Category: II Corinthians

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Turn on the Light

I’m not sure how many times my parents had to tell me to turn off the lights until it became a natural reaction – walk out the door, turn the lights off. But this morning I want to encourage you to turn the lights on – light up the place, make it as bright as you can!

I listen to a lot of old country songs and there’s one by Trace Adkins that came out in the mid 1990’s. The song is about a man in love who leaves the lights on for his love so she can come back home.

“Every light in the house is on
The backyard’s bright as the crack of dawn
The front walk looks like runway lights
It’s kind of like noon in the dead of night
Every light in the house is on
Just in case you ever do get tired of bein’ gone
Every light in the house is on”

We should be leaving our lights on. We need to light up the world with the love of God!

“ No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:15-16 NLT

“Those who love their brothers and sisters live in the light, and there is nothing in them that will make them do wrong.” I John 2:10 ERV

An interesting fact about the Father. His love doesn’t grow or wane. His love is always the same.

“My dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes from God, and when we love each other, it shows that we have been given new life. We are now God’s children, and we know him. 8 God is love, and anyone who doesn’t love others has never known him. 9 God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. 10 Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we must love each other.” I John 4:7-11 CEV

We are the ones who choose to let love shine toward others or we can choose to condemn and criticize which turns the light off. The Father has placed His light in us.

“The Scriptures say, ‘God commanded light to shine in the dark.’ Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ.” II Corinthians 4:6 CEV

The good thing about letting this light shine is we will never get a bill from the electric company. It’s ok to turn on every light in your house. Get out the flood lights, pull back the drapes, raise the shades and let the world be flooded with the light that God has placed within us!

Shine brightly and impact the world with the love of God today!

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Receiving and Giving

Several years ago, I wrote a book for the Advent Season. It is a 30-day devotional centered on the many gifts God has given us. He is a father who truly loves giving the best to his children.

“But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.” Deuteronomy 5:10 NLT

However, He isn’t a selfish Father. He wants us to share the blessings we receive with others.

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Luke 6:38 NLT

Dave and I love to give. God has planted that in our hearts in a marvelous way but there was a time we had nothing to give, we had to learn to receive. Friends brought a trunk full of groceries and gifts to our door just before Christmas. They said “we were just in the neighborhood”. That wasn’t completely true, they lived over 45 miles away, but their hearts were linked to ours and they followed the Lord’s leading and gave.

When we learn to receive from the Father, we are then enabled to give according to the Father’s heart. He gives unconditional love. He gives safety and protection, He promises to provide our every need. He gives us joy unspeakable, freedom from fear and worry.

“How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.” Psalm 31:19 NLT

Never despise the size of your gift, thinking it’s too small or insignificant. To someone with an empty pantry two cans of beans is a feast. For someone who has only a dollar left to their name a ten-dollar bill is a huge blessing. Someone who has lost their life’s partner and are having their first Christmas alone will be blessed to join your family’s celebration.

“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” II Corinthians 9:7-8 NLT

Give generously, not only at Christmas but all year through. Give what you have so graciously received from the Father. The blessing comes in giving what we have received!

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Renovations at Christmas

Last night we flew in after dark. The Christmas light display from the air was beautiful. Once on the ground we had quite a drive to get home, again I was taken by the lights. Someone, many some ones, had gone to great effort to renovate these homes into winter wonderlands.

That got me to thinking about our theme of yesterday, “Mighty God”.

“…and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 KJV

When you think about who God is and think about that phrase “mighty God” what comes to mind?

I think about the millions of lives that have been changed.

“On one of the days while Jesus was teaching, some proud religious law-keepers and teachers of the Law were sitting by Him. They had come from every town in the countries of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was there to heal them. 18 Some men took a man who was not able to move his body to Jesus. He was carried on a bed. They looked for a way to take the man into the house where Jesus was. 19 But they could not find a way to take him in because of so many people. They made a hole in the roof over where Jesus stood. Then they let the bed with the sick man on it down before Jesus.” Luke 5:17-19 NLV

Here was a man who was paralyzed. He had four friends who knew if he could get to Jesus something miraculous would happen. In comes the “home reno”. Not being able to get into the house where Jesus was, they went to the roof and began to dismantle it. They removed enough of the roofing material to lower this man, on his bed, to the floor below, just in front of Jesus.

I’m sure the homeowner was less that thrilled. Debris began falling on the religious leaders as the demo started. Jesus knew things were about to get real, someone was exhibiting great faith in Him, after all, He was Mighty God.

That man was completely healed, and his sins were forgiven. The vestiges of his old life had been completely demolished and a new life of walking free had begun.

Throughout the life of Jesus, we’ve seen many examples of renovated lives. A prostitute had the shame she had been living in destroyed and a new life of respectability was built. A rich man named Zacchaeus had his high-rise penthouse renovated, all greed removed, and compassion filled each room.

The demoniac who was living in a shack of fear, torment and disassociation saw his home, his life, rebuilt where there was no room for mental torment, anxiety, fear and humiliation.

All of these people, and more, were touched and changed by the one called “Mighty God”.

“ For if a man belongs to Christ, he is a new person. The old life is gone. New life has begun.” II Corinthians 5:17 NLV

Be open to renovating this Christmas. The “Mighty God” reconstruction company comes to work as soon as a prayer is made. He’s willing to change the home, the heart, of anyone who asks.

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A Son Is Given

We just spent four days with our son and his girlfriend, and it’s been wonderful! Yesterday afternoon he took us to the home of our oldest granddaughter and her family. It was the first time we had been in their home. Another wonderful time!

Have you noticed how hard it is to say good-bye after a particularly enjoying visit? Whether they come to our house, or we go to theirs, it’s hard to leave without a tug in our hearts. But they all have lives with their own set of responsibilities, so no visit gets to go on forever.

Now imagine…what if you said good-bye to your Son, for the first time. You had always been together, it was the perfect Father/Son relationship. Never a squabble, always together in perfect harmony and now He was going to leave, and he wouldn’t be returning for years!

“ For to us a Child will be born. To us a Son will be given. And the rule of the nations will be on His shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Teacher, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NLV

Imagine even further that you were the One who was sending Him away. Sending Him to fulfill His destiny but that destiny would end with His death. God the Father gave us His Son freely.

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world.” II Corinthians 5:17-19 CEV

Many times we look at the events of the Bible through a religious lens and don’t take it personally. However, giving His Son to the earth’s population was a great sacrifice. A sacrifice of love, a sacrifice made freely and without reservation.

A Son was given!

Given for our redemption. The first gift of Christmas was the gift of life, the gift of a redemption, the gift of the Son!

“ Christ became human flesh and lived among us. We saw His shining-greatness. This greatness is given only to a much-loved Son from His Father. He was full of loving-favor and truth.” John 1:14 NLV

Jesus came to show us how to have a loving relationship with the Father.

Unto to us a Son was given!

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Peace of Mind

That was the message of the night when Christ was born. “Peace on earth, good will toward men”.

But what kind of peace? There was and has been unrest and wars, divisions between nations and people. Was God wrong to have the angels proclaim peace? Not hardly!

The peace that Christ brought to earth was a peace between God, the Father, and all mankind.

“When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! 18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with him. 19 I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And he gave us this message of peace to tell people.” II Corinthians 5:17-19 ERV

What an amazingly, wonderful gift! Peace with God; God’s goodwill being poured out on us. It’s a heart peace, a freedom from worry. A mindset that God loves me, and I can trust Him with my life. I can trust Him to want good for me, I can trust Him to protect me. I can trust Him to give me peace.

“Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. 7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.

8 Brothers and sisters, continue to think about what is good and worthy of praise. Think about what is true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected. 9 And do what you learned and received from me—what I told you and what you saw me do. And the God who gives peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:6-9 ERV

God’s peace will stand guard over ALL my thoughts – imagine that. Every thought guarded by peace!

I’ve heard it said that the war or battlefield we face as Christians is the one in our mind. I agree with that. Fear starts in our thoughts – the “what if’s”. What if I get cancer, lose my job, my kids rebel, my spouse leaves, I’m injured or killed? What if?

“We break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:5 NLV

Replace the what ifs with things that are good, worthy of praise, true, honest, pure and lovely. This is why it is so important to have our hearts and minds filled with God’s word. The word of God is the sword that helps us fight the battle in our own imaginations.

God’s word has promised us protection, provision, a life of peace. We need to appropriate those promises.

The peace that the Father promised didn’t come in a big box wrapped with a beautiful bow, no. It was delivered on a normal night, in a small town, wrapped in strips of cloth and put in a feed trough. His name was Prince of Peace and He comes to all who will receive Him.

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Let the Son Shine

I love waking up to pray. This morning I learned of a young woman named Suzy who is going to have part of her thyroid removed and a biopsy done, it appears to be cancer. Her father posted a request for prayer. I count it a blessing and a privilege to pray for this lady and her family, whom I have never met.

Shortly after that I learned of a fire that destroyed everything a dear friend’s nephew had. Again – more prayers.

The Lord doesn’t prompt me to pray for every story or situation I learn of but when He does I want to be faithful.

“…The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16 NLT

I believe that verse with all my heart and so I pray.

Finally, I read one more story this morning that another friend had posted. It’s about the town of Barrow, Alaska. On November 18, the sun set and won’t be seen again until January 23, that’s 65 days with no sun.

No sun, but how many days do some people experience with no SON?

That’s why I pray. I want those who are hurting, in need or in a dark place to experience the Son shine.

“We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.” II Peter 2:18-19 NLT

The Apostle Peter had a life transforming experience when he was with Jesus on a mountain top and heard God, the Father, speak from heaven. He’s saying here that because of that experience he has great confidence in God’s word. However, he is also saying that we, who haven’t heard an audible voice, can also have confidence in the Word of God. The Word is like a shining light for our path and Christ is like the light that shines in the morning, the sun, and He shines in our hearts.

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105 NLT

“For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. 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.” II Corinthians 4:6-7 NLT

About a week ago, I met a man while having dinner with friends. After talking with him for a while he said something no one has ever said to me before. He said, “You have a light in you. It shines through your eyes and your smile.” Thank you, Lord, for shining in me.

Some people we meet are like those folks in Barrows, they’re living without “Son shine”. It’s up to us to let the Son shine through our actions and our prayers.

I’m so grateful for the light of God’s love!

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Preparing the Heart

Thanksgiving is coming soon and there is so much preparation still to be done. Groceries to buy, miles to be driven, pies to bake, turkey to prepare and cleaning to be done – but in all of this it’s important that we don’t lose sight of why we celebrate on the 4th Thursday of November.

“Father, you so graciously brought those pilgrims through a year of hardship and struggle in this new land. They came with a desire to worship freely and seeking to build a land where men were equal. They willingly faced the perils of sea and land; weather and wild but they persevered with Your help and the help of their new found allies. Our hearts are grateful that because of their sacrifice we are able to call this land home.

We are also grateful that because of the sacrifice of Jesus we can call heaven home and spend eternity in Your presence. We are dependent on You and Your direction for our lives as much as those early settlers that came to Plymouth Rock. We come to our Rock, the solid rock, Christ Jesus and in Him we find life.

Our desire is to let the light of Jesus shine from us so brightly that the world may see your great love. This is my prayer to You, in Jesus name. Amen”

The Apostle Paul desired that the light of the gospel, the good news, shine through him and through us.

“We are not preaching about ourselves. Our message is that Jesus Christ is Lord. He also sent us to be your servants. 6 The Scriptures say, ‘God commanded light to shine in the dark.’ Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ.

7 We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us. 8 We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. 9 In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. 10-11 We face death every day because of Jesus. Our bodies show what his death was like, so that his life can also be seen in us. 12 This means that death is working in us, but life is working in you.” II Corinthians 4:5-12 CEV

Paul experienced the death of his fleshly desires – comfort, security, safety, freedom; so that he could bring the the message of new life in Christ to the world. Jesus sacrificed the desires and needs of the flesh to provide salvation and Paul was willing to crucify his flesh to continue to take that message around the known world.

As we finish our preparations for time with family and friends, let’s remember to do the same. When we’re tired, hungry, inconvenienced by long lines and irritable people, let’s let the light of Jesus shine through us to bring the power of God to others.

Let’s prepare our hearts, so that the light of God will shine for all the world to see!

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Make Yourself Comfortable

Some of you may not realize that I enjoy dissecting words. I’m not really a “word smith” but quite often I see a written word and its meaning deepens as I examine it.

Take the word courage. The definition means strength or bravery; when the prefix “dis” is added to the word the impact and meaning are greatly changed. The same holds true with the word ease. Add the same prefix to it, dis-, and it doesn’t just mean nervous or anxious but it also means sick or weakened – dis ease.

This is a bit of a tangent, but I wanted you to see where my mind was taking me this morning as I grabbed my cozy blanket, my cup of coffee, my laptop and took my place in front of the fireplace.

I thought “Thank you Lord for my comfortable home. I am grateful.”

Comfortable: Enabled by comfort. adjective. in a condition of comfort; having comforts; not suffering or anxious; hence, contented; cheerful; as, to lead a comfortable life. affording or imparting comfort or consolation; able to comfort; cheering; as, a comfortable hope.

Comfort – abled. The act of being comforted.

And there you have it – Jesus said that the heavenly Father sent the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter. His purpose is to bring us “comfort”, to impart comfort, cheering us up, making us comfort- able.

“ And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.” John 14:16 Amp

All of this is ours through the Holy Spirit. The Father knew we would need assistance in our life here on earth. As a loving Father, He made sure we had the “Helper” we need to live as His examples.

Providing comfort – comforting – making us comfort abled has always been a part of His plan.

“When I felt my feet slipping, you came with your love and kept me steady. 19 And when I was burdened with worries, you comforted me and made me feel secure.” Psalm 94:18-19 CEV

“When I am hurting, I find comfort in your promise that leads to life. 51 Conceited people sneer at me, but I obey your Law. 52 I find true comfort, Lord, because your laws have stood the test of time.” Psalm 119:50-52 CEV

Our true comfort doesn’t come from the external things in our lives but from the eternal – from God’s Word and His love.

“Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort. 4 He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share this same comfort with others in trouble.” II Corinthians 1:3-4 CEV

I am grateful that we have been made comfort-abled and can now share this same comfort with others. Let’s make ourselves comfort abled to the world around us.

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Gratefully Clean

This morning I’m recycling a blog from a few years back. We are at our granddaughter’s wedding and there’s lots of activity as you can imagine. Quiet time was a bit harder to come by.

We see a lot of pumpkins around this time of year. Most still have their yucky parts, those have to be cleaned out to make then usable. But it’s not just pumpkins that need to be cleaned. We are all in a process of cleaning!

” Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God.” II Corinthians 5:17-20 CEV

I read this little blurb a few years back and it really resonated with me.

‘Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God picks us from the patch and washes all the dirt off. He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate and greed. He carves us a new smiling face and puts His light inside to shine for all the world to see.’

This was passed to me by another pumpkin. Now it’s your turn to pass it on to the pumpkins in your patch.

I am so grateful that the Lord has filled us with His light!

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Call to Battle

I was reading about King David this morning. The account in II Samuel 21 is long past his days of youth when he defeated Goliath but here he is leading the Israelites in battle against the Philistines again.

David had grown weary in the fight and the Philistines knew it. A warrior had come to destroy him but King David’s aide defended him and destroyed the enemy. The Israelites were victorious, and the Philistines were once defeated once again.

Do you feel like King David? Have you grown weary in the battle?

I don’t know why Christians think that we won’t have troubles or battles. We do and we will. But our battles aren’t against flesh and blood, they are against the spiritual evil and darkness that has so much influence in our world.

“We live in this world, but we don’t act like its people 4 or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God’s power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments 5 and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people’s thoughts and make them obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:3-5 CEV

We fight against thoughts and arguments that take hold of people’s thinking, leading them away from obedience to Christ. The weapons we used are given to us by God and don’t conform to man’s way of thinking.

“Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong. 11  Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil’s tricks. 12 We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. 13 So put on all the armor that God gives. Then when that evil day comes, you will be able to defend yourself. And when the battle is over, you will still be standing firm.

14  Be ready! Let the truth be like a belt around your waist, and let God’s justice protect you like armor. 15  Your desire to tell the good news about peace should be like shoes on your feet. 16 Let your faith be like a shield, and you will be able to stop all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17  Let God’s saving power be like a helmet, and for a sword use God’s message that comes from the Spirit.

18 Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God’s people.” Ephesians 5:10-18 CEV

Young David said he battled Goliath not with sword and spear but with the name of the Lord. Joshua went to battle in the power of the Lord. We also go to battle in the same way.

“ So put on all the armor that God gives. Then when that evil day comes, you will be able to defend yourself. And when the battle is over, you will still be standing firm.” vs 13

Each piece of armor listed in the verses above, truth, the gospel of peace, salvation, righteousness, faith, sword of the Spirit, are all found in God’s word. He gives them freely to each of us to use.

When we grow weary, like David did, we pray for strength and the Lord will provide that too. The armor that God gives us prepares us for battle and assures us ultimate victory!

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