(Repost Verse of the Day)
One of Paul's recurring themes throughout 2 Corinthians is that God's strength is made perfect in weakness. In 1 Corinthians, he emphasizes that the strength, wisdom, and power of God are shown in what is normally a sign of weakness and humiliation — the Cross (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5). Paul wasn't a wimp — remember all that he endured and kept on serving the Lord (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). He just knew that even with all his training and talent, he wasn't skilled, smart, or strong enough to do all that needed to be done for the Kingdom of God. But he knew that when we recognize our insufficiency, God takes our weakness and uses it powerfully when we offer ourselves to him!
(Repost Verse of the Day)
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Listen to John Piper as he unpacks Psalm 42 and tackles this tough topic of depression.
Psalm 42New American Standard Bible (NASB) BOOK 2 Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile. For the choir director. A [a]Maskil of the sons of Korah. 42 As the deer [b]pants for the water brooks, So my soul [c]pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and [d]appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and [e]lead them in procession to the house of God, With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you [f]in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? [g]Hope in God, for I shall [h]again praise [i]Him For the [j]help of His presence. 6 O my God, my soul is [k]in despair within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan And the [l]peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. 8 The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life. 9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning [m]because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you [n]in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? [o]Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The [p]help of my countenance and my God. "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you" (Psalm 32:8, NIV).
How do I know if I am being led by God? I know it is a rather subjective question, but we can give some guidelines. Ask yourself three questions: Is what I am about to do an act of faith or an act of presumption? Am I just presuming God will bless something without seeking His will? Is what I feel led to do in conflict with the clear teaching of God's Word? God will never lead you contrary to His Word. Will what I feel led to do glorify God or will it bring disgrace to Him? "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31) (Commentary Mark Martin) "…He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 8:3). God led the Children of Israel into the wilderness where they lived for forty years. From Israel's experience we can learn some of God's purposes for leading us into what we could call our "wilderness times." God uses wilderness times to increase our appetite for His Word. "People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). It's unfortunate that it takes tough times to help us develop an appetite for the Word of God, isn't it? The prophet Jeremiah declared, "When I discovered your words, I devoured them, and they are my joy and my heart's delight" (Jeremiah 15:16). Whether we know it or not, every believer is hungry for the Word of God. One of the reasons some Christians are not living in victory is because they need to eat spiritual food! Many Christians are fainting and caving into temptation because their spiritual "blood sugar" is low. What they need to do is eat! Job said, "…I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my portion of food" (Job 23:12). He's saying "I'd rather be in Your Word than eat." (Commentary Mark Martin) "…we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us" (1 Corinthians 2:16b).
Having a hard time being thankful? Just look at who you used to be (B.C.) and who you are today because of what Christ has done for you. Wow, that will put you on your knees in thanksgiving pretty fast, won't it? Speak aloud these spiritual blessings that are yours in our Lord Jesus Christ: I am saved from God's wrath forever! I accept the things of God. I can understand the Word. I can say "no" to sin (I am no longer a slave of sin). I think about God. I understand spiritual things. I am no longer a child of wrath. I am a part of God's family. The "old me" is dead. I have a new nature! I am alive to God! The Holy Spirit literally lives in me! The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead works in me! This new spiritual life, this new creation, cannot be called a "natural" life, it's a supernatural life! (Commentary Mark Martin) He(Barnabas) was a good man! Why? For many reasons. But, the key reason was that he was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. This shouldn't surprise us. When the Holy Spirit lives in us, he is at work producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and conforming us to the character of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). No wonder Barnabas' influence was so great on the lives of those who lived in Antioch; his life was under the influence of God's Spirit!
(Repost Verse of the Day) 2 Corinthians 4:15-16
"For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day." Outer man has the same idea as earthen vessels and mortal flesh. On the outside, we are suffering and taking a beating. But on the inside, God is blessing and renewing us!” Exodus 15:22-27 "Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.” Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters." God tested Israel by giving them a command to obey. When God tells us what to do, He really gives us a test. Our obedience determines if we pass the test or not. It had yet to be demonstrated by a test whether the children of Israel were worshipping people who occasionally murmured, or if they were a murmuring people who occasionally worshipped. Their true nature would be revealed in times of testing. |
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July 2017
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