I need to underscore a foundational fact: God’s goal is not to make sure you’re happy. No matter how hard it is for you to believe this, it’s time to do so. Life is not about your being comfortable and happy and successful and pain free.
Read MoreTag Archives: Second Corinthians
Grace That Won’t Let Go
This is a good time to correct faulty thinking. It is not always God’s will that you be healed. It is not always the Father’s plan to relieve the pressure. Our happiness is not God’s chief aim.
Read MoreA Thorn in the Flesh
Sailors on the high seas understand the importance of securing themselves to something sturdy in a fierce gale. You learn to cling to what’s secure in a storm. Paul learned to cling to what he knew to be true . . .
Read MoreTrusting God in the Shadows
I want to dispense a fresh supply of hope. To help accomplish that, let me suggest four principles. They may mean more to you later than now—in a time when God leads you to wait in the shadows.
Read MoreGod’s Waiting Room
If you go back fourteen years from the time Paul wrote the second letter to the believers at Corinth, that places him at the time he was waiting in Tarsus. Quite possibly, during one of his numerous floggings he received . . . , he lapsed into a semi-conscious state.
Read MoreThe Attraction of Gracious Giving
When I consider the magnetic effects of gracious giving, four qualities immediately emerge. First, grace is so attractive: Grace individualizes the gift. When you give by grace, you give individually.
Read MoreTime to Toughen Up
There are 1,130 frostbitten miles, mountain ranges, blizzards, hungry beasts, and frozen seas between Anchorage and Nome. This awful trek is the scene of the ultimate endurance test known as the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.
Read MoreTemporal Rewards for Those Who Serve God
I’ll be candid with you. I have never read anywhere else in the Bible what God revealed to me in 2 Corinthians: “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”
Read MoreGod’s Promises Regarding His Faithfulness
Someone once counted all the promises in the Bible and came up with an amazing figure of almost 7500. Among that large number are some specific promises servants can claim today.
Read MoreEternal Rewards for Those Who Serve God
While preparing the Twelve for a lifetime of serving others, Christ promised an eternal reward even for holding out a cup of cool water.
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