The Weight of Glory

II Corinthians 4:16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Glory. What a glorious word! Something that has weight, impact, influence. In reference to God it means so many things: the power of His presence, His perfect plan, His passion for His people. Part of the wonder of Creation and Salvation is that He is willing to give us glory - not taking away from His own, but entrusting to us as mankind dominion over the earth, and giving to us, as His redeemed people, a plan, a purpose, and a hope.  We often are oblivious to such Glory, just as we are to God Himself.  We cannot see, therefore we do not believe.  But what is seen passes away; the One Who is Unseen, the King of Glory, is Eternal. So is the important stuff of what He promises. Do not lose heart. Do not give up.  Let Him renew you day by day.  

Let Nothing Move You...

I Corinthians 15:

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

The people of God were being shaken.  They were beginning to see their loved ones pass away.  Where was God in all this?  Sometimes life does that to us. We get hit with the effects of the curse of the fall, including death, and we want to let go, get blown away, and give up.  Paul reminds us to step back and see the big picture, then to stand firm in our faith - as the NIV puts it in verse 58: "Let nothing move you..."  So whatever hits you in the face today, stand strong, keep on keeping on, trust in the power of Christ to see you through.

Together as the Temple

I Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

Division in the Body of Christ. Paul hated it with a passion. He especially disliked people using him to create disunity. It is like tearing a temple down bit by bit. The opening verses above are often used as a call for personal purity, but that does not come till chapter 6.  The call here is for having a solid building, a unified body.  The NIV captures the gist well when it translates verse 17: "for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple." Don;t tear that temple down. Do all in your power today to "preserve the unity of the bond of peace." It begins in our thoughts and attitudes: staying humble, seeking wisdom, thinking "us", not "me".  Be a building block, not a stone thrown at the building.

The Bible: Before, During, and After

6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—

10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. (I Corinthians 2)

Yes, read your Bible.  But what if I don't understand it?  What if it is boring? What if I've already read it?  Because the Holy Spirit draws us and calls us to the Word of God.  Before one knows Christ and has received the Holy Spirit, the Bible can seem like nonsense, but God uses His word to convict, not confuse.  When one is struggling with the choice of whether to accept Christ or not, the Bible is able to convince, and not cave in to the lies of the one who is trying to steal the seed.  When we have known Christ as Savior for a year or fifty, each and every time we look, the Spirit shows us more, as He sanctifies us and draws us closer to Christ. Is it always easy? No. Do we always get instant gratification? Not.  But it is the investment that pays big time in our eternal well-being, helping us through daily life and the trials of life as we walk into eternal life. 

God's Will: So Simple, Still a Struggle.

I Thessalonians 4: 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
God's Will.  Sometimes we act as if it's such an elusive dream, a spiritual greased watermelon we try to grab onto, but it keeps getting away from us. We make it too hard. God's will is our sanctification, our "putting to death" the old sinful nature and becoming more like Christ. Paul then gives the ever-present, all-American illustration: sexual purity in thought, word and deed. Is it any surprise our culture still struggles with it? God's will is not a priority. Simply put, Paul says we say no to immorality of any sort, that we allow the Spirit to control our passions, not our passions control us.  He then points out the human side of the issue: social responsibility. As followers of Christ, we should be all about not only pleasing God, but purifying society, beginning with us.  God's will is that we live with others in heart and mind, and that we not take away from them any of the "Divine Image" which He has imparted to them as God's special creation. We are not to look upon, speak about, or act towards others in an invasive way, as if they exist to please us.  Paul concludes with a piercing thought: If we live as if we don't care... we don't care. We don't care about God's Will. So do we really have His Holy Spirit after all?  Sobering thoughts for a selfish society.

Sometimes I don't feel like it! But I do...

II Thessalonians 2:13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
Paul- believe it or not - was human. He had frustrations and emotional struggles like any man, and any other servant of the Lord.  Early in both of his letters to the Thessalonians he says "we always give thanks for you...", and both letters have a fairly positive tone. He can see God at work. But he's a little frustrated. He wants to see more and more love and service and sanctification. So here he says "But we ought to always give thanks to God for you...", as if we really does not feel like it.  But he does anyway. He prays for what is best for them, for what we all need as believers: assurance of our salvation, continuing sanctification, standing firm on God's Word and will for our lives. Sometimes we just don't "feel like it."  Do it anyway.  Pray. Care. Trust. Do the right thing. Wait and watch for God to do more and more, even when you feel like giving up.  

Who Are You?!?

14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. (Acts 19.)
The church was growing like wildfire as Paul shared the Gospel on his journey. After awhile, imitators started turning up. (sort of like Elvis impersonators). But in spiritual warfare, fakes reveal themselves quickly in the face of the enemy. We live a world where we want to look good to everyone around us. Appearance is everything.  But God wants to reveal the true "us". He wants us to confess Christ, if He is our Savior, and He wants us to confess our hidden sins, in order to find victory over them.  There are so many parts of the real "me" each of us need to let go of, in order to experience His power working in and through us. Take time today to ask yourself: "Who am I? Am I being genuine? Am I being a witness for Christ? What does He want to clean out so I can be the real me in public?"