2014 Day 66 – 2 Corinthians 3

07 Friday Mar 2014

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God expects us to be bold. He also expects us to have confidence. Not confidence in ourselves, but confidence in the power and fulfillment that can only come from Him. 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 says, 4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. Paul was not boasting, but gave all the credit to God for everything that had been accomplished in his ministry. When we boast about ourselves and forget about how much God blesses us, we take away the glory God deserves and take it for ourselves.

2014 Day 65 – 2 Corinthians 2

06 Thursday Mar 2014

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2 Corinthians 2:16 is a very interesting passage, To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? As believers we should become comfortable either being a breath of fresh air or a reminder of this world’s need for Christ. Paul asks, “who is equal to such a task?”, but we must keep in mind our adequacy comes from God alone and not from our own efforts. God does not need us, He chooses us and there is a definite difference.

2014 Day 64 – 2 Corinthians 1

05 Wednesday Mar 2014

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There may come a day when we may be called to truly suffer for God. While no one wants to participate in suffering, we must also remember our comfort comes from God as well. 2 Corinthians 1:5 says, For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. All things come from God. Whether it is our comfort or the privilege of being used for His ultimate glory. It is never about us, it is always about God and He never leaves us even when we may lose sight of Him.

2014 Day 63 – 1 Corinthians 16

04 Tuesday Mar 2014

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As we end the book of 1 Corinthians, I can not help but notice what a great leader Paul is. He gives very detailed instructions and takes little to no praise for himself. He warns, instructs, and give praise when necessary. To often people get the wrong impression of what leadership looks like. It is not a cheerleader, dictator, tyrant, or manager. Leadership is about equipping others to do the work set before them. Paul realizes his role is not just to do, but to also equip others and future generations to carry out the message of the gospel throughout the world. There are many lessons to be learned here and Paul would be an interesting case study on effective leadership.

2014 Day 62 – 1 Corinthians 15

03 Monday Mar 2014

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In the beginning of today’s reading Paul talks about having to work harder than the other apostles to preach the gospel. Paul is not boasting, he is simply explaining the hurdle he had to overcome because of his past life as a persecutor of the early church. In 1 Corinthians 15:10 he says, But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Because of our past we are sometimes forced to work hard to overcome the perception of others. This has nothing to do with the grace God has granted to each of us. As Paul stated “by the grace of God I am what I am.” Who we are is established by God and not by men. Men are always welcome to their opinions, but that is all it is… an opinion.

2014 Day 61 – Why Does God Feel So Far?

02 Sunday Mar 2014

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Why does God feel so far away at times? Maybe He feels far because of our perception and not because of His actual location in relation to us.

God to far

 

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2014 Day 60 – 1 Corinthians 14

01 Saturday Mar 2014

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In today’s reading there is a lot of wisdom in 1 Corinthians 14:20 Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. When it comes to evil we should be like children who are cautious of everything. But when it comes to our thinking about spiritual things, we must work towards maturity and becoming adults who can be fully used by God.

2014 Day 59 – 1 Corinthians 13

28 Friday Feb 2014

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1 Corinthians 13 is one of the most powerful chapters in the entire Bible. Paul takes the time to emphasize the importance of love in all that we do. The verse that stood out to me as I read it today was verse 12, Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. Paul gives us hope for our future, that one day we will know what is important when we see God face to face. While we may not have all the answers right now, we will one day. And more importantly we will fully understand God’s perspective. It is hard to trust God has our best interest in mind, but with faith we know He ultimately does and we will fully understand it one day.

2014 Day 58 – 1 Corinthians 12

27 Thursday Feb 2014

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It is easy to get caught up in comparing our perceived effectiveness for God through comparison with other people. However, the reality is God does not expect us to be like someone else. He created us for a unique purpose for His glory. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says, 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Ultimately, nothing can effectively be used for God’s glory unless it is done through Him. If we try to accomplish grandiose tasks without Him in the process, then it is for our glory and we forgo glorifying God in the process.

2014 Day 57 – 1 Corinthians 11

26 Wednesday Feb 2014

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1 Corinthians 11:29 made me think this morning, For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. Many times I approach communion at my church one of two ways: 1) It’s just an exercise I must go through because my church said so, or 2) I don’t feel worthy of participating because of where my heart may be or because of a struggle I am facing. As far as the first issue; it is important to approach communion with the proper heart. I think it is better to not participate than to just go through the motions for the sake of others around you. As for the second; when we approach communion we must remember why we are doing it. Communion is a remembrance of what Christ did for us on the cross. He expects us to come before Him as an imperfect sinner who needed His sacrifice. The more we recognize how fallen we are, the more communion brings us closer to God if we approach it with the right attitude and state of mind.