The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
2 Corinthians 1-4
Act 3: God’s New Covenant People
Scene 4: Christ’s Church: God’s People Advance the Kingdom
Background Information: 2 Corinthians 1-4
Our suffering is made much worse when we believe it has no ultimate meaning. For the person who disbelieves in God, his suffering is nothing but rotton luck–a purely random bad roll of the cosmic dice. This is a terrible way to suffer. Some people try to invent purpose for their suffering, but if we invent it then it doesn’t have the ability to sustain us. We know that we made it up, so there is no way it can hold us up. There is meaning in our suffering, and we don’t have to guess what it is; God has revealed it to us. Paul, who suffered more than most, gave glory and thanks to God for God’s comfort given in all our troubles, so that we can comfort others in their trouble. This comfort that we give away is not merely human compassion or empathy, but we give to others what the God of all comfort and compassion has first given to us. This comfort would include more than the ministry of our presence. God does give us that, but it would also include giving people the truth of God. The comfort God gives us in our suffering is not contentless feelings, but it is a future hope that fuels a present peace. God has told us in his word the truth about our future, about his purposes in the gospel, and about his purposes in our lives. In all this we find comfort and peace that passes understanding, even in our suffering. As we suffer with faith, then the truth of scripture becomes more than words on a page–it becomes words of sustaining life and hope. When we receive the comfort of God in our suffering, then we become equipped to share what we know to be true from personal experience with others. This is a powerful and compelling thing. The catch is this: getting to the place where the sufferings of Christ and his comfort overflow into our lives and then into the lives of others involves letting go of self-reliance and learning to rely fully on God. Paul felt pressure that was far beyond his ability to endure. He felt like he was under a death sentence. In all this, he was being trained to trust in the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who raises the dead, and not in himself. Two reasons given for our suffering are both tied to making life about more than just self. One is to look to the interests of others and not just to our own needs. The other is to learn to more fully trust God and not self. We are not strong or smart; we are merely jars of clay. The ability to be hard pressed but not crushed, perplexed by our circumstances but not fall into despair, is not because of our own strength and wisdom. Rather, it is because of the treasure of the all-surpassing power of God in us. We are not given the choice whether we will suffer or not, we are given the choice whether we will suffer with hope and meaning or not. We must train to fix our eyes on the unseen and eternal, not merely what is seen and temporary.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Ask God strengthen our hearts today as we remember and celebrate his goodness with family and friends. Pray for military members separated from family. Pray for our friends serving overseas who are separated from family.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.