You really don’t have to given into temptation.  You are free.

28 Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
29 He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
30 Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

Feeling weary or tired today?  Are you worn out and ready to give up?  Remember that God gives power to those who are weak when they put their trust in Him.

I guess the longest line isn’t always as long as it appears.

Not only did Paul’s dependence on the power of God separate him from the false teachers, but also his message.  The false teachers had deceived the people into thinking that forgiveness could be received through obedience to the Law of Moses, but Paul’s message was of the new covenant, which was that Jesus Christ provided forgiveness through His sacrificial death on the cross (3:6).  The Law of Moses only exposed a person’s utter sinfulness, but the new covenant gave life and forgiveness through the spirit of God who entered into those who believed in Jesus Christ as the payment for sin (3:7-11).  In comparison, the Law of Moses brought death, but the new covenant which was preached by Paul brought righteousness (3:9).

The new covenant brought hope and boldness to the ministry of Paul (3:12).  As a part of the old covenant, Moses did not possess the boldness realized in the time of Paul because the new covenant had not yet been revealed (3:13).  The old covenant consisted of symbols, types, and mystery while the new covenant (forgiveness through the death of Jesus Christ) brought understanding of God’s plan to save mankind from sin (3:14-16).  Then when forgiveness is received through belief in Jesus Christ, a person gains freedom from sin and the demands of the law (3:17) and the Spirit begins the work of transformation (3:18).  This was the message of Paul.

Dear God, bring transformation through the Spirit in my life.

I put in another call to a friend who is a local plumber and he also gave me some instructions.  Return to Lowe’s and make sure you have the right part.  Another visit to Lowe’s proved that I had purchased the right part.  The guy at Lowe’s had his own advice for me and suggested that I allow my wife to try replacing the spout.  I punched him right in the face (I imagined that part).  Upon arriving home, I tried again and again and again to get that stupid piece to fit, but with each attempt I realized that I was meant to spend my Saturday afternoon kneeling over the side of my bathtub.  In desperation I called my plumber friend, so he stopped over and fixed it in ten minutes.

Needless to say, I learned a very valuable lesson.  Surround yourself with people who are gifted in ways you are not.

I want to make a challenge to you right now. Make a person glad today by saying a few words of kindness. Pick up the phone and call your wife. Send a Facebook message to the friend who has been experiencing hard times. Walk out of your office and go thank a co-worker for something they have done. Text a family member and let them know how much they mean to you. Write a special note and drop it in your child’s lunchbox. Leave your Pastor a voicemail letting him know that he is doing a great work in the church.

You have the opportunity to make a difference in a person’s life by speaking words of kindness. Kind words will not cost you anything, but they may be the most valuable thing a person receives today.

How have kind words made a difference in your life?

Paul then writes concerning the opportunities for ministry given to him by God (2:12-17).  He had been spreading the message of hope through Jesus Christ from city to city as he was being led by God (2:14).  Paul described spreading this message of hope as a sweet smelling fragrance (2:15), although some people reacted in different ways.  Paul writes, “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life” (2:15-16).  Paul carefully handled this message entrusted to him by God and did not want to be associated with many who were simply preaching for personal gain (2:17).  Preaching the good news about Jesus Christ with sincerity and authority was important to Paul because He knew that God was watching (2:17).

Dear God, help me to freely forgive others and preach with sincerity.

During hardship, it is easy to allow the circumstance to define you, even consume you until there is no hope of escape. But, what if comfort is found in the embrace and not the escape of suffering? What if the way to healing is not running away from but patiently enduring trials? Maybe that is why James writes to suffering believers, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow” (James 1:2-3).

Yesterday, I read these words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 and I think we should read them every time we experience suffering because they capture the essence of a proper perspective. “We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.”

Feeling crushed or overwhelmed by life’s circumstances? It may be time to stop running and start relying.

What is your usual reaction to suffering?

As he begins writing this second, canonical letter to the Corinthians, Paul offers his praise to God for bringing him and his companions comfort during trials (1:3-8); after all, Paul was very familiar with hardship (1:9-11).  In fact, at one point in his life Paul thought he was going to die, but he determined to stop relying on himself and relied only on God (1:9).  Paul had placed his full confidence in the plan of God, even though he was experiencing deep pain (1:10).  The prayers offered on Paul’s behalf during his time of trial also brought him great comfort (1:11).

After his brief greeting and an expression of gratefulness to God, Paul moves into the real reason why he was writing – to defend his sincerity and apostolic authority.  The false teachers had obviously questioned Paul’s genuineness, so he made it clear that he had always conducted himself in holiness and sincerity (1:12-14).  Paul goes on to explain a change in his travel plans that the false teachers may have used as “proof” that Paul did not really care about the Corinthians (1:15-24).  This change of itinerary, Paul explains, was an act of grace which spared them a “severe rebuke”  from him for their immaturity and entertaining of false teachers (1:23).  He did not desire to exercise disciplinary action and dominate them with his authority, but rather to work together with them so that they would be able to stand firm in their faith (1:24).  It is apparent that Paul deeply cared about the spiritual well-being of the Corinthian church and this is why he began his letter by expressing his desire for the believers at Corinth to experience joy.

Dear God, give me a passion to see spiritual maturity in the people You have entrusted to me.

It all started two weeks ago when I noticed one of the crabs hanging halfway out of his shell.  Sometimes they do that, but not very often.  I reached into the cage (with a sand scooper as opposed to my hand) and gave it a little nudge.  He didn’t retreat into his shell.  About this time, my son Ty walked up and explained to me that hermit crabs molt.  I didn’t know what that meant, but I pretended that I did.  He is 10 and I’m 36.  I know everything.  I picked up the spray bottle and misted the clawed creature with water because they like to be lightly sprayed, but still no movement.  Gaining a little more confidence that he was dead, I reached my hand into the cage and flicked the shell.  He came out…at least his head did.  It was separated from his body.  Ty was still maintaining that the crab was molting.  I gave him a little biology lesson and explained that when a head is separated from a body, it results in death.  He seemed to understand.

Ever had a pet die?