Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
June 20, 2022
Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-16
7 But we have this treasure in clay pots so that the awesome power belongs to God and doesn’t come from us. 8 We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but we aren’t crushed. We are confused, but we aren’t depressed. 9 We are harassed, but we aren’t abandoned. We are knocked down, but we aren’t knocked out. 10 We always carry Jesus’ death around in our bodies so that Jesus’ life can also be seen in our bodies. 11 We who are alive are always being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake so that Jesus’ life can also be seen in our bodies that are dying. 12 So death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 13 We have the same faithful spirit as what is written in scripture: I had faith, and so I spoke. We also have faith, and so we also speak. 14 We do this because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus, and he will bring us into his presence along with you. 15 All these things are for your benefit. As grace increases to benefit more and more people, it will cause gratitude to increase, which results in God’s glory. 16 So we aren’t depressed. But even if our bodies are breaking down on the outside, the person that we are on the inside is being renewed every day.
Good morning! We are being renewed everyday!
I have written many papers in my life: assignments for class, presentations, and more recently sermons. I love the ability through the use of technology to easily rearrange my words as I craft my writing. Compared to writing by hand or typing on a typewriter, typing on a computer in a word processing program is wonderful.
As much as I love “writing” on a computer, I have had more than one experience where I lose my work for some reason such as a computer glitch. When this happens, it seems like a great catastrophe. How will I ever rewrite what I’ve lost? Of course, this sometimes happens when we have the added pressure of a time deadline approaching.
If you are like me, you fret over the lost work and try to remember and type it exactly as it was before it disappeared. After accepting that these words are lost, I open myself to allowing new words to flow from my mind and my fingers. I must admit that if I can dismiss the frustration of having to rewrite a paragraph or even a whole paper my second writing is better: better words, understanding, and flow for the reader. Sometimes we must break apart or discard part of our words to allow new words to come forth. The technology glitch forces us to grow in our understanding.
Paul is telling the people of Corinth that God is with us no matter what. When we seem to be struggling, God will keep us strong. When we are wobbling, God will help us stand fast. Through each of our struggles, we grow in our faith and belief in God and we become stronger. Without challenges, we become complacent and grow weak like a plant that puts all of its efforts into growing leaves, but produces no fruit. To bear fruit, the plant shifts its focus on the fruit and some of the leaves will wither and die for the sake of the fruit.
God bestows grace and mercy on us over and over again. As our own faith grows, we share God’s grace with others. As gratitude for God grows, we move closer to God’s glory.
Jesus is like the leaves of the plant that die so that new fruit (each believer) may be produced. Are we ready to bear God’s fruit and gather disciples?
Loving and Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. You are an awesome God. You made us in your image and you give us the grace to struggle and learn as we grow in faith. Help us in our journey to think and act like Christ. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God can use my unwelcome struggles to strengthen my faith.
Stand fast in your faith! Pastor Liz
Comments