A Glorious Life

One of the most inspiring passages of Scripture to me is 2 Corinthians 3.  Paul wanted the Corinthian Christians to know that he considered them and the work he did among them as adequate testimony of his faithfulness.  He did not consider that he needed letters of commendation from anyone.  His work spoke for itself.  He was confident in Christ.

You may not feel confident.  I know I sometimes don't feel I have confidence through Christ toward God (2 Corinthians 3:4) because of the things I do or say or think.  You might think it all well and good for Paul to feel confident, but he was Paul!  He was an apostle!  "He wasn't like me!!"  Spend some time reading Romans 7 if you don't think Paul suffered through the same kind of turmoil in his everyday life that you and I do.  Paul's confidence did not come from his apostleship in some miraculous or automatic way.  He did not consider himself adequate in himself, but his adequacy was "from God" (2 Corinthians 3:5).

Here is the thought I want you to begin your day with:  Your adequacy is from God, too!  Paul draws a contrast in this chapter between the old law and the new law; the Law of Moses and the Law of Christ.  The old Law of Moses came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (2 Corinthians 3:7).  It was full of glory and yet compared to the Christian life, Paul called it a "ministry of death" (2 Corinthians 3:7).  And if that old "ministry of death" had all that glory, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit (the Christian life) be filled with glory?  How much, indeed!

I want you to notice just how Paul describes the Christian life in the next few verses:  “For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.  For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory on account of the glory that surpasses it.  For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory” (2 Corinthians 3:9-11).  How many times does he mention "glory" here? 

I know it's hard to remember passages like this when the going gets rough, but we have to try.  There are times when life seems too difficult.  The demands of faithful Christianity are too demanding, we think.  The temptations of life are too difficult to resist.  Or so they seem.  In reality, they are not!  The devil has done a good job of convincing us otherwise, but we can have confidence.  Yes, even a spiritually broken-down old horse like me or you!

Did I say "confidence"?  Yes, confidence!  Confidence is a difficult commodity to have or to hold on to, I know, but it is available.  I can look my enemy straight in the eye and tell him to give it his best shot.  I don't have to worry about the devil winning over me.  I can have confidence that I will win over him.  The writer of the book of Hebrews says we can enter the holy place (the presence of God) with confidence (Hebrews 10:19) and that we should draw near to the throne of grace to find grace to help in time of need...with confidence (Hebrews 4:16).  And Paul says that because of the hope we have within us, the hope of eternal life, the hope of salvation and the love of our heavenly Father, we can speak out with boldness (2 Corinthians 3:12); "boldness" and "confidence" being the same.

When you look at the week ahead of you, what do you see?  Do you see intimidation?  Do you see weakness?  Do you see temptation?  Do you see an enemy standing before you, ready to torture you and make you give up your faith?  Well, take a good look at the glorious life of a Christian, then, look that old devil in the face and spit in his eye!  He can't touch you!  He can tie you to a chair, tie your hands behind your back and hit you with everything he's got and you can still laugh at him because of the glory of your life in Christ!!!  Thanks be to  God through Jesus Christ our Lord!  He loves you and so do I.

Donnie Bates

Wait for the Lord!

It’s a scary world we live in, isn’t it? Just a cursory review of the news will convince us of that. This world seems to be full of those who would harm us if they could. And some of them are terrifying! Closer to home, it may be that someone is intimidated by a boss or a co-worker; perhaps someone at school scares you to death. When we watch the news and see what’s happening around the world and around the corner, it’s hard not to be a little frightened. (Have you noticed the increased number of shootings on the news in Denver in the last few weeks and months?) Parents in the U.S. are paying closer attention to where their children are (or they should be). As a missionary (and I’m still a missionary at heart) I think about what it would be like to be in those places or in those situations we see playing out on the world stage. Those things that terrify us across the globe make up everyday life for the people who live there. And the things in your everyday life that terrify you would probably terrify others, too. I have to admit, so far this “word of encouragement” isn’t sounding very encouraging, is it?

Well, there is good news! “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled” (1 Peter 3:13, 14). I know it sounds trite and easy to say, but it’s true! What harm can really come to us if we are zealous for what is good? I don’t mean that our hearts won’t break when some of the things that happen in this life happen to us. I don’t for one moment want to give anyone the impression that there is no pain involved in this world or that if you feel such pain, you have no faith. Of course there is pain! But it cannot overcome you if you refuse to be overcome!

Are you familiar with Isaiah 40:31? It says, “yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” Did you ever wonder about mounting up with wings like eagles? Pictures flood our minds of soaring high, presumably high over those things which threaten us. Rather than being overcome, we overcome. That’s a very good way to understand the picture being drawn here. But did you ever wonder what happens to the eagle when a storm threatens? Not far from where my family and I used to live in Kremmling, Colorado is Gore Canyon. The Colorado River runs through it. There are cliffs in that canyon that rise 3,000 feet above the river. There are a lot of golden eagles there. If an eagle is caught on the face of such a cliff when a storm strikes, it could be thrown into the mountainside and killed, except for one thing: God has given the eagle the instinct to set the attitude of his wings to allow the updraft of the storm to carry him up and out of danger. Do you see the comparison? It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking aeronautics or life in general; attitude is the key!

I once heard a character on a TV program say, “Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it.” There may be some truth in that, but Scripture says it also builds character. James wrote: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (James 1:2, 3). Adversity will produce endurance, if we will endure it with the right attitude.

If my boss or co-worker or teacher or acquaintance threatens me, or if my friend hurts my feelings, I have to set my attitude so that the threat itself lifts me out of danger. If some catastrophe were to befall a member of my family, I would have to set my attitude so that the threat would not overcome me, but lift me out of danger. If I find myself on the streets of some city anywhere in this world and my life is threatened or taken, who could really harm me if I prove zealous for what is good? What really is there to fear? Nothing! Hallelujah, praise Jehovah!!

Take care and have a great week because Jehovah loves you and so do I.

Donnie Bates