“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”

II Corinthians 4:7-10 (ESV)

I need this attitude. How easily I get distracted and discouraged in my service to God because things in life aren’t easy. I get sick. Someone gets mad at me. Someone says something unkind. Somebody leaves the congregation. Somebody misunderstands me. These things happen and I get depressed and sometimes wonder why I keep trying. 

But then I remember Paul. He went through real trouble. Shipwrecks, beatings, persecutions, imprisonments, attempts on his life, thorn in the flesh… He kept his head up. He kept on in faith because he could see the big picture. All these things happened, but none of them took salvation away. None of them took heaven away. None of them took the love of God away. 

Sure, bad things happened to him. But the worst thing didn’t happen. God did not forsake Him. God won’t forsake me. God won’t forsake you. 

I think too often we get bogged down about all the blessings we would like but haven’t received that we forget the great blessing we have received. Jesus died for us and washed our sins away. He has reserved a home in heaven for us who are protected by the power of God through faith. I’m not shopping for a car here. What more could I ask for to sweeten this deal any better? 

I just need to keep in mind that the life of Jesus is in me, if I stay in Him and don’t let Satan discourage me and get me to turn my back on my Savior.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC 

And Now I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.–(Acts 20:32, ESV)

Why are we doing this? Why do we crack open that dusty old book, written by men of outdated cultures to people who are behind the times?

Is it because God has declared, “Here is my rule, read your Bible every day!”? Is it because some preacher has guilted us into thinking we are only spiritual when we read our Bible every day? Is it because when we read our Bibles every day it makes us better than all those other people who aren’t as spiritual as we are?

No. No. And No. We are doing this because Jesus has the words of eternal life (cf. John 6:68). The only way for us to get that life is to be in His Word. We aren’t busy trying to draw all the lines, dot all the i’s, cross all the t’s so we can be good enough and have read our Bible’s enough to go to heaven. That fact is, we can’t be that good. We can’t read our Bible’s enough to earn heaven. 

However, when we get in the Word and get the Word in us. Then the life that flows from God pours into our hearts. Then we are built up. Then we gain the inheritance reserved for the sanctified and set apart. That doesn’t happen because we checked daily Bible reading off our to do list. It happens because we surrendered to God and His word.

Keep the faith today and keep reading.

ELC