Good morning. Hope you all had a good day yesterday. Kind of gray and dreary, but at least we were spared from the huge amounts of rain. Today looks to be great!
I really like Paul's first comment- we are doing the job God desires us to do. There are several times when I have been ready to "throw in the towel", I need to remember these words- I am doing the work God wants me to do. Paul is honest in his teaching (v 2); sometimes people don't want to hear the honesty, but he doesn't sugar coat things. Do we corrupt or dilute the gospel when we tell others? Do I when I preach? It is hard to be honest at times, but we need to be more honest- especially when we are telling the Gospel story.
If people don't get the message, it isn't Paul's fault, or our fault, or the Gospel's fault. It is the fault of the people listening (or not) and they are the ones to blame for not hearing (v 3). Satan ("the god of this world" in some translations) is the one to blame for the unbelief of others. Satan blinds those that are unbelievers- but cannot draw away those that are believers. We have the option to believe or not; it is our choice. If we chose to believe, then God takes control; if we chose not to believe, then Satan takes control. Look at the life of Paul- he was blind to the truth of God until Paul had his vision of Jesus; Paul then became one of the biggest proponents of the Gospel. The light Paul refers to (v 6) is the light of God and the brightness emitted by God.
We have a great message (Gospel message) to share, and yet we are just humble creatures (clay pots). God has put God's great treasure and light into such humble containers (us, the clay pots)- nothing fancy! God doesn't need the fine china when God can use us!
Paul talks somewhat of his life and somewhat of life in general (vv 8-9). Paul was a wanted man, he was "hunted" and persecuted, he had a difficult life as he preached the message. We have troubles; we may not be persecuted or hunted, but life isn't easy-- we are sometimes lost, we are sometimes disheveled, we are sometimes pained. Yet Paul (and we) are to continue having faith and hope in the resurrected Christ (v 10). There are some things that can only be done through suffering and pain; sometimes the trials of our life are the best evidence for God, the best teaching moments for others (vv 11-12).
Faith creates testimony (v 13). The faith and belief we have allows us to talk and verify the existence of God. The suffering Paul goes through (and we go through) and then the surviving that Paul (and we) go through is the best source of inspiration for witnessing and teaching about God. In essence, an easy life doesn't really help our belief and trust in God, but a harder life (and our surviving that) increases our belief and trust and faith. What do you think about that?
Don't lose heart in the face of trials and suffering (v 16); continue to pursue the Gospel, continue to teach, continue to live. Our sufferings don't even begin to compare to the suffering of Paul, and certainly no comparison with the suffering of Jesus- so they are light afflictions or small troubles (v 17). These small troubles we face helps us build confidence and trust in God. We set our sights on God's kingdom (something that cannot be seen) and continue to pursue goodness and love and mercy. What we have here will certainly be gone, but we have hope that there is something greater waiting for us in the future.
These are very inspiration words from Paul. I wonder if the Corinthians are beginning to get the idea of what Paul is saying? Do we get it?
Have a great day!
Shalom+
Pastor Paul
I had a question about yesterday's reading that I was thinking about today - Paul refers to Moses "teachings" as the Old Testament. Did they actually call it that back then? Did they actually refer to the Jewish Bible as the Old Testament?
ReplyDeleteI had never heard the phrase (or at least I don't remember) "this world's god" when referring to Satan. But I actually like the phrase. I also like the imagery of us being God's vessels and He has placed His treasures in us - something we should be sharing with others - which is also part of the Great Commission - but I like the way Paul says it. Do I? Hmmmmm Not like I should. I agree that a more difficult life increases or belief and trust in God - IF we allow it. But, then, I have not had the troubles that other's have endured.
It seems like Paul's letter is softening a bit!
That's a great question? Since there was no "New Testament" yet, there couldn't be an "old" one. My guess is the text was referred to as the Bible or the holy texts or something like that? The "Old Testament" reference may have been an editorial addition.
DeleteI think Paul has referenced Satan as "the god of this world" or something like that a few times. I do like that commentary though!
I do like the clay pot imagery...we aren't all that special, yet God desires to come to us and use us!
Great points!
I didn't do a comment yesterday but i did read the chapter. I don't think the old testament was called that in the time of Moses, Donna and the Jews still don't believe that Jesus was the Messiah so I'm not sure if they refer to the NT either. Paul's teaching was to some Jews but mostly to the Gentiles I thought.
ReplyDeletePastor Paul I hope September Morn is doing okay.
Paul tells the people that he doesn't twist the words of God but we must the aware that there are some that do twist the Word and Satan is there to Help lead us astray. Jesus is our light and he shines thru us so others can see His goodness. We are humble servants and paul likened us to clay pots When I first read this i thought how can a light shing thru a clay pot inside this clay pot is the power of God and God can do anything so certainly His Light can shine thru anything. No matter what kind of strife we face we know that a better life is waiting for us after we die here as we will have eternal life and be with Jesus in the end so it makes all we suffer here worth what comes next. Hope I got this right sometimes I do have a hard time following Paul's words.
Hi Clara,
DeleteOh, of course, now that you say that - that the Jews would never think of their Bible as the OT as, to them, there is no NT - makes perfect sense! 😃. It’s just when Paul referred to it as the Old Testament in the last chapter it surprised me.
Thanks, Clara
Whenever we talk- we have a motive in mind (or not necessarily in mind) but what we say is shaped by our past and our experiences. So when we talk it always comes out "twisted"!
DeleteSometimes is it hard to see God's light though- isn't it!
We do need to keep hope and faith alive knowing that something better is out there waiting for us!
Good points Clara!
Your comment about how our suffering doesn’t compare to that of Paul or Jesus gave me pause. Most people suffer in one way or another. Yes, some have terrible suffering, maybe others not quite as much. And not everyone has the opportunity to learn about faith or maybe some are not capable of learning about God and faith. Terrible and unbelievable atrocities happen every day in our world.
ReplyDeleteI believe in a God that loves us and wants to help. We do need to spread the light of the gospel and be our brothers keeper. Every day is a new chance for someone to meet up with someone who will help. My Bible commentary says” knowing that we will live forever with God n a lace without sin and suffering can help us live above the pain that we face in this life.”
Good point- there are people that suffer more than Paul yet remain faithful! How can we reach those that don't know about God yet?
DeleteI love that line from your text! We do need to do the best we can to talk hope. People seem to be lacking that- and it is obvious!
Good points Cathy!
I read a comment once made by a mother who had lost her young son to a terrible illness ... If we never experience pain we will never know joy. Such a profound comment. She is a women with a lot of faith. Cathy I agree with you there are those in this world that have experienced pain and suffering beyond anything I can imagine.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful day today! I had the good fortune to have lunch with a very dear friend today that I don't get to see very often. When she dropped me at my house I made a point to thank her for being such a good friend over the years. I told her that whenever I am feeling down I can always count on her to cheer me up. What a gift friendship is.
We are hoping to head to Philadelphia tomorrow to help one of our daughters and her husband with their kitchen remodel. They have had terrible flooding.
Cindy, the comment made by the grieving mother is so true. I does show that she has a lot of faith. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteI am sorry to hear about your daughter and the flooding! I hope all will go well with the kitchen! Safe travels!!!
DeleteThat is such a true comment- if we don't know pain- we can't know joy. The line in Psalm 23...even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...is a good reminder for us too!
DeleteThe world needs to say "Thanks" more often!
Sorry to hear about your daughter's flooding issues. This was a bad one for the northeast.
Good thoughts CIndy
I (we) are using the NIV translation and I have found that the words are sometimes quite different (as are the thoughts) than what you saying in your daily blogs. This is OK as I am getting a different perspective than I would have gotten if everything was always the same.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your comment: "If we chose to believe, then God takes control; if we chose not to believe, then Satan takes control." I have observed this in my life. In the roughest period of my life, I really didn't believe there was a God (or Jesus). I remember telling a man of the cloth that I thought the story of Jesus was a lot of bunk (although I didn't use those exact words). Looking back, I really believe that Satan was in control of my life. Thankfully, I now believe that Jesus is in control, and I don't think that will change.
My translation (the NIV concludes this chapter by saying that we should fix our eyes on what we don't see instead of what we do see, as "...what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." I find these words to be comforting.
For the record, Cornell is a beautiful campus.
We all go through darker periods in our life- some more than others. I think we have all doubted the existence of God at times...I know I did! That doubt is what ultimately brings faith and hope.
ReplyDeleteWe do need to remember that the unseen is eternal and we can strive for that in our time!
Thansk for the comments Jack