and later reminded by Jesus in the parable of the ten bridesmaids, that one of the characteristics of a godly person is to be prepared. We know that our Lord will be returning to take us home with Him. In that knowledge, we should be doing whatever we can to be ready and worthy for Him. This requires us to be living lives that are focused on Him and the fact that He could arrive at any moment. Glory be to God.
Isaiah 12:2
Behold, God is my Savior and Lord. I will trust in Him and be saved by Him. I will not be afraid, for the Lord is my glory and my praise. He has become my salvation.
Encouraging Words
Our Lord is not just some man that was great in his time, died, and left followers behind that are keeping his teachings alive. Our Lord was fully a human being like every one of us, but He was also fully God. He is the only human to have lived His entire life sinless and pure. He is also the only Lord who freely gave up His life for mankind, was put to death in a horrible way, and then resurrected from that death, with scores of witnesses of Him in His resurrected body. He is the only Lord that lives this day, 2,000 years later. He is our Savior and Lord. We can put our trust in Him and not be afraid, for He is our salvation.
Verse of the Day 