2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Part 2

The Outer Self Is Wasting Away - The Inner Self Is Being Renewed

When you see the word "therefore" you should stop and ask, "What is it there for?" The therefore at the beginning of verse 16 points back to that which comes before it; to the promise of our resurrection and the extension of grace to us. With our faith established in Jesus Christ we are not to lose heart but to endure the hardships being experienced. We look at ourselves and we see bodies that are wasting away for various reasons. Maybe it is simply from the process of living, as here in the west, or maybe it is from the abuse it receives from persecution, form the effects of war or natural disasters, etc. If we have been born again we are a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), which God is conforming into the image of his Son (Romans 8:29). So as the outer self waists away the inner self, the new creature in Christ, is renewed day by day as we nourish it from the Word and time with the Lord. Christianity is not about safety, security and comfort, but is a state of daily being crucified with Christ to allow him to live in and through us.

Prayer

Father, life can be so difficult for so many; difficulties caused by such things as relationships, physical, mental or emotional issues, financial or job issues, and persecution for various reasons and in various degrees of intensity. From various forms of abuse or the process of ageing, the physical body is revealing its sentence of death. How thankful I am for the living hope I have in Jesus Christ; for the new creation within me that is being renewed that will live on for ever. It is my prayer that you have been born again and are being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:16 - 18 Part 1

Reading through these verses carefully one notices three comparisons:1) Outer self is wasting away - the inner self is being renewed; 2) Light momentary afflictions now - eternal weight of glory later on; 3) Things seen are transient - things unseen are eternal. It is clear these verses do not describe a state of comfort, but one of suffering and if care is not taken could result in the lose of heart, or simply giving up or giving in. Because of our wealth in the west we can secure a rather high level of comfort under most circumstances, but this is not so for one facing persecution in other countries. Sacrificing everything for their faith, being driven away as a refuge, tortured or imprisoned are examples of conditions feared or experienced by many.

This is the first of a four part series. We will devote a lesson to each of the three comparisons given above.

Prayer 

Father, I pray this study will be an encouragement for the one going through a difficult time. Jesus suffered greatly for us with joy, to secure an eternal relationship with us. Father, provide encouragement and endurance for those who are now suffering; fill their hearts with your love that they would experience joy, peace, and be able to show patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Father, have mercy on them and extend an extra measure of grace to them as they seek your face through this time of darkness.

Does God Have Needs - Bible Study

Does God Have Any Needs?

Several weeks ago I posted an entry describing a card I give to people I meet. In that post I pointed out that our primary need is our salvation. At the end of that post I asked the question, "Does God have any needs that he looks to us to meet?" Before answering that question, 13 additional post were made in which we considered the words: anxiety, blessing, calling, gifts, humble, love, praise, seeking, service, singing, thanks, waiting and worship. Each one of those words establish a connection between us and God. I wanted us to consider if any of these words established a need that God had that we could meet.

In reality, for God to be God he needs nothing outside of himself because there is nothing outside of him. Therefore, we might conclude that he has no needs that we can meet, but before we write off this study as unimportant, let us reduce the idea of need to that of desire and ask the question, "Why did God create humans in his image?"

God created us in his image, not because he needed us, but because we were part of his eternal plan. He wanted a people he could love, enjoy and provide for. He loved us so much he was willing to sacrifice his Son to provide our salvation and then to work with us as his children in the process of conforming us into the image of his Son. That is where the words given below and developed in previous posts fit in. They relate to our growth in Christ-likeness and our learning about God. All of this is happening, not because God needs us, because he desires us to lavish his love on.

Summary of Words Previously Covered

Each word is a link to the previous post for that word. The main verse(s) to the right of the word is a link to the given Scripture in three translations.The comment is more meaningful if you first click on the verse link to establish the context.

Anxiety		1 Peter 5:6 - 7
	When we are anxious God instructs us to humble ourselves under his mighty hand, casting all of our anxieties on him because he cares for us. God knows of our needs and desires to provide for us.
Blessing		Psalm 103:1 - 2
	As part of our life we are to bless the Lord and not forget all his benefits we receive from him. He gives to meet our needs and we are to bless his back.
Calling		Jeremiah 33:3
	Do you want to know God; to know things about God; to know of his love and provision for us, then we are to call on him and he will reveal great and hidden things to us.
Gifts		Deuteronomy 16:17
	The Lord our God is so generous toward us, even to the point of sacrificing his only Son for us. As an expression of our love for him we should give back to him as we are able, according to his blessing to us.
Humble		James 4:10
	Pride stands in opposition to God, thus it is wise that we humble ourselves before the Lord and if we do then in his time and under the right circumstances he will exalt us.
Love		Deuteronomy 6:5
	There are so many things we might desire to love, but he knows what is best for us and instructs us to love him with all of our heart, soul and might.
Praise		Psalm 150:1 - 2
	We will find God in his sanctuary and in his mighty heavens. We are to focus our attention there and praise him for his mighty deeds and his excellent greatness.
Seeking		Psalm 105:4
	Because of our fallen nature there is a veil between us and the Lord, which varies in transparence depending on how we live. As a result, we need to continually, intentionally and in his strength, seek him and his presence.
Service		Psalm 100:2
	“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8 – 10 ESV). Part of our service to the Lord is to do those good works and to do them with gladness.
Singing		Psalm 149:1
	We are to gather together with other godly people to sing praise to the Lord. Just as we form prayers with our words we are to put words together to form new songs of praise.
Thanks		Psalm 136:1
	If we are truly walking with the Lord, we will experience him in a great variety of daily situations and as we do we will find that he is good. We need to stop and think of what life would be like without him and thank him for his goodness toward us.
Waiting		Psalm 27:14
	In this western culture it is difficult to be still when life seems to be falling apart around us, but the Lord has things in control. We need to heed his instruction to be strong in him and let our hearts take courage as we wait for the Lord to provide in his time and in his way.
Worship		Psalm 95:6 - 7
	How important it is to take time and come to Him to worship. Let us bow down before our God and kneel before the Lord our maker. He wants to provide us with so much if only we would turn from our friendship with the world and enjoy him.

John 6:38

Jesus came down to earth from heaven, not to do his own will, but the will of his Father. If the Son of God was obedient to do the work assigned to him then consider Ephesians 2:10: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (ESV). We were created in Christ Jesus for a purpose; not to do our own will, but that assigned by our Father. Jesus enforces this when he said: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19 ESV). We were chosen by the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:1-3 NASB). The western culture provides so many distractions that if we are not intentional we will slip into living for ourselves and not for the one who chose us for a kingdom assignment. It is my prayer that when I stand before My Father one day that I will hear him say, "Well done my son." How about you?

Prayer

Father, what I have written is not a popular subject because in our western culture the world has many things to offer that provide pleasure, comfort, safety, security, self worth and the list goes on. A serious commitment to do assigned work joyfully may threaten the things we hold onto in the above list. Father, I have found doing the assigned work has resulted in a career in a Christian ministry, Bible teaching in China, ministry opportunities in different parts of the world, life group and Bible study leading, research and study needed for the support of two Christian blogs to list some of the bigger items. Father, having lived just a few months short of 80 years, I do not regret the time spent doing this work and will continue, if possible, until the day I go to heaven. The blessing has been tremendous. The people I have spent time with and the experiences I have had have been amazing. Thank you for your guidance and our relationship. 

43158 Jeremiah 17:7 - 8

The person who trusts in the Lord is one that lives in continual obedience to him and relies entirely on him for every blessing he wants for his body or soul. It is one who has a close walk with the Lord. A person who lives in this way is here compared to a tree that is growing in good soil on the bank of a river or even a stream. With its roots at a source of water it is able to endure the hot dry seasons when they come and maintain healthy green leaves and produce a good harvest of fruit.

As I think of this tree growing by the source of water, I think of the one who has the Lord Jesus living in his heart. Jesus is the source of living water. "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."" (John 7:37 - 38 NKJV). Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah 55:1: "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." (NIV) and Isaiah 49:10: "They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water" (NIV). God himself is this source of water and thus Jesus in offering the Spirit (John 7:39), is claiming to be able to satisfy peoples thirst for God. This is so well illustrated in Psalm 63:1 when king David cry's out, "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water" (ESV). Water is needed for life and Jesus is that source. "The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price" (Revelation 22:17 ESV). Let us come and stay close and continually drink of the water of life.

Prayer

Father, thank you that Jesus came and paid the price for our salvation. Thank you that in him we find eternal life. As Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 ESV). Thank you that in him we find meaning and fullness of life.

Mark 5:36

We need to be very careful when we select a statement like, “Do not fear, only believe.” and use it to make a point. The setting from which this was taken, we find a ruler of the synagogue had come to Jesus with a request to come and heal his dying daughter. On the way there they were delayed by a woman who wanted to touch Jesus to obtain healing. That touch drew power from Jesus causing him to determine who it was and when he found out he had conversation with her. In the meantime a person came from the ruler's house and reported that the child had died. Jesus hearing this made the statement we are considering. Those five words, seen in the photo, caught my attention and has caused me to think about them.

The statement is made us of two parts: "Do not fear" and "Only believe;" that which we are not to do and that which we are to do when encountering a difficult situation. Experience has shown me that it is easy to worry, to imagine the worst will happen, to listen to negative advice of friends or to my negative self talk, or to fear; maybe all of the above. Jesus told the father of the now dead girl to only believe; to have faith. There are other verses that support this: "And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”" (Mark 5:34 ESV); "And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’!All things are possible for one who believes.”" (Mark 9:23 ESV); "Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”" (John 11:40 ESV). In these examples it is faith that produces the results, not something else like fear, worry or imagination. This extra we add to our faith tends to destroy the faith we do have; to make it ineffective.Because of our wealth we can put forth effort to solve the problem or minimize its negative effects on us until the trial goes away, or at least becomes manageable, and not wait on God to accomplish his purpose in our life through the trial. In our culture it seems that God is second best or maybe not even part of the solution. In cultures where God is the only choice people have greater experience with God providing and thus for them it is easier to only believe than it is for us.

The father was told not to bother Jesus and return home in grief instead of continuing on to Jesus, now with the request to raise her from the dead. Fortunately, Jesus knew what had happened and reached out to the father and said, "Do not fear, only believe." How often have we sabotage our faith with some additive and miss the blessing God had for us?

Prayer

Father, how we need to learn to apply these simple five words, "Do not fear, only believe." and wait upon you for directions on how you want us to proceed and what you want to accomplish through the situation in our lives.

Psalm 105:4 Seeking

To seek is to search for or attempt to find something. To seek the Lord does not mean he is lost and needs to be found, but according to our verse we are to search for his presence and his strength and we are to do it continually. To be in the presence of the Lord is to have fellowship with him. In the beginning Adam and Eve had intimate fellowship in the in the physical presence of God, but because of there sin that physical intimacy has been replaced by his presence within us by virtue of the indwelling Holy Spirit. To seek the Lord is to seek the intimacy of his presence within us by virtue of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

It is easy to allow distance to develop toward a friend. We may become neglectful or in some way hurt our friend. It takes effort and requires strength to maintain a closeness of friendship. The same is true with the Lord. To seek the Lord is something we must do continually with the strength he supplies. If we don't the brightness of his personal character will fade from us. We must set our mind and heart to seek the Lord our God (1 Chronicles 22:19). If we have been raised up with Christ then part of seeking the Lord is to seek the things that are above; to set our mind on those things and not on the things that are on the earth (Colossians 3:1 - 2). If we seek the Lord he will be found (1 Chronicles 28:9) and when he is found there is reward (Hebrews 1:6). He is our greatest reward because when we have him we have everything. Therefore, "Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!"

Prayer 

Father, I pray that I would set my mind and my heart to seek you on a regular basis; that my relationship with you would grow and that I would have a better understanding of your will for my life. I pray for strength and desire to live according to your will; to seek the things that are above and not the things of this world. Father, thank you for revealing yourself to me and allowing me to come into your holy presence through the Lord Jesus Christ.