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Thursday 16 March 2017

"Day by Day... the Glory of God."

"I ask for the desire to pray and meditate on behalf of my congregation.  May we express patience, tolerance, compassion, empathy, and gentleness.  May we abstain from anger, anxiety, compulsive behaviour, and discouragement.  May we know and follow Jesus more closely, seeking justice, loving kindness and walking humbly."


2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
13 But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—‘I believed, and so I spoke’—we also believe, and so we speak, 14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. 15Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 16 So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, 18because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
5For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.


1) "...same spirit;" "...raise us also with Jesus;" "...into his presence;" "...to the glory of God;" "... we do not lose heart;" "...renewed day by day;" "...glory beyond all measure;" "...eternal in the heavens;"  "...spirit of faith;" "...so that grace... may increase thanksgiving;" "...eternal weight of glory;" "...weight of glory;" "...beyond all measure;"


2) the difference between what we see and what we do not see is beyond all measure.  I'm reminded of the Buddhist proverb, "A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable.  A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed."  Paul's "outer nature" may be wasting away, but his affliction is like a spoon of salt in an infinite lake.  And his spirit faith, grows his awareness, his inner nature day by day... I love the image of "weight of glory beyond all measure."  He cannot lose heart.  His heart is growing.  I'm studying Romans 5 this week for worship: "suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and our hope is not disappointed for God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit we have been given."  And so he boasts in his suffering.  And this Love was poured into our hearts while we were still weak, ungodly, sinners and even enemies.  When is it possible that God's love was not being poured into our hearts?!?


3) what is the invitation in all this?  to be renewed day by day.  Even as my outer nature wastes away, my inner nature can be renewed.  To shift focus from the "perishing of the outer nature" to "the eternal weight of the glory beyond all measure."


"Holy One, renew our inner nature, that we may be prepared for the eternal weight of glory beyond all measure."


Breathprayer: "Day by day... the glory of God."

1 comment:

  1. Hi Rev David. Missed you on the 17th. Hope all is well. God bless. Niki

    ReplyDelete