Sunday 17 Feb 2013

Sunday Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:8-15

Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 4:15
15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

Devotion:
One thing that is so very evident in the New testament is that each of the Apostles went through a lot of persecution, through hardships and through many trials; but throughout the New Testament we read encouraging words, lifting up God, lifting up Christ and promoting such grace and joy and peace that we should wonder what is going on. The answer to that question is simple – The Holy Spirit was there to help them through everything, not just the hard or difficult times but through the joy and celebrations as well.

When we turn to follow Christ we may well find that many of our friends will turn away from us; but they are not really turning away from us, they are turning away from Christ because they are now beginning to see Christ through us. It is that truth and light that they begin to see through us that frightens them away – they would rather stay in the darkness than have to face the truth and light they now see themselves in. We are different because we have already accepted the fact that we are sinners and that we have been forgiven of those sins through bringing them before Christ already. We are no longer afraid of that light showing up our sins because they are already covered by His blood.

Nobody like to be told that they are sinners or that they are living an unclean life; in fact if you tell others that truth without exposing them to the Gospel as well, they will either run off never to be seen again, or they will persecute us in retaliation to the persecution they think they have just received from us.

The world is not ready to be told that it is broken until it is shown that there is someone that can fix it. Nobody wants to be told that there is no hope. Nobody wants to be shown a dead-end without a way out. But if we are willing to open people’s eyes to the fact that Christ is our Saviour and that He is personally seeking the lost, then we are showing them that there is hope at the end of the tunnel. When we show people a route of escape, they will be more willing to accept a challenge to see if they can bare it. God is great and He wants to seek and to save, not seek and destroy…

Points to Ponder:
Do you feel let down?

Are you standing on God’s promises?