The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
2 Corinthians 5-9
Act 3: God’s New Covenant People
Scene 4: Christ’s Church: God’s People Advance the Kingdom
Background Information: 2 Corinthians 5-9
We are embodied beings, spiritual and physical hybrids. Our destiny is not to be some kind of disembodied spirits “haunting heaven.” Our future hope is the resurrection of our bodies in a new heaven and earth. Meanwhile, as we wait for that great future day, we groan. Living in bodies can be tough business; these “tents” are easy to hurt and to destroy. Even when our bodies are cooperating and life is “good,” we know it is temporary. We know that we were made for so much more than just scratching out a few years, then dying. Groaning is baked into this fallen world; things will never be fully as they could be or should be. What do we do with this groaning? We live by faith and not by sight. We make it our goal, whether in life or by death, to please God. We seek to share the hope of the gospel with others. We don’t look at people from a worldly viewpoint but rather from the perspective of eternity. There are no smart/dumb or pretty/plain or famous/nobodies walking around you–there are only those who are lost and without hope or new creations in Christ. Paul lays a theological foundation for how we are to see our lives and the lives of those around us. On that foundation, he builds the principles for how we live together in ways that please God. He writes of the need for personal holiness, for reconciliation and good relationships, and for generosity to those in need. All the good actions in our lives must flow from good theology. Orthodoxy is a word for sound doctrine. It is a word formed from two words, one meaning “straight or correct” and the other meaning “glory or praise.” To correctly honor God, we must have right doctrine from and about God. From our biblical orthodoxy flows “orthopraxy.” This is about right actions that flow from right doctrine. What we believe and practice over time is who we will become. In this life we will groan, longing for what is not yet. However, our longing shouldn’t immobilize us, but instead it should motivate us to action. This will only be true when we know the truth. Build your life on the foundation of God’s revealed word. We long for more, but it’s not the longing of the hopeless but of the hopeful. Our destiny is glory, not groaning. We know that this is true because God has told us so.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for Christians facing persecution in Nigeria. Ask God to bring an end to the suffering and for his church in Nigeria to be strengthened.
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.