2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (Fix Our Eyes)

 <sup>For Amy and Ben

16</sup> Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ 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.

This was the verse that we used at my grandma's funeral, and we liked it so much because it really lead us to the doorway of Hope, that we used it again four months later at my mom's funeral.  My grandma's funeral in December of 2008 was the first funeral of a loved one I had attended that meant something, the first death of someone very close to me who I wasn't "ready" to lose yet.  And I remember thinking, how do people without the hope of Christ make it though this?  What do you have at the end of it all if you don't have Heaven and Jesus?  Thankfully, my first funeral wasn't my mom's, because I'm not sure how I would've made it though that without having watched my sweet grandma pass away first in order to know what to expect when Mom died.  The only people I've watched die both died of cancer, so I can't say what it's like for everyone, but I remember that watching their bodies decline in such unrecognizable ways was almost more than I could bear.  Death is rotten.

There is something about the death of a loved one that just doesn't sit right.  We know that all of us will die, yet it still just feels like we were cheated.  And we were.  It wasn't created to be this way.  "In the beginning," we weren't created to experience death.  But with sin, came death.

But all praise to our Heavenly Father, who chose to make a way for us to live forever with Him!  He sent his son, Jesus, who cheated death -- something no one else in all of history has done -- when He rose from the grave three days after He died!  Now that is worth shouting about!!

So, when we "die" now, we don't really die, because if we have chosen to accept what Christ did for us in his death and resurrection, then "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8), and immediately we walk through an unseen "curtain" (my metaphor) and into God's presence (which will be more wonderful than we can even try to imagine or predict).  So, we are never really "dead".  And in that moment, all the hardship, the disease, the mockery, the ridicule, the poverty, the tears, the stress, the unmet expectations of this world will vanish.  They will mean nothing to us in that moment.  So also will my cars, my house, my clothes, my status at work, my name on plaques and buildings, my Pinterest account, my Facebook account, my Twitter account, all my favorite TV shows and movies, my social status, my stocks and bonds, my vacation rentals, my collection of books, and everything else of material possession -- they will all mean absolutely nothing to me in that moment.

Instead, what will matter in that moment and the moments to follow will be how I loved God and people, how I served God and His people, how I trusted God enough to persevere through tough circumstances, what I did with the material possessions and money He gave me, if I made time for people, if I lived a life worthy of His calling, if I was interruptable, if I told the truth in all things, if I was humble, if I was loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, compassionate, gentle, and self-controlled, if I loved my neighbor as myself and if I loved the Lord, my God, with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Because if I did, I am going to have some major celebrating to do with the people whose lives God impacted through me and the people whose lives God used to impact me, and I don't know what all the rewards will be, but if God (the One who owns everything in the entire universe) is in charge of the party-planning, it is going to be one mind-blowing party to kick-off the rest of eternity!

And so, my dear friends, we may be watching those we love as their bodies are outwardly wasting away, but my prayer is that we are equally crying out to God so that we can be renewed day by day in the process -- today and for the next few decades.  Our momentary troubles (and oh, how they hurt) are developing in us characteristics that we could never develop if it weren't for these troubles, and the characteristics and trust and faith that these difficult times create last forever.  Forever.  Even into Heaven.  So, we must keep our hearts focused on what we can't see (our God and His Heaven and the work that He is doing in us) because those are the things that will last for all of eternity.  
And we will be there soon, too.

I love this from The Message:

^16-18 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.

Keep pressing on and leaning in Him, my brothers and sisters.  God brings light from darkness, life from death, and He is working in you in the midst of your grief.  I promise you, because I know so! We are almost there, and it will be magnificent, and all of this will be worth it.  He promises.

2 Corinthians 4:11-15 (Speak Up)

¹¹ Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. ¹² So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.
¹³ But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” ¹⁴ We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. ¹⁵ All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.


 ¹¹ Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus  Okay, we may not live like our Chinese brothers and sisters, and countless others around the world, who might actually die for their faith today, but what about the death of other things?  Have you had a family member or friend turn their back on you because you chose to trust in Christ?  That's the death of a relationship.  Have you had to change the course of your occupation or perhaps struggled at work because of your relationship with Christ, ending in the death of a job?  How about the death of a dream?  The death we experience as a result of trusting Christ may not always be in the form of physical death.

So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.  We may face deaths and persecution, but it's because of these beliefs that we are receiving eternal life.  And though we may think we are at the end of our rope, we never are.  Christ has victory over ALL deaths -- all our risks, humiliations, and trials are opportunities for Christ to demonstrate His power and presence in and through us, for us, and to the watching world.  We know how it ends -- those who trust in Christ receive Heaven!

But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.  Paul faced more hardship because of his desire to preach about Christ than any of us can say; yet, he continued to speak the truth of Jesus Christ because of the importance of salvation, and knowing that one day he would obtain God's rest and rewards.  Look at the cause and effect there:  I believed, so I spoke.  We believe, but how often do we speak of it to others -- believers and non-believers?  Is speaking about God something you do on a daily basis?  I'd wonder if it's fair to say that we speak about what we think about most, and if that's true, am I speaking about God to the people around me?  Am I telling others (Christian and non-) about my hardships and my trust, what I'm doing at church this weekend, and who Jesus is to me?  I want God to be part of my everyday speech!

And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.  How hard is it to not think about ourselves?  Umm...very.  Yet I see that Paul's goal here is toward others -- that more and more people would come to know Christ and that God would receive more and more glory.  I feel convicted today that so often what I do is for myself, and yet everything I do should be for God's glory, not my own!  I know my heart, and 95% of the time it is concerned about me.  But if I'm concerned about God, people knowing God, and God receiving all the praise for everything good, then I will have the perspective and passion to keep speaking the Word, even in the face of hardship.  It's amazing to me how quickly things that are solely about me can lose their steam, but when the focus of my work is about God and others, that's when I have the supernatural, God-given motivation, desire, and strength to press on!

But there's one little but big phrase we skipped...And all this for your benefit (vs 15).  All what?!  All the death, trial, hardship, persecution.  I've said it before, but I'll say it again, God does His greatest works in our lives during our trials and hardships and anguish.  It's true!  I am a living testament to that!  It is in these times that we will stretched beyond our own capacity to a place where we know we've become a little more like Christ, we will question in ways we never have before to a place where we have a little more faith than we did before, and we will have a compassion for others that is deeper and more meaningful than any word that ever passed our lips or any action that graced our fingertips before.  All I can tell you, my dear friend, is that whatever trial you may be facing right now, keep your feet planted where you are, because God is doing something good in your life.  You may not see it now because all you see is darkness ahead, but I promise you, and these verses promise you, the light is coming!  God doesn't use us up like a pen and then throw us away when we have completed a task and are no longer useful to Him -- no!!  He sees you, and He's with you, and He promises if you stick it out with Him, you will come out more complete on the other side.  He is not wasting your pain.  There is purpose in it if you will hold on long enough to catch a glimpse of it.  He loves you, and He only works for your good (Romans 8:28).  Only for your good.

And when you do catch a glimpse of the benefits...speak up!

James 1:17 (Good Gifts)

Once again, I must veer away from where I "should" be going in 2 Corinthians this morning to something that was so powerful to me last night as I was doing a little reading.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  James 1:17

I have the pleasure of studying the great book of James with about 15 other amazing women right now, and this was the verse for yesterday's study.  I was so filled up by it that I just have to share it with you this morning!

Here's the key word: EVERY.  Every single good thing in your life comes from your Creator, who loves you so intensely.  He's like a father wanting to give good gifts to His kids!  If we've got some good stuff going on in our lives right now, He's the one to thank!  That's just the kind of gift-giving God He is.

However, we often associate our temptations, our diseases, our lack of _____ with God's punishment.  We are often are like Proverbs 19:3,  "A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord."  Umm....yes, that's me.  How many times have I made foolish choices, but then blamed the poor result on God?  But even in the midst of those choices, God blessed me with the gift of "getting caught" so that I could be more perfect, more complete, as His child in those stages of my life.  That was a "perfect"gift for me at the time, and I am much better for it now.

But sometimes, He lavishes us with gifts that we might more readily think of as "good".  For instance, the author of this study had us take our age and divide by four (to represent the four quarters of our lives) then begin listing gifts that we received in each quarter.  In my first quarter of life, I was over-whelmed with the gifts God gave me: two incredible, Christ-following parents, three younger sisters to play with, a woods in our backyard for amazing adventures, leading me to come to know him at the Little Lamb Preschool and Kindergarten at the age of 5, a large and loving extended family on both sides, and the list goes on...and though there was not much hardship in the first quarter, there was in the other quarters, and even hardship has been a gift to me.  I can say that with 100% honesty.

So, I challenge us today to think of all the "good and perfect gifts" you have received, the gifts you readily receive, and the difficult experiences that you can look back upon now and see how they actually were a gift.

Take some time with me to thank God for these things.  Don't you see how He's been working in your life all these years?  And He doesn't change...He will keep giving you gifts, so keep your eyes open to that today.  I'm sure He's getting 'em lined up right now...

Whatever is good in your life, thank Him for it today.

Thank you, Lord.  You are so incredibly much more than we could ever deserve.

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (Pressed, Not Crushed)

⁷ We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
⁸ We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. ⁹ We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. ¹⁰ Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
¹¹ Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. ¹² So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

 ⁷ We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.   And so for some unimaginable reason that I will never understand, but which slowly seems like an incredible plan, God has chosen to put His light in us--we are some of the main instruments through which He has decided to whisper His love to the world (that is, when we show love to the world on His behalf).  But He shouts through our troubles.  We hold this treasure, but we ourselves are nothing to look at or to toot about, and so the idea that we hold a treasure would seem preposterous!  That is, until a Believer comes upon some trouble.  Anyone can praise Jesus in the good times, but we are most bright to the world when we are praising Jesus in the not-so-good times.  That is how the world looks past our tiny selves and sees Jesus.

⁸ We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. ⁹ We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. ¹⁰ Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.   Every person on earth falls into hard times, but one of the main differences God intends the world to see is how we respond to difficulty.  I know a woman who lost her husband and her 17-year-old daughter within 6 months of each other.  Just when she thought life was really starting to get great, she lost the two people most precious to her along with all the dreams she had for that future.  She grieved, oh how she grieved!  Please hear me say that Christians aren't stronger if they don't grieve or if they don't cry, no!  Tears and grief are as natural as eating three square meals.  But when the dust settled a bit, this woman chose to dig her heels in and keep trusting her God anyway.  Was she pressed on every side?  Every!  The financial, the emotional, the spiritual...the pressure got strong!  But she was not crushed, because she held onto a glimmer of hope that God was going to do something.  Then she was perplexed -- she didn't understand why God allowed this to happen.  But she didn't focus on the 'why' which would lead to despair.  Instead, she focused on the promises in Scripture.  And you know what, I think that is the hardest thing to do sometimes.  When I have felt myself spiraling into despair, why is it that the last thing I want to do is sit down and open the Bible?  It's not physically hard to sit down and open a leather-bound book, but in those moments, it seems that sitting down and opening a book is the last thing I want to do -- I'd rather stay up and moving and going and doing -- not sitting down and being quiet before the Lord.  And so digging our heels in doesn't always mean just going and doing even MORE.  Sometimes, the hardest, toughest, strongest thing to do is to trust God enough to open the pages of His Word.  And when we do...we will find that we have been knocked down pretty hard, we are bruised and bloody, but we are not destroyed.  No, we are not destroyed.

¹¹ Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. ¹² So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.  Would you live differently if you knew you'd never leave this earth one day?  Yes, we do continue to live in Heaven, but what about this Earth?  Though we never cease to exist when we die, we will leave this world one day, and so we do "live under constant danger of death."  But as we all are one day closer to dying and leaving this earth, the hope is that "the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies."  There is something about knowing you're dying that causes one to live a different way -- Tim McGraw sang a whole song about wanting to "Live Like You Were Dying."  But we all are dying!  Whether our current trial is a terminal disease or a financial difficulty, we are all preparing to leave this world sooner than we'd like, and I want the life of Jesus to be evident in my dying body.  That is how the world will come to know Him.

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
--Jesus

2 Corinthians 4:1-7 (Light from Darkness)

4 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. ² Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. ³ And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴ The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.  Do you believe you have a ministry?  No, like me, you may not be Paul or Peter and you may not be a missionary living in Asia, but you do have a ministry -- you know that, right?  Your ministry may be living as the light in your dark workplace, or it may be living as the light within your areas of service within the church, or it may be living as the light in your home as you change diapers, fold laundry, and make meals while little ones run around your feet.  Whatever or wherever you are, you have a ministry!  You are shining the light of Christ to whomever you are around (even when you're just relaxing with your best friend)!  And so with this ministry, we do not lose heart because God, in His mercy, supplies the strength necessary to persevere, even in the face of hardship and persecution and exhaustion.

Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.  We must always remember that in whatever we're doing, God is there.  At work, God is right there.  At home, God is right there.  In the car on the way home from work, God is there.  At the grocery store, God is there.  And He sees what we do and hears what we say.  And so in the presence of God and of anyone else I may be with, I so desire to speak the Truth about Christ and His love for us at appropriate times.  I don't want to trick anyone into coming to church with me or even into reading this blog!  No, deception is never the way to love others.  Always, always tell the truth...simply and plainly.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  Yes, the truth of Christ is hidden from people, and the ones who don't know Him are dying!  The god of this age is satan, and he is the one who has blinded the minds of unbelievers, leading them to only have eyes for the things of this world.  The Word is numb to them, and they do not "get" Jesus.  And we absolutely need to remember that people around us are perishing, so what Jesus is about to say is crucial, but it also doesn't need to over-whelm us.

 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.  And that is our mission: to be the light that shines in the darkness.  If we are doing that, we have succeeded, whether people choose to accept Christ as their personal Savior or not.  We are not the cure-giver, only the care-giver to the people in our lives...Jesus is the one with the cure.  I like how The Message puts these last two verses:  
Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.
Do you see the command?  Jesus, said, "Okay (your name), I have filled you up and continue to light you up as you grow in Me, now run on out there and light up this dark world as my Spirit oozes out of you wherever you go!"  
 ...And one other thing that I'm just noticing -- Jesus says, "Let light shine OUT of darkness."  Physics might tell us that light cannot shine out of darkness, since darkness is the absence of light.  But that's where we remember that our God MADE physics and science, and He is commanding it to happen -- but how?  This is one of the most powerful and wonderful parts of knowing Christ for me: that He does take our darkness -- our grief, our loss, our despair, our hurts -- and He can make light come from those experiences.  A lot of light has come out of the deep darkness of losing my mom and our first baby (see entries from August).  I have grown so much and in so many ways, and I can take those experiences and help draw others closer to Christ when they are in pain, and more than anything, I've learned to trust God like never before!  Now THAT is some light coming from darkness.

God takes our darkness and draws light from it.  God takes us into a dark world and allows us to shine light into it.  It is a great calling to get the be the light in the dark, and just the tiniest light can invade an entire dark room!  (For more on that, read "Candle" from last February...I learned a lot that day.)

And so, my dear friends, you are that light today.  You're not curing anyone, but you are just letting your light shine in whatever darkness you may encounter today.  A little Light goes a long way, and our Lord will supply you with what you need.  

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..." Now those are some powerful words coming out of the mouth of 3-year-olds...and may we choose to sing that song today as well...
 

2 Corinthians 3:7-18 (Lifted Veil)

In the past year, the Lord has really given me a heart for Jewish people.  It is clear through ALL of Scripture, even the New Testament, just how much He loves these people and has made them such a huge part of His larger plan...and I wanted to know more about these dear people.

One thing I've learned is that as we look back through all the names of people groups in the Old Testament, names like the Moabites, the Cushites, the Maacathites, and countless other people groups, these names no longer exist in our current day cultures because they have been overtaken by other groups who then overtook those groups, etc.  But the Jews, the Israelites, the tiny little people group out of tiny little Israel made it all these thousands of years...how is that?  It's because they are God's people.  He has guarded them.

In this quest to learn more, I've been enthralled to read about the Old Covenant God made with His people (the 613 laws) verses the New Covenant in Jesus which is not about earning your salvation by following laws, but rather is a gift offered to us through Christ from God that we don't deserve nor do we have to do anything to receive it other than to accept it and claim Christ.

So here we are in 2 Corinthians, and today's passage is all about the Old and New Covenants!  Remember that verse 6 on Monday reminded us that the old way of following the laws brought death (because no one could possibly keep all 613 laws perfectly), but the new way gives us a way to pay for our sin and lack of law-keeping: Jesus.  And once we accept Him, we have His Holy Spirit at work within us (a very powerful, incredible gift that the Jews and other non-believers do not yet possess).

⁷ Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, ⁸ will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? ⁹ If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!  ¹⁰ For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. ¹¹ And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!    
 So, remember that Moses' laws were carved on tablets of stone on Mt. Sinai. And when Moses came down from the mountain, after being in the presence of God, his face was so bright that he had to put a veil over it because people could not look at him!  (And to think that is just the by-product of being in the presence of The Holy One!  Wow!)  But then it says, "transitory though it was..."  This means that the brightness would not last forever, and Moses kept his face covered to prevent people from seeing to glory/brightness fade away over time.  And so when we read about Moses' face when he came down with the laws, we know that even the Old Testament law, which was written by God, did have some glory (glory = beauty, distinction, magnificence) that came with it.  But it would not and could not last forever, because we cannot keep those laws.  We are human, and we were condemned from the beginning with that law.  BUT...if even the laws brought some glory (in that although it condemned us, it pointed us to our need for a Savior), then how much more glorious is God's plan which gives us life through the Holy Spirit?!  In the new covenant, the law and the promises are fulfilled.  Christ has come and by faith, we may be made right with God!  

I love to know that the old law had a purpose, don't you?  God wasn't just wasting time or messing with us...He was laying the foundation for something so magnificent, it would blow our minds!

¹² Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. ¹³ We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away.
It's because of this great hope, we can be very bold.  Yes!  We know that what is here now is here to stay, and we don't need to cover our faces or hide from anyone.  This is it!  This is the pinnacle -- Christ has come, and we are freed...forever! 

 ¹⁴ But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. ¹⁵ Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. ¹⁶ But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.   This is the part that makes me so sad.  He's talking about the Jews!  They are still veiled, and they do not yet see what God has done for them in fulfilling the law and the prophets through Jesus Christ.  Christ is the only one who can lift the veil and bring understanding to our hearts, and whenever anyone turns to Jesus, the veil is taken away.  Have you heard people talk about feeling different when they have decided to follow Christ?  Or perhaps they understand the Bible now, when before the words seemed so foreign before?  I am praying, praying, praying for my Jewish friends (and not surprisingly, God has given me MANY more in the past couple years).  Oh, how I wish they and the rest of the world would turn to Christ!

 ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  No more bondage to laws and to our past here!  When the Holy Spirit resides in us once we accept Christ, we experience a freedom like we've never known before.  The new covenant is one of grace, forgiveness, hope, and love.  There is a lightening of step and a joy in our hearts!  Being ruled by shame and guilt is an experience only in the past once we experience the transforming power of Jesus Christ.  

¹⁸ And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.   Look at the picture here: rather than being bright but growing dimmer, this tells us we are  "being transformed"...like right this moment and all the moments in the future, it's continual... with an "ever-increasing glory."  We just keep getting brighter and brighter as we are constantly being made more like Christ each day!  We don't veil our faces, but we reflect the Lord and His glory to the watching world.  As we pray and study His Word, we are transformed by His Spirit.  And we don't do it for ourselves, because we are not the ones with the power.  No, God does that for us and in us.

Oh, Lord.  I am just overcome this morning! Thank you for this great plan You have been working since the beginning of time.  And thank you for letting us see just a glimpse of what You are doing with humanity!  My words fall short, but I am just so overcome by how much You know, how much You love us, that You could possibly desire a relationship with us, and that You are even willing to do work in our lives that helps us grow.  Who am I, Lord, that You would love me?  I am speechless, but I am so grateful.  I love you.  God, help me to shine Your glory to the world, especially to my dear friends who don't know You.  How my heart aches for them and that they don't know this incredible love and forgiveness You have for them.  May I be a reflection of You. Thank you for lifting my veil.

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 (Confidence)

⁴ We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. ⁵ It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. ⁶ He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.

Self-esteem.  Self-confidence.  These are two words that get thrown around a lot in our culture.  And for the non-Believer, they are as good as we can get -- feeling good about ourselves because of ourselves and who we are -- but that's a lie.  We are nothing in and of ourselves.  That's where our society has gone wrong, just like many societies before us.  We begin to see ourselves as god-like, having the ability to change ourselves, having value because of how great we are, and being the main instrument for change in the world.  But for the Believer, there is something given to us that is so much deeper, longer-lasting, and of intensely greater worth: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

As the verses above remind us, our confidence comes from God through Christ.  We know that we are not qualified to do anything on our own, but yet God, in His infinite love for these beings He created, gave us a way to be connected to Him, to escape death, to live a purposeful and fulfilling life on this earth by living the exciting way God intends, and to help others do the same.  The God of the Universe gave that ability to us.  It is because of absolutely nothing that we've done for ourselves.  It's all because of Him.

Now, naturally, you'd think that when you really begin to see yourself for who we really are: value-less, sinful, selfish people whose hearts are deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9), you begin to feel pretty low...not confident, not of worth at all, and it doesn't feel very good, so people don't like to go there.  But, my dear friends, we cannot understand what we gain until we know how much we don't have!  As the above verses say, the Law (all those rules) remind us how far we are from perfect...just look at the Ten Commandments, let alone all 613 laws in the OT!  As hard as we try, we will never be perfect or justified by ourselves...


But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.  Jeremiah 10:12

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:26

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8

You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.  Acts 3:15

But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.  1 Cor. 12:24-25


But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us...  2 Cor. 7:6

 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.  Hebrews 3:4

They (our parents) disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.  Hebrews 12:10

...Yes, we were nothing. But God...But God chose to teach us, to get involved with us, to save us from our own sin, to teach us how to love best, to give us strength when we are weak, to give us a Church where we can show the world what it looks like to live according to God's design, to die for us.  It is only because of God that we have any worth, any direction, any hope for today and tomorrow.

He is the reason I have confidence...and it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with Him.

2 Corinthians 3:1-3 (Written on My Heart)

Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! ² The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. ³ Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.

Paul is once again trying to convince his fellow Christians of his authority given by Christ.  False teachers had begun carrying "letters of authority" (many of them forged) to authenticate their authority as teachers of the law.  But Paul is saying that he needs no such letter, because the proof that God was working in and through him and those around him were their very lives -- their CHANGED lives.

Think about the ways both big and small that you have changed since knowing Christ.  No, REALLY think about how you have changed.  What kind of person were you 1 year ago? 5? 10?  We do not become believers and better Christ-follwers by reading some man-written manual on how to become better people.  No human being can take credit for this conversion!  Our conversion is the result of God placing His Spirit within us, which gives us the power to understand His Word (the Bible) and then live in a new way for Him.  How incredible that is!?  Do we really think about this?  It's like we all have that super-power we've always wanted to have.  We have a power in us that is way beyond ourselves -- the power to be less like our human nature and more like the God of the Universe (though we are still incredibly far from being exactly like Him).

I really love this thought that God's letter to us is written on our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  How personal, how intimate.  It could have been that God would scribe some words on large stone tablets and place one in each church -- that would still be pretty intimate if He made one for each church in the world!  But He goes way beyond that and says, No, I want a personal, one-on-one relationship with you.  I want my Word and ways to be in the deepest part of you where no one can touch it but you and I, where the center of your emotions, your longings, your desires, and your decisions reside.  I want to write My Spirit into your heart.

What an incredible gift.  What an incredible love.  What an incredible opportunity I have to listen to this new Spirit inside me and be lead in unimaginable ways today.

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (Hobby Lobby and Other Aromas)

¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. ¹⁵ For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. ¹⁶ To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? ¹⁷ Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.

What are some of your favorite smells?  Yes, yes....we all love the smell of baking bread, chocolate chip cookies, and flowers.  But are there some smells that you love that others find interesting?  For instance, I absolutely love the smell of certain stores: Lowes, Blockbuster (which is slowly disappearing), Hobby Lobby, and our public library here in town to name a few.  

This summer, I took the kids I nanny for to the library one day, and as we approached the door, I warned them that they were about to smell one of the greatest smells they had ever smelt.  We walked in and all took a big whiff which left a smile on my face and a confused look on theirs.  I had to explain that it was a mixture between "new building smell, a chlorinated swimming pool, and muffins"...as we continued walking, they started to agree with me.  Who knows what they really think of the smell of the library (or of me for that matter), but the next week, they couldn't wait to go smell the library with me!

Aromas are funny aren't they?  We all have different preferences, and you can begin to like aromas that you didn't like before, but I wonder if it has more to do with association than the actual smell (for instance, associating that the smell reminds you of your incredibly fun and funny nanny...).  Just kidding...well, kind of.

And so we are used by God to spread the aroma of Christ.  It's quite obvious just by looking at the news or Facebook that we, Christians, have a pleasant aroma to some and an aroma of death to others.  You know that smell, right?  The aroma of death....dead animals, dead food in the trash can, dead plants that have stayed in the vase a little too long.  Never is "death" a pleasant smell.  

This is quite a large task He has given us, spreading the aroma of Christ, which some will love and others will hate!  But we are His hands and feet on this earth until He returns, and much of what people think about Christ is reflective upon what they see in us.  And based on what they see in our lives, they may begin to like the aroma of God in a way they have never experienced before.

Now, lest I talk all of us into acting like my natural position of "people pleasing," this doesn't mean that everyone will like us!  Look at verse 17, and see we are to speak of God sincerely, truthfully.  Or as the NLT puts it, "You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us."  And when we speak of God, our relationship with Him, and what Christ did for us, some people will not be happy about it.  That fact is plain as day based on what we read.  We must know that people will not agree or like what we say...perhaps because saying that Jesus is the only way seems "narrow-minded".  They won't like that.  

But others will have their eyes opened by God.  Others will see our lives and our message and suddenly "get it."  The aroma that once smelled like death to them, will begin to smell like life and beauty and peace and love.  You can begin to like aromas that you didn't like before.

So what kind of a smell are you today?  Cookies?  Rotting flowers?  Hobby Lobby?  Not everyone will think you "smell good,"  but don't change the aroma itself to make it smell better as those do "who peddle the Word of God for profit;" instead, remain steadfast, prayerful, and servant-minded.  And let those who will, see Jesus in you.

Whether they come around to "liking" the aroma or not doesn't matter, because the aroma of Christ on this Earth ALWAYS pleases the Lord.

2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11 (The Dirty Church)

²³ Now I call upon God as my witness that I am telling the truth. The reason I didn’t return to Corinth was to spare you from a severe rebuke. ²⁴ But that does not mean we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm.

2 So I decided that I would not bring you grief with another painful visit. ² For if I cause you grief, who will make me glad? Certainly not someone I have grieved. ³ That is why I wrote to you as I did, so that when I do come, I won’t be grieved by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy. Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful. ⁴ I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you.

⁵ I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. ⁶ Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. ⁷ Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. ⁸ So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.

⁹ I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. ¹⁰ When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, ¹¹ so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.

Christians are not perfect.  We know it, and the world sure knows it.  The Outsiders expect to enter a church and find a bunch of people who are put together perfectly, prim and proper, and holy.  And sometimes we are.  But more often than not, we too, are a mixed bag of emotions, experiences, relationships, preferences, and personalities -- as different as the spices in our spice racks -- that when used together in the right way, make something delicious, so delicious that the world wants a piece of it.
...but that's on our good days.

The further I get into this book, the more mess I see with the Corinthian church.  Paul, the leader, is showing us a lot about how to lead some unruly folks, who at one time followed Him with great gusto, but seem to be a little distracted right now...hmm, I wonder if these methods work on squirrely fifth-graders, too? 

Feelings have been hurt...guidance has been given...grief and pain abound in this book so far...accusations of falsehood are being tossed around.  Yet, Paul has not given up.  In fact, he continues to be loving and direct.  I love verse 4, "I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you."  What?  Paul has cried about this?  Apparently a lot.

Have you ever cried over something that's happened in your church?  I have.  I grew up in the church where I currently attend, and I absolutely LOVE my church.  But I love it more now than I did as a child because I see the imperfections -- I can look at us as we really are, imperfect people so desperately trying to love and serve our perfect God.  I've been so disheartened by some of our choices one moment, and then so proud of us the next.  I've lost sleep over different situations in my church.  I've had conversations with people that left me so broken and sad.  So, if the church is a mess of people, too, why even go?

Well, here is what I have come to learn about why The Church really is different than the world: because of God's wisdom and guidance for us in the Bible, we are shown how to deal with the hard stuff.  It doesn't mean life is any easier for us or there is any less hard stuff (just yesterday I talked with someone who had just lost a family member, another person who is waiting for a diagnosis today and it doesn't look good, and yet another who is dealing with some major life changes that are over-whelming at times), so no, life is not easier, per say.  But we are given the knowledge and then the opportunity to choose a different perspective, to choose forgiveness, to choose to love.

I absolutely love my church.  I want the best for my church, and I want us to be the best representatives for Jesus Christ that we can be.  And sometimes, that means direct and loving conversations.  No one has ever had one of those with me at work, or in the grocery store line, or at school when I was a student.  But they have come to me from the people in The Church, who also don't want us to stay the way we are -- they want me to be better, too.

So, no, we're not perfect in the Church.  But, I think those of us who really love Jesus and desire to serve Him sure want to be better.  We want to grow.  We want to put ourselves aside and put Jesus and others first.  We want to be united with each other, not torn apart by conflict.  We want to be loving to everyone, not judgmental because of our own prejudices and self-righteousness. We don't do it perfectly, but we really do try with Christ's help.  And when you have a bunch of sinful people with that attitude, it is one of the most beautiful creations I have ever seen.  THAT is The Church.

And here is why we keep going, even in our messy moments, Church: "so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes" (verse 11).  The Evil One knows that we are a powerful unit when we are working together, and he will do whatever he can to divide us, to distract us, to make us focus on the small stuff...and he's been using the same tactics for millennia!  Why does he spend so much time working against The Church?  Because we are the spark that could start the forest fire, so he continually tries to snuff us out in whatever ways he can...usually the really dumb stuff.  So we don't let him -- we continue to work through conflicts, continue to serve others instead of ourselves, continue to look to Christ for wisdom and direction, and continue to work together for the sake of eternity.

...so, I'm not giving up on these Corinthians yet.  Satan is currently using false teachers, lies, and accusation to misdirect them.  But perhaps, hopefully, they are experiencing a season where they will look back one day and be able to admit: I was wrong.  I was immature.  I was selfish.  I know I have 20,000 examples of retrospective moments like that in my life, thanks to the direct and loving conversations others have been willing to have with me.

And so we are being renewed day by day...cleaned and re-cleaned, pruned and primed as we grow closer to Him.  The world knows we're not perfect, but my prayer is that they would also see that though we are dirty, we know The Way to be cleaned.

2 Corinthians 1:17-20 (Yes and No)

¹⁷ You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say “Yes” when they really mean “No”? ¹⁸ As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” ¹⁹ For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. ²⁰ For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

"What, you mean this sweater is marked down an extra 25%?  "Yes!" 
"May I have a grande, nonfat, hazelnut misto?"  "Yes!"
"Josh, are you sure we can afford that anniversary trip to Hawaii?"  "Yes!"

We love to hear "yes," don't we?  (For the record, Josh has not said 'yes' to that last one...yet.)  Just thinking about the word 'yes' makes my eyebrows go up and brings a smile to my face.

Here, Paul continues to explain why he had planned a trip to see the Corinthians but then changed his plan (we learn later that it was for their good).  The false teachers are trying to turn the people against him by accusing Paul of being wishy-washy because of this, so these above verses are Paul's response.

This is not the only time in the Bible where "yes and no" are the subject.  Matthew 5 has these words from Jesus: "And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.  All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

Anytime something in the Bible is the focus more than once, I know to pay attention.  Jesus Himself gave us this command!  He must know something about us...and boy does He!  Giving someone our word should be simple, keeping our word should be paramount, and explaining a 'no' is not necessary. Molly, the People Pleaser, continues to learn this a little more every year.  Maybe you need to hear it from someone like I did: IT'S ABSOLUTELY OKAY, AND SOMETIMES BEST, TO SAY NO!  

Example: Just this past weekend, I was the beneficiary of a delicious, homemade cookie from one of our dear friends, Chad.  He was handing them out in the sanctuary, which I thought was a little odd, but absolutely accepted one immediately anyway...of course.  Then, he explained to us that they were given to him by 4-year-old, Leah.  Leah is the daughter of two of our other dear friends, and she absolutely adores Chad.  The reason she adores him is because he lived with Leah and her family for a few months right before he got married after his current lease was up.  Leah and Chad are the sweetest of buddies because of that time together.

Now, here's the lesson I learned, and why I even share this story: Josh had asked me if we could house Chad during that season.  I absolutely love Chad; in fact, I even have a pet name for him, which I have for all people I dearly love, so that's my proof.  And I wanted to say 'yes' so badly because 1) Chad needed a place to stay, and 2) we have extra beds and a bathroom.  The kicker was that my sister had been living with us for a while and she was just moving out -- they would probably even overlap for a few days.  Adding up their time combined, we would have had house guests in our home for a full year, which was a long time for me to not be able to feel the freedom to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, in my own house, especially after we had also just lived with Dad for 9 months.  Could we have housed people for a year?  Absolutely!  Would it have been best for the Monroe Marriage?  Probably not.  So, we heard that Leah's family had offered, and so we said 'no'.  And oh gosh, it was painful, but deep down, I really knew that was the best answer for us.

Did Chad manage without living at our house?  Umm, absolutely.  Was he mad that was said no?  Not at all.  Was it the best decision?  100% yes...Chad and Leah met each other, and Josh and I had a few months alone before that sister (who will remain nameless) moved back in for a few months before SHE got married!  It's comical, really...

And none of that would have happened if I'd said 'yes'.  

"...and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. ²⁰ For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory."

We all prefer to hear 'yes', don't we?  It usually means that we're getting what we want.  And look at what this says about God.  He definitely gives a sure answer, yes or no, but He loves to say 'yes' to us.  And He did through Jesus. 

God, will I ever get out of this depression?  Yes.
Lord, will I ever feel peace and joy again?  Yes.
Father, will I ever be able to quit thinking about myself and focus more on others?  Yes. 
Abba, will I ever be done with the craziness of this world?  Yes.

Through Jesus Christ.

Whatever our concerns, the answer is found in Jesus Christ.  God smiles and says 'yes' through Him.  As these verses remind us, the Lord ALWAYS does what He says He'll do, and ALL of His promises are completely fulfilled.  

Can we let that sink in?  Your God will do what He says He'll do today and forever, and He fulfills EVERY single promise to us.  So if you ever question either of those statements, the answer is always, always, always... 'yes'.  :)

2 Corinthians 1:12-14 (Loving Conflict)

¹² We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you. ¹³ Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us, ¹⁴ even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.

If you'll recall, Paul is writing this letter to the Corinthians because he had sent them a previous letter that was apparently quite severe, urging them to remain Christ-centered in their beliefs and conduct.  I think it was probably a loving but strict disciplinary letter, and it was not received as Paul had hoped. (Does this surprise us?  It's pretty normal for people to get mad at us for pointing out their short-comings -- we are usually doing the 'bad stuff' we're doing because we like it!)  To make matters worse, some men then came to their town claiming to be apostles, but were instead false teachers, who challenged Paul's teachings and even his authority as an apostle.  The people are turning away!

So, you could say Paul is in a bit of a conundrum.

For the next 2 chapters, he is trying to prove his authority as well as his love for these people, since he had spent 18 months with them when he first came to Corinth.  They know him.  But as soon as he was no longer with them, it appears that many have gone back to their old ways.  Oh, how we need a Shepherd, don't we?

Paul's visit made him sad to see how they were living; so he sent a stern letter; that backfired and now people have really turned away from him.  And now here, in these verses, we get to see how Paul is choosing to move forward with these people.

"We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings."  Here is what he does have going for him.  He knows deep in his own heart, and with no shame or regret, that he has lived a holy life (with God's help) and has been genuine and honest in what he does.  If we're going to lovingly point out the sin in someone else's life, or even just spur them on to doing something better, we had better be a living example ourselves!  In order to do this, we need to know what it means to live a holy life, and we need to choose to be genuine and honest in everything, not making ourselves out to be better than we are.

We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom.  Ahhh, yes.  Here's another kicker.  Keep the pride low!  When confronting another, we need to remember "there but for the grace of God go I."  Anything good in my life, including my choices, is a gift from God.  He is the one who allows me to even understand His wisdom and gives me the desire to do things His way.  I am nothing, absolutely nothing, without Him.  And may I remember my own sin, because even on our holiest days, we are still not perfect.  May I get my mind in THAT position before I ever talk to someone about their short-comings.

Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand.   And let's be sure of this -- no beating around the bush or using fancy, highfalutin words that make us feel powerful and the other person feel small.  There is nothing that erks me more than being around people who use words and knowledge I don't understand and obviously feel superior by doing so.  Instead, I want to think about my audience, and let my eyes and tone do the talking as for the condition of my heart.

I hope someday you will fully understand us, ¹⁴ even if you don’t understand us now.  Here is the most challenging part of all: you can do all of these things perfectly, but the results are still out of your control.  As much as we may wish good for someone, they have to wish it for themselves, too.  We can't be more invested in them than they are!  And so, I like how Paul has put it all out there, but then releases the result to God.  He also gives the people the respect to still make their own choices, but he gently lets them know his hope for them.  Wow.  Thank you for that example, Paul.

Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.   He still has hope for them, that when Jesus returns, they will be following Him once again.  It's quite obvious he's not giving up on these people or leaving them completely on their own and washing his hands of them.  And even with all that is going on, he reminds them that he is proud of them.  He is proud for what they have done, and he loves them deeply.

What a great example this is for me as I encounter people today.  And perhaps you have a situation that needs straightening or a conversation that needs to occur...may this be fresh in our minds as we continue one step closer to living like Jesus.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (The God of All Comfort, Part 3 -- Final)

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

In verse 8, Paul doesn't go into any detail about what the problems were exactly that they encountered.  We only know from the following sentence that he felt under great pressure, far beyond his own ability to continue, and he wished he were dead.  Does that sound at all familiar to you?  Read that again.  If you are experiencing one or all three of those feelings right now, listen up.  The Bible has a power-packed sentence coming in just a moment for you.

In verse 9, he says "we felt we had received the sentence of death."  Perhaps you are either 1) experiencing a situation in work or at home where it feels like a death sentence; 2) someone close to you has actually been given a death sentence; or 3) you have been told that your days left are few on this earth.  Whatever your current scenario may be, here comes the "But."

"But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God..." 

The Lord wants us to trust Him no matter what, and He gives us opportunities to do this daily, but some of those 'opportunities' are definitely more difficult than others.

After the D&C, I felt so empty.  Up to that point, I still had a baby that I carried -- whether it was alive or dead.  But when I woke up from the procedure, I immediately sobbed.  Someone had died (a few days before), the body was not gone, and he or she took a little part of my heart with them.  The weight of death pressed heavily in those moments.

Now, as I see friends, co-workers, and strangers all around me with their healthy pregnancies and new born babies, it is so hard to not want to run away to a deserted beach somewhere for the next few seasons.  I find myself not even wanting to be around them at all because it is a painful reminder of my own loss.  I ask myself if it is some sort of sick joke that some dear friends of ours just let us know they are pregnant and are due one day after our due date would have been.  Really, Lord?  How am I supposed to go on?  And that's when I remember...

"But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God..." 

And let's not over look the four words that come right after that statement,  "But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."  There are multiple places in Scripture where that four-word phrase is added.  And why?  It is a reminder of His POWER.  He is the only being who can restore cold, lifeless bodies to life again.  THAT is the kind of power my God has!  Surely, if He can do that, He can teach me what I need to learn from this incredibly sad experience, and He will.  He can do anything!

¹⁰ "He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us"  This is a great reminder to us -- we are not perfect.  When we sink back into our cycles of fear, sadness, and worry, He will come and deliver us.  Again and again.  He will always be continuing to deliver us (that's present tense).  So often as Christians, we think that because we have Christ and are full of joy, we should never be sad.  Not true.  Wait, you didn't catch that.  NOT TRUE!  Tears were created by God, and they have a purpose -- they cleanse.  So let them flow...or as Josh loves to quote, "It's just my awesomeness oozing out."  And some days, boy, I have an awful lot of awesomeness!  And even in those moments, when the tears have been steadily flowing again and again and again, God comes to us.  He comes, He comforts, He rescues, and He delivers us from the trappings of this world.  It is on Him and His plan for our eternity that we have set our hope.  

¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.  So, what if you're not going through a down-season right now?  You have a job to do, too!  Prayer.  Praying and believing.  Just as people prayed for us and we FELT God's presence, peace, and comfort in the most difficult of moments, we all need to be praying for one another.  And when God answers those prayers, then we can be filled with gratitude for his gracious favor.  He does answer our prayers.

Please let me know how I may be praying for you, my friend.  If you are going through a difficult season, may I walk beside you?  And my prayer is that you will choose to take time to be still and silent with God, tears and all, and let Him give comfort to your heart.  He has so much for you in this season, and He is walking beside you, leading you through the darkness, in the midst of the pain.  Turn to Him.

2 Corinthians 1:1-11 (The God of All Comfort, Part 2)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:

² Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

Note:  If you did not read yesterday's post, you will want to stop here and read it.

Okay, so now to dig in to the Word...

First of all, look at verse 1.  Paul addresses this whole letter to "the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia (Greece)."  So these words are not just for a city, but for a nation.  These words are not just for some small people group, but they are for the whole of us -- Christ followers. Greece was a bustling seaport, full of all kinds of cosmopolitan sin, and it was very difficult for these new Christians to stay focused on Christ when people were telling them all kinds of "truth".  So, Paul wrote to them to encourage them and spur them to continue to remember Christ.  So, it's interesting that he starts by talking about God's comfort.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,..."  I am struck by the words that are used to describe God the Father.  I'm saddened when I hear people talk about God as a far-away being who likes to inflict hardship on us and who watches us from a distance.  Instead, God the Father is the complete opposite.  Look here -- He's the Father of compassion (He created it), and He's the God of all comfort.  ALL comfort.  Not just comfort for some people in some certain circumstances.  If you need comfort, HE is the source -- for everyone in everything.  Now, this particular letter refers to believers who suffer for Jesus' sake, but if we know that God is the source of ALL comfort, we can apply this to our own lives as well, even if our biggest burden today is not persecution for our faith.

"who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."  Many people think that when God comforts us, our troubles must "go away."  But if that were so, then people would only turn to God out of a desire to be relieved of pain and not out of love for Him.  So we must understand that "comfort" from God can also mean receiving strength, encouragement, and hope to continue in the midst of our troubles.  This is what I have experienced this summer.  The pain didn't go away and healing on this side of Heaven wasn't granted.  But I did receive strength, encouragement, and hope to continue.  And because He doesn't always take us out of our troubles, we are then able to comfort others.  Let me tell you that much of the comfort I received came from other human beings.  I think God so often uses little ol' us to be His hands and feet (in fact, He tells us that He uses us in that way).  And so I experienced God's love and comfort through others, especially those who had walked a similar road as I was walking.  It's quite beautiful, really.  He doesn't have to make it this way, but He chooses to give us ways to use the experiences of our pain as a gift to others.

"For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ." Or as the NLT puts it, "For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ."  If your current suffering has anything to do with your belief in Christ, you can rest assured that you will experience even more comfort as your suffering continues.  There will be hard times when we follow Christ, but this assures us that those won't be more than the good times of His healing comfort.  He doesn't leave us out to dry alone.

"If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort."  Firstly, this verse tells us that suffering is for our benefit.  That theme is all throughout the Bible.  The donkey does not move until the sharp stick pokes him in the rump!  And so it is with us -- we will choose to stay right where we are (because it's comfortable) unless someone or something comes along that forces us to move forward and change.  Hence, God allows suffering into our lives, and perhaps even sometimes directs it to us, but only for our good.  And there is nothing more promising to observe in the life of a Christian, than their "patient endurance" in suffering.  

And so that is my prayer for us today: To be able to sit in the suffering without trying to run away, hide, or push it away, but instead with our eyes fixed on Him as He directs us through the darkness.  He DOES know the way, and He WILL lead us to the Light.  May you feel His strength, hear His encouraging words to you, and be filled with His hope to continue.  He is still working in this.

2 Corinthians 1:1-7 (The God of All Comfort, Part 1)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:

² Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Greetings, my long lost friends!
So, I decided to take the summer off from blogging.  Normally, one would think summer would be the best time to blog, but I do much better when I have routine; and quite frankly, I just needed to rest.  Then, little did I know, that due to a few things that happened over the summer, a break from blogging was probably part of God's plan anyway.

And so, here is one main thing I have learned this summer: God comforts us.

When I decided to jump back into the blog this weekend, and saw that I had ended on 1 Corinthians pre-summer, I figured that 2 Corinthians was probably a great place to continue.  Oh my surprise when I saw what the first few verses had to say to me this morning...another reminder that God Himself comforts us. (Read the above verses and just soak them up. We'll dig into them tomorrow, but I wanted to share a story of God's comfort with you.)

It was early July when I found out I was pregnant.  I was shocked, over-joyed, thankful...everything!  I had wondered, and then the test confirmed...I am a mama, which, of course, got me thinking about my mama.  I wondered what she felt when she found out she was pregnant.  I was in a Target bathroom stall, and I hoped she was some place much more glamorous when she found out.  As one could expect, I immediately began cherishing the life that grew within me and started planning how I would tell Josh when he returned from a business trip a few days later.

And so over the weeks, the baby continued to grow, and Josh and I continued to get more and more excited.  It's incredible how quickly you get attached to this new person you don't even know.

Then, Friday night, July 27th, my mom's birthday,  the cramps and bleeding began.  My heart just knew this wasn't good news.  I sobbed as I began to say goodbye to this little life.  My mom had also lost her first and third babies, and I so desperately wished she were here to comfort me and tell me what to do.  We headed to the hospital.

We spent the evening in the ER.  Four of our friends met us there, held my hand, and prayed with us for hours as we waited.  Finally, the ultrasound tech arrived, and Josh and I saw the little heartbeat for the first time.  Baby wasn't gone yet!  So we went home and waited, though they warned us, it wasn't looking good.  But that was fine with me, I knew my God was bigger than any ultrasound image.  He could heal our baby -- He was the only one that could.  

For two weeks, we continued to wait.  Every cramp, every potty break, sent my mind running with thoughts about the future of our little family.  

Two weeks later, I had a follow up appointment which ultimately revealed there was no longer a heartbeat.  

We were crushed, and I wondered why God did not spare the life of my little one.  Then, the dreams of our future with this baby began to unravel.  The death of dreams can cause grief just as much as the death of people.  There was a lot of grief.

A D&C was required,  and again, friends and family came with us to the hospital, sat in waiting rooms with us, prayed with us, brought us food, called to check up on us, sent flowers and other gifts, and came by our home individually for 10 minutes unannounced just to give us a hug and cry with us for a few, short moments.  They were incredible.  They were God's love to us in those moments, and we were so incredibly thankful.  What would we have done without our community? 

And so we continue to grief the loss of "Blueberry" as we call him/her.  We still talk about that sweet baby and all that we experienced in those weeks, and we also are beginning to process this whole season.  I'm sure we will discover more revelations as we move forward, but I have been greatly struck by one thing:  All along, people sent us cards, texts, voice mails -- all that said they were "praying we'd feel God's love, peace, and comfort during this tragic time."  And here's the kicker...we did.  We absolutely do feel His love, comfort, and peace, in a way that is beyond human understanding or expectation.  What stuck out to me in all of this was how often we pray that prayer, but we don't really BELIEVE that He will answer it in a way that we will really feel His love, peace, and comfort.  How often do I pray prayers that I don't really expect God to answer?  But He does...and then we're surprised.  Why?

What also has been very apparent as I reflect on this summer is that in each trial of my life, I have wanted God to mold me more into who He wants me to be -- a person with more trust, a trust that comes quicker than the last time; a person with less guiding emotion and more guiding faith.  And here's another thing that shocked me: I am.  

I didn't know this until now, but this time, in the midst of my grief, I ran to God faster than I did when I lost my mom.  This time, I prayed more honestly.  This time, I recognized God's presence and His touch like a comforting, well-worn sweater that I was aware I had worn before.  I was able to look to Him, not perfectly nor in every moment by any means, but each day, I find myself choosing to turn back to Him and trusting Him to lead me in the dark.

...And so here is my new prayer.  I don't want to pray and ask God WHY anymore.  I don't want to say, "Why did you let my mom get cancer?  Why did you let her die?  Why did you let my baby die? Why are you making me go through this?"  Instead, I so desperately want my prayer to be WHAT.  "What are you trying to teach me in this, Lord?  What are you going to do in and through me because of this circumstance?  What can I do now for others because of this experience that I couldn't have done before?"  These are the questions of faith.  These are the questions that help me to focus not on the darkness in which I may currently find myself, but rather on the only One who knows the path in the midst of my darkness that leads to an unimaginable light.  He is the Light in all of my darkness.

He has comforted us.  Just like He said He would.  I continue to feel His arms wrapping us up, despite the tears that seemed to flow constantly this weekend.  He holds us, and He cries with us.  He comforts us, deep in our hearts.

In the meantime, I'm trusting Jesus and Mom to love on that baby until we get to meet him or her someday.  I had always felt so sad to think that Mom wouldn't know her first grandchild...and now she knows him or her even before we do.  I think they are probably all having a great time together, and that image also brings me comfort.

I love you, Jesus.  I love you, Mom.  I love you, Blue.