Think of a situation you would like to change, and imagine what the apostle Paul must have been going through in 2 Corinthians 12.
Paul was suffering and therefore constantly begged God to relieve him of his pain. But God does not change Paul’s situation. Instead, God tells Paul that His grace is sufficient for him.
The ancient Greek word charis, which means grace, reflects the favor that God expressed to mankind when He sent Jesus to earth for us.
Before Jesus, people could not approach God on their own. But Jesus paved the way that allows each of us to experience closeness to God. A relationship with God cannot be earned, it is a free gift we receive when we accept that Jesus died for us and rose from the dead.
So when God tells Paul that His “grace is sufficient,” He is essentially saying, “I am sufficient for you.”
God could meet Paul’s need because God was the only thing Paul needed, and God was with him. Paul was influential only because God chose to demonstrate His power through him.
God said: “Out of darkness light shines.” It shone in our hearts to enrich us with the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, which shines in the person of Jesus Christ. But we, like clay jars, who hold this treasure, to show that this supreme power belongs to God, and not to us.
2 Corinthians 4:6-7
We are similar to “clay jugs” – simple and not so exceptional. But by submitting our lives to God, we become vessels that demonstrate His power.
Then, like Paul, we can boast of our own weakness, so that everything good that happens to us is due to God.
Our situation may remain the same, but our cry often changes from “God, please deliver me from this suffering!” to “God, when I suffer, show me how You use this suffering for Your glory and for my good!”
So no matter what you are going through, know that God is there. He sees you and loves you. Take time today to ask God to show you how He empowers you. Draw close to Him and let Him strengthen you.
No matter how much the world around us tries to push us toward self-reliance, God created us for each other. For the community. For life not alone.
The author of Proverbs said:
“A friend is always a friend, and a brother is born to share misfortune.”
Proverbs 17:17 UMT
We all face hard times—sometimes when we least expect it. But the sincere care of a friend can mean everything, the unconditional love of a brother or sister cannot be replaced, and the practical help of a neighbor is invaluable.
We need each other more than we realize: emotionally, practically, and spiritually.
If you’re going through a tough time, where you’ve inadvertently neglected your true friends or been too busy for your family, now is the time to change your priorities.
Якщо є невирішений конфлікт із другом або членом родини, і це повільно погіршує стосунки, зараз настав час відкинути свою гордість і вирішити все виправити.
If you are silently struggling alone, now is the time to let someone in. Call them, send a text or show up at their door. If you can’t be honest and sensitive, it will be difficult for you to get help.
Not only do you need people, but these people also need you.
You have strengths, abilities, talents, and personalities that are unique to you and beneficial to them, and vice versa. Why bury them in the ground in the name of autonomy when they can benefit others?
Sometimes we need to ask for help, and sometimes we need to help ourselves.
Do you need help or can you offer it? Could you help, or do you have extra time, money, advice or expertise?
If you are tempted to isolate yourself, don’t forget: we are meant to live together.
When we plant an apple tree seed, we expect the apple tree to grow. It is the seeds and roots that decide which tree grows in the soil.
Similarly, when we belong to God, we expect goodness and righteousness to increase in our lives. It is the fruit of our actions that tells us what kind of seed we have sown.
One way to determine God’s work in our lives is to observe the fruit we bear. The sign of a growing and godly life is a heart that wants to live and act according to God’s Word. Only one who has spent time with God will do such an action in his life.
John warns us to remember the fruits of our lives. When we truly belong to God and spend time with Him, our lives will naturally produce goodness and right existence.
The goal is not to be proud of how many good things we do, but instead to develop a heart that wants to selflessly do good to others in the name of Jesus. We may not be perfect, but our hearts must desire to follow God.
Take a moment to reflect on your thoughts and actions over the past week. Do they reflect a heart that was intimate with God? Consider a few steps you can take to create a regular rhythm of spending time with God.
Because we walk by faith, not by sight. — 2 Corinthians 5:7
I like to admire the cloudless blue sky. The sky is one of the masterpieces of our great Creator, given to us for joy. Pilots use different expressions to describe the best sky conditions for flying. But I like the next one the most: “Such a clear sky that you can see “tomorrow”!”
Seeing your “tomorrow” is something that is actually beyond the scope of our vision. Sometimes it is difficult for us to see the meaning of what life sends us even today. “You do not know what will happen tomorrow, what is your life? Because it is a couple that appears for a moment and then disappears!” (James 4:14).
But our inability to see our “tomorrow” is not a reason for despair. On the contrary: we have a good reason to trust God, who has perfect vision and sees our future. He knows all that we need to overcome the trials that await us ahead. The apostle Paul understood this well. That is why he encourages us with the following encouraging words: “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
If we trust God in both the present day, which we can see, and the day to come, which we cannot see, then we can not worry about what life has in store for us ahead. We walk through life with the One who knows all that will befall us and has the strength and wisdom to handle all that may come our way.
Lord, I know that I can entrust You with my “today” and my “tomorrow”, because You are a good, kind, loving, wise and almighty God. Teach me not to worry too much.
God sees our life journey from beginning to end.
Author: Bill Crowder
After Jesus healed a man who had been paralyzed for nearly four decades, the religious Jews became angry with Him. It may seem strange because healing is a good thing, but Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath, a day of rest. In the Old Testament, God gave believers a long list of rules to follow in order to remain in harmony with Him, and these rules included keeping the Sabbath.
But in the New Testament, Jesus was sent to change our relationship with the Father. By sacrificing Himself on the cross, He gave us access to a relationship with God, so a long list of rules is no longer necessary. Throughout his life, Jesus shows people the nature of new relationships. But because it was not in line with what the religious circles believed, they were angry with Him.
In John 5, Jesus justifies these changes by revealing His true authority. By calling God His Father, He shared that He is equal to God. This angered religious Jews, but it allows us to look deeper into the relationship between the Father and the Son.
Jesus tells us that the Father and the Son are united in love. The Son does not “work” for the Father—no, They work together, and the work Jesus does perfectly reflects His Father’s will.
This relationship shows that Jesus has the power to give us eternal life with Him.
“I tell you the truth: whoever hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life. He will not be condemned, because he has passed from death to life.”
John 5:24
When we hear God’s Word and believe in Jesus, we have access to a relationship with Him that will last forever. Unlike the Jews in the Old Testament before this New Testament, we do not have to perfectly follow strict laws to be saved.
All we have to do is accept the gift that Jesus has given us by His authority.
Did you know that thoughts can actually make you more anxious, happy, scared, or satisfied? And what you spend time thinking about can affect your emotions, your actions, and ultimately your character? Your thoughts are some of the most powerful things about you.
The Scriptures can tell us a lot about our thoughts because God knows the power of our minds. Isaiah 26:3 says that God will keep our hearts in perfect peace if we keep our minds focused on Him.
Can you imagine that? Perfect peace.
The more time we spend focusing our thoughts on God and His Word, the more peace we will have in our hearts. This is a powerful thought, especially in a world that is constantly striving for peace and unity.
The starting point of this peace is trust in God. We must come to Him trusting in Who He is and believing in what He has done for us. We know that God is good and just. So if we have faith in Him, we know that He accepts us and loves us. And those who trust in God gain access to Him and His presence.
Perfect peace is available to those who continually trust in God and focus their thoughts on Him.
How much of your thoughts are given to things pertaining to God? Do you focus your mind on Him when you feel anxious or stressed? What are some simple ways you can remind yourself to think about God throughout the day?
Spend some time thinking about the power of your thoughts and the access you have to God through the Scriptures. Try to develop the habit of focusing your thoughts on God so that you can experience His perfect peace.
At the table, at Jesus’ bosom, there was one of His disciples whom Jesus loved. — John 13:23
Sometimes, when I lay my head on the pillow at night and pray, I imagine leaning on Jesus. As I do this, I always remember what the Word of God tells us about the apostle John. The apostle himself describes how he sat next to Jesus during the Last Supper: “At the table, at Jesus’ bosom, there was one of His disciples whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23).
The apostle John uses the phrase “whom Jesus loved” to refer to himself, without mentioning his name. It also depicts a typical meal in first-century Israel, when tables were much lower than today’s, at knee level. Therefore, the “semi-reclining” position was common for those who gathered at the table. So Ivan was half-lying next to the Lord. And when he turned to Him with a question, he literally “clung to the bosom of Jesus” (John 13:25).
Such closeness of the apostle John to Jesus at that moment gives us a useful illustration for our life with Christ today. We do not have the opportunity to bow to Jesus physically, but we can give Him the heaviest burdens of our lives – whatever they may be. He said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!” (Matthew 11:28). What a happiness it is to have such a Savior, Whom you can always trust, Who shows His faithfulness in any circumstances of our life! Have you “leaned in” to Him today?
Lord Jesus, help me today to lean on You with my soul so that I can trust You as a source of strength and hope. I entrust all my worries to You, knowing that You are always faithful.
Only Jesus gives the peace we so need!
Author: John Blaze
I will not leave you, nor will I retreat from you! — Hebrews 13:5
A dear friend of mine sent me the following message: “I’m so glad we can tell each other the good things, the bad things, and the terrible things!” We have been friends for many years and have learned to share both pleasant things and our mistakes. We realized that we are far from perfect, so we are not afraid to admit our spiritual defeats, but we also sincerely rejoice in our spiritual victories.
David and Jonathan were also connected by a strong friendship that began back in those glorious days when David defeated Goliath (1 Sam. 18:1-4). They shared their fears during the bad period when Saul, Jonathan’s father, was full of envy and treachery (1 Sam. 18:6-11; 20:1-2). Finally, they suffered together in those terrible days when Saul tried to kill David (1 Sam. 20:42).
True friends do not abandon us when our life circumstances change for the worse. They are always with us both in our happy days and in our bad. In the terrible days when we feel temptations, friends can show us how to hold on to the Lord.
True friendship is a gift from God. And God Himself is an example of the best, perfect Friend, Who remains faithful to us in any period of our life – good, bad or terrible. The Lord reminds us: “I will not leave you, nor will I depart from you!” (Heb. 13:5).
Dear Lord, I thank You for the good friends You send into my life. But above all I thank You for Your friendship.
A friend is the one who first comes to the rescue when the whole world turns its back on us.
Author: Kayla Ochoa
Is it possible to live a life that honors God? Is it possible to train our minds and bodies to do what we know is right instead of feeling powerless in the face of temptation?
Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia is a guide to the following questions:
“But I say to you, let the Spirit guide your behavior. Then you will not satisfy the desires of your sinful nature.”
Galatians 5:16
By not surrendering and submitting to God’s guidance, our sinful nature is fighting against what God has for us.
Given to ourselves, we desire what the world desires. And the more we indulge our unique shades of temptation, the more we crave (for example, craving sweets instead of sugar or craving pornography for a dopamine release). But with the help of the Holy Spirit who softens, shapes and reshapes our hearts, we can learn to desire what God thinks is best.
Simply put, the secret of godly living is the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is simply God – one of the three persons of the Trinity: the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus has already done the hard and beautiful work of salvation by living, dying, and rising again for His children, but now He wants to continue His mighty work in us and through us.
Does it seem impossible? Yes, it is impossible if you are fighting alone. But, as Jesus told His disciples: “It is impossible with men, but not with God, for nothing is impossible with Him” (Mark 10:27). The psalmist also expressed another valuable thought, writing: “And where is the way that leads a young man to purity? Obeying Your orders!” (Psalms 119:9).
When we hold on to His Word, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit, it is not only possible, but probable, to live a life that honors Him.
Finally, brethren, what is true…honest…righteous…pure…lovely…praiseworthy, when what virtue…praise, think about it! — Philippians 4:8
More than 2 million copies of the young Japanese woman Marie Kondo’s book on tidying up and organizing have been sold. The main idea of this book is to help people get rid of unnecessary things in their homes, closets, pantries, which are an unnecessary burden. “Take this or that thing,” Marie advises, “and ask yourself if it makes you happy.” If the answer is yes, leave it. If “no” – throw it away.
The Apostle Paul encouraged the believers of the city of Philippi to strive for joy in their relationship with Christ: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say: rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). The apostle urged, instead of a life full of turmoil and restlessness, to bring everything to God in prayer and allow God’s peace to “guard” our hearts and our minds in Christ (Phil. 4:6-7).
If we think about our daily responsibilities and affairs, it is obvious that not all of them cause us joy. But let’s ask ourselves: “How can this or that matter cause joy in God’s heart and my heart?” Understanding why we do a certain thing can change our attitude towards it.
“Finally, brothers, what is true…honest…righteous…pure…lovely…worthy of praise, when what virtue, when what praise, think about it!” (Phil. 4:8).
This Pauline instruction is spiritual food for our minds and a recipe for joy.
Господи, покажи мені, які мої сьогоднішні справи можуть принести радість Тобі й мені.
The beginning of joy is to focus on the Lord.
Author: David McCasland
