The Only Way for All
Note from Jesus Dear Believer, No one can rightfully boast about being more righteous than others. No one can rightfully claim to be righteous because of the superiority of his or her race, religious heritage, religious law, or even religious behavior. Each person has failed to be what the Father called people to be. No one measures up to the Father’s righteousness. All people need My sacrifice as the sin-offering that paid for their sins and opened the door for a new way to be righteous based on their trust in Me and in what I did to save them. Paul wanted both Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome to know, and I want people in your day to know, that all “people are justified, that is, made right with God through faith, which has nothing to do with the deeds the law prescribes.” Law-keeping cannot make anyone righteous. The Jews needed to admit this. Law can convict of sin. Law can make clear what the Father’s standards are for people. The law can make clear how they have fallen short. However, law cannot pay the price for sins. Trying to live without the law isn’t better. Non-Jews have to acknowledge this. No one has lived up to the Father’s standards with or without the law. The only way to be righteous before the Father is the same for both Jew and Gentile alike: So since God is one, there is one way for Jews and outsiders, circumcised and uncircumcised, to be right with Him. That is the way of faith. My death satisfied the Father’s justice. I paid the atoning price for sin and provided grace for all who receive the Father’s gift of mercy and grace by faith. For the next several days, you will join Paul as he explains this amazing grace — how it is provided for you out of the Father’s love and how you receive this grace. For today, it is enough for you to know and believe these words of Paul: [T]hat He [God] is just and righteous and that He makes right those who trust and commit themselves to Jesus. That’s the bottom line. That’s the standard of all standards. That’s the ultimate gift of grace purchased through My cross, celebrated at and validated by My resurrection, and received by faith. Verses to Live The words below that Paul wrote to the Romans come after he has strongly emphasized that all have sinned. No one has measured up to the righteousness of the Father. Jews had failed to live up to the Mosaic law. Gentiles had failed to live up to the righteous demands of the Father that they knew in their hearts as true goodness. Every person who has lived has fallen short of being holy and righteous. With the words that follow, Paul began to shift the focus of his letter toward salvation that is found in giving My life as a sin-offering for all people. Salvation is the gift of God’s grace and is accepted by faith. Paul acknowledged that the penalty of Adam’s sin has been passed on to everyone: everyone sins and everyone will die — or meet Me in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Everyone needs mercy and grace, so the Father provided mercy and grace through Me. Now for the good news: God’s restorative justice has entered the world, independent of the law. Both the law and the prophets told us this day would come. This redeeming justice comes through the faithfulness of Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King, Who makes salvation a reality for all who believe — without the slightest partiality. You see, all have sinned, and all their futile attempts to reach God in His glory fail. Yet they are now saved and set right by His free gift of grace through the redemption available only in Jesus the Anointed. When God set Him up to be the sacrifice — the seat of mercy where sins are atoned through faith — His blood became the demonstration of God’s own restorative justice. All of this confirms His faithfulness to the promise, for over the course of human history God patiently held back as He dealt with the sins being committed. This expression of God’s restorative justice displays in the present that He is just and righteous and that He makes right those who trust and commit themselves to Jesus. So is there any place left for boasting? No. It’s been shut out completely. And how? By what sort of law? The law of works perhaps? No! By the law of faith. We hold that people are justified, that is, made right with God through faith, which has nothing to do with the deeds the law prescribes. Is God the God of the Jews only? If He created all things, then doesn’t that make Him the God of all people? Jews and non-Jews, insiders and outsiders alike? Yes, He is also the God of all the outsiders. So since God is one, there is one way for Jews and outsiders, circumcised and uncircumcised, to be right with Him. That is the way of faith. So are we trying to use faith to abolish the law? Absolutely not! In fact, we now are free to uphold the law as God intended. (Romans 3:21-31) When the law came into the picture, sin grew and grew; but wherever sin grew and spread, God’s grace was there in fuller, greater measure. No matter how much sin crept in, there was always more grace. In the same way that sin reigned in the sphere of death, now grace reigns through God’s restorative justice, eclipsing death and leading to eternal life through the Anointed One, Jesus our Lord, the Liberating King. (Romans 5:20-21) Response in Prayer O Father, I believe that You sent Jesus as the sacrifice for my sin. I believe that Jesus is my atoning sacrifice providing what no one else and nothing else but His
Everyone Needs Grace!
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Unfortunately, much of the world has repeatedly given up honoring the Creator. Most in the world have chased after worthless and depraved things. In addition, even those who seek to honor the Creator have also sinned. However, some of these religious people think that their religious knowledge and rules will save them. Many of the Jews in Paul’s day had this belief. Unfortunately, some religious people in your day also have this belief. They think because they have made a religious confession and have read My book and have gone to religious meetings that they are somehow better. They forget my own words: “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” (Matthew 7:21-23 NLT) Paul wrote the parts of Romans that are now chapters 2, 3 and 7 to remind all people — religious and non-religious, Jews and non-Jews — that their deeds, their rules, their book, their religious pedigree, and their church attendance will not get them into My grace. Salvation is by the Father’s grace (Romans 3, Romans 5). This grace is received through faith (Romans 4). You share in this grace by participating in My death, burial, and resurrection through baptism (Romans 6). This grace is empowered by the Holy Spirit, Who brings the Father’s will to life in you (Romans 8). So the collection of verses today is a reminder of what Paul said in Romans chapters 2 and 3. He was emphatic: nothing and no one except Me can make you right — not law, not Scripture, not race, not religious pedigree. Ultimately, all of these things have failed to enable people to live up to the Father’s perfect standard of holiness. When you fail in one part of law-keeping, you are guilty of all (James 2:10). If you break one law, you are a lawbreaker. Paul wanted the Roman believers, and other believers who came after them, to understand that no one can be saved without the Father’s gift of grace purchased by My death on the cross and empowered by the Holy Spirit. By their failure, all people stand condemned to live righteously without flaw and have missed Our holy standard. Jews have failed to live up to the full standards demanded by the Mosaic law. Gentiles have failed to live up to the righteous standards of holiness. Everyone needs a Savior. No one can claim religious superiority. Everyone needs My grace! Verses to Live Tomorrow you will read verses about grace. Today you will be reminded in the verses below that, without that grace, no one can stand justified before the Father. All people need Me. I AM the only true Savior, Who can bring God’s grace to anyone, including you. So you can see there are no excuses for any of us. If your eyes shift their focus from yourselves to others — to judge how they are doing — you have already condemned yourselves! You don’t realize that you are pointing your fingers at others for the exact things you do as well. There’s no doubt that the judgment of God will justly fall upon hypocrites who practice such things. Here’s what is happening: you attack and criticize others and then turn around to commit the same offenses yourselves! Do you think you will somehow dodge God’s judgment? Do you take the kindness of God for granted? Do you see His patience and tolerance as signs that He is a pushover when it comes to sin? How could you not know that His kindness is guiding our hearts to turn away from distractions and habitual sin to walk a new path? But because your heart is obstinate and shameless, you’re storing up wrath that will count against you. On the day of His choosing, God’s wrath and judgment will be unleashed to make things right. As it goes, everyone will receive what his actions in life have cultivated. (Romans 2:1-6) Here’s my point: just because a person hears the law read or recited does not mean he is right before the one True God; it is following the law that makes one right, not just hearing it. (Romans 2:13) Listen, if you claim to be a Jew, count on the law, and boast in your relationship with God; if you know His will and can determine what is essential (because you have been instructed in the law); and if you stand convinced that you are chosen to be a guide to the blind, a light to those who live in darkness, a teacher of foolish wanderers and children, and have in the law what is essentially the form of knowledge and truth — then tell me, why don’t you practice what you preach? (Romans 2:17-21) So what then? Are we Jews better off? Not at all. We have made it clear that people everywhere, Jews and non-Jews, are living under the power of sin. Here’s what Scripture says: No one is righteous — not even one. There is no one who understands the truth; no one is seeking after the one True God. All have turned away; together they’ve become worthless. (Romans 3:9-12) We want to be clear that whatever the law says, it says to everyone who is under its authority. Its purpose is to muzzle every mouth, to silence idle talk, and to bring the whole world under the standard of God’s justice. Therefore, doing what the law prescribes will not make anyone right in the eyes of God — that’s not its purpose — but the law is capable of exposing the true nature
The Destructive Path
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, What you find in the verses below from the early part of Romans will appear to be a collection of harsh words and strong language. It is certainly not what you might expect from the premiere letter of Paul about the Father’s grace, My sacrifice, the Holy Spirit’s power, and your faith that connects you to salvation. And yes, I acknowledge these words are hard words, bold words, and frank words. But, dear child of the Father, these are true words. Part of what Paul was doing was demonstrating the need for the salvation and spiritual blessings that We offer. He will discuss these matters at length later in this letter. First, however, Paul needed to address what happens when folks worship created things instead of the Creator! Paul had powerfully proclaimed the nature of the one true God — Us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — in his sermon in Athens. He had called on people to turn away from idols and had told them that they must seek after the One Who “made the universe and all it contains, the God Who is the King of all heaven and all earth” (Acts 17:24). We made the universe and all that is in it so that all people would seek after Us and find Us. We are close to you, not far away (Acts 17:27-28). Unfortunately, much of humanity has often refused to believe in Us even after seeing the evidence in nature of Our glorious presence and the indications in the universe of Our eternal existence. In fact, people have often drifted into celebrating and worshiping the things that We created to bless them instead of celebrating Us, the source of all their blessings! Paul told the Roman believers that people became so caught up in chasing the thrills of their existence that they had forgotten about the Father’s love, My creative attentiveness, and the Spirit’s work throughout creation. They then gave themselves so completely to reveling in the created things and celebrating the created experiences that they abandoned the love, grace, and power of their Creator. They gave themselves over to all sorts of depraved distortions of Our creative gifts because they forgot the origin of these gifts. They failed to see that their ravenous desire for more of these gifts is the sinfully destructive hook repeatedly baited by Satan to enslave them in their own depraved desire for more. They experienced one thing after another, but never had enough and never found satisfaction in what they had because they lost sight of the Father. Their hearts grew so cold to the Father’s love and grace that He turned them over to their own lustful desires and to the destructive consequences they bring. Beloved, things that are very similar to what Paul described are prevalent in your own culture and are happening before your own eyes. The Creator has largely been forgotten in your world. Those who have been created have forgotten their Creator and become more and more self-absorbed. The result has been the exaltation of created things and special experiences to the point that they are made common. They have become debased because they have lost their grounding in the intent of the Creator and the purpose of their being created. So what was the punishment for those who pursued this “counterfeit” path of self-indulgence? The Father stepped out of the way of these sinners and “turned them loose to follow the unseemly designs of their depraved minds and to do things that should not be done.” They were allowed to lose themselves in the depravity they pursued. Their destruction was of their own making and breaks the heart of their Creator! Be warned. What was true in Paul’s day is also true in your own day. Verses to Live I challenge you as you read these verses not to assign them to long ago and far away. Think of how your own time and culture are reflected in the following verses. Then, choose to give thanks, praise, and your devotion to the Father, your Creator, as the One from Whom all good and perfect gifts have come (James 1:17)! For the wrath of God is breaking through from heaven, opposing all manifestations of ungodliness and wickedness by the people who do wrong to keep God’s truth in check. These people are not ignorant about what can be known of God, because He has shown it to them with great clarity. From the beginning, creation in its magnificence enlightens us to His nature. Creation itself makes His undying power and divine identity clear, even though they are invisible; and it voids the excuses and ignorant claims of these people because, despite the fact that they knew the one true God, they have failed to show the love, honor, and appreciation due to the One Who created them! Instead, their lives are consumed by vain thoughts that poison their foolish hearts. They claim to be wise; but they have been exposed as fools, frauds, and con artists — only a fool would trade the splendor and beauty of the immortal God to worship images of the common man or woman, bird or reptile, or the next beast that tromps along. So God gave them just what their lustful hearts desired. As a result, they violated their bodies and invited shame into their lives. How? By choosing a foolish lie over God’s truth. They gave their lives and devotion to the creature rather than to the Creator Himself, Who is blessed forever and ever. Amen. This is why God released them to their own vile pursuits, and this is what happened: they chose sexual counterfeits — women had sexual relations with other women and men committed unnatural, shameful acts because they burned with lust for other men. This sin was rife, and they suffered painful consequences. Since they had no mind to recognize God, He turned them loose to follow
Paul’s Reasons for the Road
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved Disciple, Paul had many reasons to be on the road. He traveled extensively all over the regions bordering the northern and eastern Mediterranean Sea. He traveled to share the good message of the Father’s grace with people who had never heard it. He strengthened house churches he had helped plant on previous trips. He matured and appointed leaders in those house churches. He carried communication from one group of disciples to another. As Paul left for Jerusalem on the trip described in the verses below from Acts, he was bringing a special financial gift to Jerusalem. He wanted to bless the impoverished Jewish disciples in Jerusalem with a gift from Gentile Christians. He was hoping to tie together the whole brotherhood through this project. As you read the verses below, you will find all of those reasons for Paul’s travels through Asia Minor (with key cities of Troas & Ephesus), Macedonia (with key cities of Philippi, Berea, & Thessalonica), and Greece (with key cities of Corinth & Athens) on his way back to Syria (Antioch) and ultimately to Judea (Jerusalem). Paul was determined to go to Rome, the capital of the empire, after going to Jerusalem. Then from Rome, he planned to go to Spain to share My story and the good message of salvation. The first set of verses below (from the book of Acts) is a very simple summary of a few years when Paul wrote the incredible letter of Romans while in Greece. (We will be reading parts of Romans together over the next several days.) As you read from some of the beginning and ending verses of Romans today, you will also find information and hints about Paul’s travels and what motivated him to take these trips. Underneath all of these travels during this stage of Paul’s life, there were three predominant influences: Paul was My chosen emissary (apostle), especially to the non-Jewish peoples of the world. For I [Paul] am not the least bit embarrassed about the gospel. I won’t shy away from it, because it is God’s power to save every person who believes: first the Jew, and then the non-Jew. He was passionate about fulfilling this call. He had a special fervor to take the good news to people who had never heard it: I have dreamed of preaching the gospel in places where no one has ever heard of the Anointed so that I do not build on a foundation laid by anyone else. Paul wanted to bring the brotherhood of Jews and non-Jews together through the offering from the Gentile churches for their brothers and sisters in faith in Jerusalem: But right now I [Paul] must make the journey to Jerusalem to serve the saints there. Those in Macedonia and Achaia decided it was a good idea to share their funds to help the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. I must tell you that they were thrilled to be able to help. They realize that they are indebted to the believers in Jerusalem. If the nations share in the Jews’ spiritual goods, then it’s only right that they minister back to them in material goods. Since some people were seeking to stop and, if necessary, kill Paul, he could and would alter his travel strategies based on their hostility. However, he was determined to complete his travels: He [Paul] spent three months there [in Greece], and then he planned to set sail once again for Syria. But he learned that a group of Jewish opponents was plotting to kill him, so he decided to travel through Macedonia. While in Greece, he wrote about possible additional opposition he would face when he returned to Jerusalem: Pray that I [Paul] will be rescued from those who deny and persecute the faith in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem will meet the approval of all the saints there. As Paul traveled to share My good news, he wrote the nearest thing to a complete document on grace, faith, baptism, the Holy Spirit, and holy living in his letter called the book of Romans in your Bible. This is the letter we will share together in the coming days. First, however, I want you to get a feeling for the passion that drove Paul along the many roads he traveled! Verses to Live As you read today’s verses, you will find much more depth of emotion than can be highlighted in this short note. So I want you to read through these verses several times listening for the passion of Paul to fulfill his call to share the gospel. As you read, also pray for the Spirit to release this same kind of passion in you and through you in your day! As soon as the uproar ended [in Ephesus], Paul gathered the disciples together, encouraged them once more, said farewell, and left on foot. He decided to pass through Macedonia, encouraging believers wherever he found them, and came to Greece. He spent three months there, and then he planned to set sail once again for Syria. But he learned that a group of Jewish opponents was plotting to kill him, so he decided to travel through Macedonia. … Paul: Now I feel that the Holy Spirit has taken me captive. I am being led to Jerusalem. My future is uncertain, but I know — the Holy Spirit has told me — that everywhere I go from now on, I will find imprisonment and persecution waiting for me. But that’s OK. That’s no tragedy for me because I don’t cling to my life for my own sake. The only value I place on my life is that I may finish my race, that I may fulfill the ministry that Jesus our King has given me, that I may gladly tell the good news of God’s grace. (Acts 20:1-3; Acts 20:22-24) Paul, a servant of Jesus the Anointed called by God to be His emissary and appointed to
Closing Words, Closing Grace
Note from Jesus Dear Committed Follower, As Paul came to the end of his very challenging letter to the Corinthians, the letter you call 2 Corinthians, he had several things he wanted to imprint on the hearts of these disciples. He closed his letter with both a blessing and an encouragement for holy living. He had repeatedly defended his right to be My special emissary (or apostle) against the charges that he wasn’t really special, important, or equal to other emissaries. As Paul finished this letter, he emphasized the behaviors and attitudes that the Corinthians needed to have to honor Me. Whether they accepted his ministry or not, Paul wanted them to focus on living in ways that were consistent with My character and compassion. Notice the words in bold in the verses below. Use them as a good guide for yourself. These qualities are the good fruit from having a heart that belongs to Me and a commitment to honor Me as Lord. Realize that these character qualities are the fruit of being led by the Spirit to conform your character and compassion to be like My own. They show that you are “being transformed, metamorphosed, into [My] image from one radiance of glory to another, just as the Spirit of the Lord accomplishes it” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Here are some behaviors to use as your guide. As Paul said, “Examine yourselves.” So I’ve put the following list down as an evaluation tool for you to use on yourself. This list is in the first person so you can ask yourself if these qualities are really yours: Do I stay away from evil? Do I try to do what is right? Do I act honorably… even in difficult situations? Do I align myself with truth rather than trying to find a way around it? Do I trust in the Spirit to help me find wholeness and completeness in Jesus? Do I rejoice in the Father’s presence in my life and the many blessings He shares with me? Am I committed to repairing what is broken in my relationships and my own personal life, with the help of the Holy Spirit? Do I encourage others? Do I seek to live in unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ by serving others as Jesus did? As far as possible, do I seek to live in peace with all people — believers and unbelievers? Do I greet others as brothers and sisters? Remember, these are words to help you examine the fruit in your life to see if it is consistent with My way of life. This list is not a “color-by-numbers” pattern to gain salvation or a list to help you feel superior to others. Nor is this a checklist to discourage and humiliate you for your failures. Paul gave these check-up characteristics to help the Corinthians refine their focus on the things that matter! Are you growing in these qualities? Are you committed to this kind of fruit in your life? Are you being “transformed” by the Spirit to be more and more like Me in these areas? If you are, then great! If not, re-focus on Me and seek to walk with Me each day so that My character permeates your life as the Holy Spirit does His work of transformation. Verses to Live This whole last message from My great emissary Paul to the Corinthian disciples reveals his heart. While he wanted them to love and appreciate him, their spiritual character was much more important to him than their acceptance and appreciation of him. Even if the Corinthians rejected him, Paul wanted them to follow Me and to reflect Me in their thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. So Paul ended this letter with a beautiful blessing. The last words he wanted the Corinthians to hear from him were words of blessing because he wanted them to live a blessed and holy life. Examine yourselves. Check your faith! Are you really in the faith? Do you still not know that Jesus the Anointed is in you? — unless, of course, you have failed the test. Surely you will realize we have not failed the test, but we pray to God that you will stay away from evil. What’s important is not whether we appear to have passed the test, but that you do what is right and act honorably, even if it appears that we have failed. For there’s nothing we can do to oppose the truth; all we can do is align ourselves with it. You see, we celebrate when we are weak but you are strong. Our prayer is simple: that you may be whole and complete. How I hope I am saving you by writing this to you in advance; this letter will spare me from using the Lord’s authority to come down on you when I arrive. His intention in giving me this authority is to build you up, not tear you down. Finally, brothers and sisters, keep rejoicing and repair whatever is broken. Encourage each other, think as one, and live at peace; and God, the Author of love and peace, will remain with you. Greet each other with a holy kiss, as brothers and sisters. All the saints here with me send you their greeting. May the grace of the Lord Jesus the Anointed, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit remain with you all. Amen. (2 Corinthians 13:5-14) Response in Prayer O precious Father, You are the Almighty God Who is holy, merciful, righteous, and compassionate. I open my heart to be willingly transformed through the work of the Holy Spirit. Each day I want to find myself more and more like Jesus. I want my thoughts, words, and behaviors to reflect the presence of Jesus in my life. I want these qualities Paul describes in the passage above to become the qualities found in my own character. In Jesus’ name, I ask for this
Beyond ‘a Rock and a Hard Place’
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Nearly every one of My leaders through the ages has been stuck between a rock and a hard place. I’m talking about being in a situation where they had to defend themselves, or defend the truth they were trying to communicate, against unfair accusations. These leaders were stuck because defending themselves would mean revealing confidential information or speaking about themselves in self-promoting ways that made them feel uncomfortable. As true servants, they weren’t a self-promoting kind of people. Since My servants were attacked by unfair accusations or because of misunderstanding, they needed to defend their actions for the good of the congregations they were leading. Most managed to find effective and ethical ways to address the issues of concern, but that doesn’t mean that it was easy for them to do it. Paul was stuck between a rock and a hard place when he wrote 2 Corinthians. He was being called less than the “so-called great emissaries” (2 Corinthians 12:11 The Voice) — others of your translations use the term “super apostles”. Because Paul had previously been reluctant to boast to the Corinthians about his qualifications, speak about his special spiritual experiences, or give a list of his greatest accomplishments, many of the Corinthians quit respecting him. Plus, Paul didn’t ask for monetary support, so the Corinthians assumed that he wasn’t as worthy a minister as those who demanded support. In the letter you call 1 Corinthians, Paul confronted the Corinthian believers for their divisions rooted in their pride about the different groups to which they belonged. He also confronted their pride about the spiritual gifts they had been given. So Paul was careful in 1 Corinthians not to boast about anything other than My cross. He was careful not to take money or depend on their support. Paul didn’t trumpet his accomplishments or spiritual qualifications because that would have only fed into the Corinthians own misguided sense of greatness, status, and importance. In 2 Corinthians, Paul emphasized that his qualifications that really mattered were the ones that showed My power at work in his weaknesses, hardships, and persecutions. He said: I am at peace and even take pleasure in any weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and afflictions for the sake of the Anointed because when I am at my weakest, He makes me strong. Near the end of 2 Corinthians, Paul had to address his critics directly. He had to confront the Corinthians’ concept of the “so-called great emissaries” who trumpeted their own accomplishments and highlighted their spiritual qualifications while taking money from the Corinthians. Paul told the Corinthians that he was “out of [his] mind” (2 Corinthians 11:23 NIV) and having to resort to “foolishness” (2 Corinthians 11:1) to defend himself, but the Corinthians had left him no other choice (2 Corinthians 11:16-21; 2 Corinthians 12:11). Paul exposed the “so-called great emissaries” for the charlatans and frauds they were (2 Corinthians 11:12-15). Even when Paul finally resorted to boasting about his supernatural experience and his powerfully fruitful ministry, he ultimately came back to his weakness, his “nagging nuisance” from Satan, as his sign of integrity. Even though Paul asked the Father three times to remove his “nagging nuisance” — also called his “thorn in the flesh” — the Father did not remove it. Paul emphasized that this “nagging nuisance” was present in his life to keep him from becoming “too high and mighty.” Paul was being reminded that the Father’s “grace [was] enough to cover and sustain” him. He was challenged to see that the Father’s “power is made perfect in weakness.” Bottom line: Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that My example of being a sacrificial servant must be the primary mark of authenticity that they used for greatness. A truly great emissary, apostle, or minister is known for her or his willingness to sacrifice and serve. If the credibility of the Corinthians’ “so-called great emissaries” was not found in sacrificing for others like I did, then their ministry was not really empowered by Me. Verses to Live As you read these verses, use them to help you assess the value and importance of anyone who claims to minister in My name. I want you to keep asking yourself if your standard is like the Corinthians’ standard or like Paul’s standard. Boasting like this [as in the preceding verses] is necessary, but it’s unbecoming and probably unavailing. Since you won’t hear me any other way, let me tell you about visions and revelations I received of the Lord. Fourteen years ago, there was this man I knew — a believer in the Anointed Who was caught up to the third heaven. (Whether this was an in- or out-of-body experience I don’t know; only God knows.) This man was caught up into paradise (let me say it again, whether this was an in- or out-of-body experience I don’t know; only God knows), and he heard inexpressible words — words a mortal man is forbidden to utter. I could brag about such a man; but as for me, I have nothing to brag about outside my own shortcomings. So if I want to boast, I won’t do so as a fool because I will be speaking the truth. But I will stop there, since I don’t want to be credited with anything except exactly what people see and hear from me. To keep me grounded and stop me from becoming too high and mighty due to the extraordinary character of these revelations, I was given a thorn in the flesh — a nagging nuisance of Satan, a messenger to plague me! I begged the Lord three times to liberate me from its anguish; and finally He said to me, “My grace is enough to cover and sustain you. My power is made perfect in weakness.” So ask me about my thorn, inquire about my weaknesses, and I will gladly go on and on — I would rather stake my claim in these and have
Grow in this Gracious Gift of Giving
Note from Jesus Dear Child of the Father, You are never more like the Father than when you generously give to bless others, especially others in need. The Father has graciously poured out His blessings on you in so many ways. My life on earth was an example of the Father’s love. That love led the Father to bless and graciously give the best of life to you. So I want you to read carefully through the passages below from Paul. He was addressing the Corinthians about a gift they had promised to give for the poor brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. But after Paul left, they began to procrastinate on bringing this gift to completion. Paul had high hopes for this gift from the Corinthians. Their gift was part of a larger gift from Gentile Christians given to help the needy Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. The last paragraph of your reading today gives you Paul’s words about their gift. In addition to helping the impoverished and persecuted believers in Jerusalem, Paul had a goal to bless the Christians throughout Macedonia, Achaia, and the Roman province of Asia with a connection to the Christians in Jerusalem through their giving. This connection would bind Jewish and Gentile Christians together into one loving family. Unfortunately, as the Corinthians grew cold toward Paul and his ministry, they also grew cold toward helping their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. Paul felt that he needed to address this situation in his letter to them in the following ways. He taught, reminded, and challenged the Corinthians to reawaken their hearts toward generosity. You will read about some of what he taught, reminded, and challenged in the verses below. He told the Corinthians about the generosity of their Macedonian brothers and sisters who had been through suffering and persecution in addition to being poor: [I]n the face of severe anguish and hard times, their elation and poverty have overflowed into a wealth of generosity. Paul wanted the example of the Macedonian Christians to motivate the believers in Corinth into generous action. He told the Corinthians that he was sending one of his apprentices, Titus, to Corinth to help them complete their gift. This gift was to be a “gracious work of charity.” Paul connected to their sense of pride at being a spiritually gifted church that was “rich in everything.” He then challenged them to “invest richly in this gracious work” of giving to the needs of the Jerusalem Christians. He wanted them to be great in this gracious gift of giving, too! He didn’t command the Corinthians to participate in this offering for the believers in Jerusalem. Instead, he challenged them to prove that their love for Me and their love for these brothers and sisters in faith were genuine. In response to the costly grace they had received and by following My example, they were to share with their Christian brothers and sisters who were in deep need. Their love would be proved genuine through their loving action, or it would be proved false by their inaction. Paul reminded the Corinthians about a rule of the harvest: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” They were not going to receive nearly all the blessings the Father intended for them if they were miserly and neglectful! The Father longed to bless them so that they could bless others even more. They would never out give the Father. In fact, they would actually be blessed more the more they blessed others in need: God is ready to overwhelm you with more blessings than you could ever imagine so that you’ll always be taken care of in every way and you’ll have more than enough to share. … You will be made rich in everything so that your generosity will spill over in every direction. Through us [Paul and his co-workers] your generosity is at work inspiring praise and thanksgiving to God. For this mission will do more than bring food and water to fellow believers in need — it will overflow in a cascade of praises and thanksgivings for our God. At the end of both passages you will read today, Paul finished speaking to their hearts about being generous by reminding them of Me. I was the Father’s greatest gift. I was given to redeem them at great cost. (See the sentences in bold below.) Verses to Live While this message was directed specifically to the Corinthian disciples about helping their poor brothers and sisters in Jerusalem, the basic principles of Paul’s teachings are very powerful for you to remember. You need to grow in the grace of generous giving. The more you share, the more the Father will entrust you to share with others. You will always have enough to share if you share generously. However, your motivation for giving should never be to get more. Instead, your desire to give should be based on your love response to the generous gifts you’ve received from the Father; you should want to give because you have a desire to bless those in need. You should give because you desire to grow in the grace of giving and be like your Father in heaven. Now, brothers and sisters, let me tell you about the amazing gift of God’s grace that’s happening throughout the churches in Macedonia. Even in the face of severe anguish and hard times, their elation and poverty have overflowed into a wealth of generosity. I watched as they willingly gave what they could afford and then went beyond to give even more. They came to us on their own, begging to take part in this work of grace to support the poor saints in Judea. We were so overwhelmed — none of us expected their reaction — that they truly turned their lives over to the Lord and then gave themselves to support us in our work as we answer the call of God. That’s
A Whole New Creation
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, What controls you? I don’t want you mastered by any substance, destructive habit, or sin — whether public or secret. You are meant to be free. The Father designed you and made you to live in this freedom. When you became My disciple and were re-made, you were given the Holy Spirit to liberate you to become all that you are meant to be (Romans 8:13-14; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Galatians 5:1; Galatians 5:13). I want love to be the guiding and controlling force in your life. I do not want fear or compulsion, and certainly not bondage to addictions, to control and destroy your life. I want to liberate you from those traps that lead to both spiritual and physical bondage. Your love for Us — Father, Son, and Spirit — along with your love for your neighbors can help you freely decide how to live a life that is both blessed and a blessing to others. This lifestyle has always been Our design for our people (Genesis 12:1-3). Living like this is what both the Old Testament and the New Testament teach (Matthew 22:36-40). I died for the forgiveness of your sins and was raised to bring you back into a right relationship with your Father (Romans 4:25). You shared in My death, burial, and resurrection as you called on My name in baptism because of your faith in Me (Romans 6:3-11; Acts 22:14-16; Romans 10:9-13). As Paul said, you were made into “a new creation”. To emphasize the point, he added: “The old life is gone — and see — a new life has begun!” You are now alive in Me to live for Me through My power at work in you. That means you should no longer view people from a merely human point of view. This gift of a new life comes from the Father. He didn’t sit idly hoping for you to return, but he “pursued” and “brought” you into a “restored… relationship” with Us. But My gift of new life is not just for you. I want you to share this new life with others. I want you to help people around you to realize that their broken relationship with Us can be healed. This healing comes through My sacrifice on the cross and my triumph over death when I rose from the dead and left behind an empty tomb. I want you “to proclaim the message that heals… broken relationships with God and each other.” As a new creation, you have been re-created in love and re-made to “embody the very righteousness of God.” You are my agent of grace and my missionary of love in your world. I gave you your circle of influence — the people you know and the relationships you share — to be a place of your redemptive work in the broken world that needs My healing. When you see people, I want you to see them through the eyes of the Father’s saving love. No longer view people from a merely human point of view. I want you to think about how you can share My grace with them and how you can invite them to find new life in Me. Verses to Live What controls your life? With the Father’s help, the controlling force and the inexhaustible and enabling power of the Father’s love can be yours through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Use that love to be My agent of reconciliation! You see, the controlling force in our lives is the love of the Anointed One. And our confession is this: One died for all; therefore, all have died. He died for us so that we will all live, not for ourselves, but for Him Who died and rose from the dead. Because of all that God has done, we now have a new perspective. We used to show regard for people based on worldly standards and interests. No longer. We used to think of the Anointed the same way. No longer. Therefore, if anyone is united with the Anointed One, that person is a new creation. The old life is gone — and see — a new life has begun! All of this is a gift from our Creator God, Who has pursued us and brought us into a restored and healthy relationship with Him through the Anointed. And He has given us the same mission, the ministry of reconciliation, to bring others back to Him. It is central to our good news that God was in the Anointed making things right between Himself and the world. This means He does not hold their sins against them. But it also means He charges us to proclaim the message that heals and restores our broken relationships with God and each other. So we are now representatives of the Anointed One, the Liberating King; God has given us a charge to carry through our lives — urging all people on behalf of the Anointed to become reconciled to the Creator God. He orchestrated this: the Anointed One, Who had never experienced sin, became sin for us so that in Him we might embody the very righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:14-21) Response in Prayer O Father, thank You for re-creating me and working through me. I invite the Holy Spirit to complete His work of transforming me to be like Jesus. I open my heart to receive the love You pour into it through the Spirit. I release all of myself to the lordship of Jesus without reservation to be used to be Your ambassador and agent of grace and reconciliation. Use me to share Your grace and mercy. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights
Decaying into Glory
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Paul’s words in your verses today are as beautiful as they are powerful. They can help you deal with an inescapable reality of your existence: your body is mortal. Your body is in the process of decay. While you can strengthen it, fortify it, exercise it, and tighten parts of it, you cannot save it. Ultimately you will fail at your most basic human task — keeping your body alive. However, that task is not your most important purpose and not your ultimate problem. Since the rebellion in the garden (Genesis 3:1-24), death has stalked every single human who has walked the earth (Romans 5:12-14) — even Me when I walked among you as one of you (John 19:29-34). You must have a purpose more important than keeping your body alive or your purpose in life will end in failure. Paul’s resolve to live for My higher purpose for him makes these verses very important for you to understand and to make the foundation for your life. He speaks the truth very clearly when he describes your human purpose: Ultimately it does not matter whether we are here or gone [to be with Christ Jesus]; our purpose stays fixed, and that is to please Him [Jesus]. You have no reason for despair about your mortal body or your eternal future. Death cannot ultimately claim anyone who has entrusted her or his future into My hands. Even though moaning, groaning, and aching are natural for your decaying mortal body, you do not need to moan, groan, or ache because of the fear of death. In fact, as Paul said for himself, those who have entrusted their lives to Me may moan, groan, and ache with a yearning to set aside the mortal body and be clothed with the heavenly one: Currently, in this tent of a house, we continue to groan and ache with a deep desire to be sheltered in our permanent home because then we will be truly clothed and comfortable, protected by a covering for our current nakedness. Paul taught the Corinthians in another letter that they would receive their glorious resurrection bodies when I returned in glory (1 Corinthians 15:35-58). He told them that their new immortal bodies would be glorious like My resurrected body. He told them that their physical bodies were like seeds, and their immortal bodies would be like the flowers on the full grown plant that emerged from the seed. Once again, Paul was thinking of the following contrasting terms — mortal vs. immortal, seen vs. unseen, weakness vs. strength, naked vs. clothed, fleeting and fading away vs. eternal, earthly vs. heavenly, and a temporary tent vs. a permanent dwelling. Just as you have shared in a mortal body like the first human, you will certainly share in the heavenly body like Mine (1 Corinthians 15:49). In the verses today, Paul elaborates and helps the believers in Corinth understand a new truth: when they die, as My disciples they come to be with Me: [I]n the end we prefer to be gone from this body so that we can be at home with the Lord. Paul will elaborate a little more on this subject when he writes the Philippians from prison and is facing his own death (Philippians 1:19-23). For the Corinthians, this new information was enough to remind them of their purpose — to live to honor Me — and their future — to be clothed in their heavenly dwelling and be with Me and share in eternal glory. This conviction allowed them to live for Me by faith with “daring passion.” Like the Corinthian believers, you have to walk this path by faith without fully seeing the fulfillment of your hopes during your mortal existence. However, every time you sense a stirring of the Holy Spirit enlightening you as you read the inspired Scriptures, every time you rely on the Spirit’s intercession as you pray, every time you sense the comforting and reassuring presence of the Spirit in times of sorrow, and every time you find yourself strengthened by the Spirit in the face of temptation or trial, you can be assured of this: Just as surely as the Spirit is within you and works for you, you can also be sure that the Spirit is your guarantee that all of Paul’s promises about your glorious future with Me are true! (Ephesians 1:13-14) Verses to Live Please read these verses several times and let the promises found here settle into your soul and permeate your being. Use them to speak to your heart in times of grief and share them with those who need a comforting reminder about their future with Me, a future that transcends physical decay and death. Our future together will be glorious! Let Paul’s words reassure you of this truth! So we have no reason to despair. Despite the fact that our outer humanity is falling apart and decaying, our inner humanity is breathing in new life every day. You see, the short-lived pains of this life are creating for us an eternal glory that does not compare to anything we know here. So we do not set our sights on the things we can see with our eyes. All of that is fleeting; it will eventually fade away. Instead, we focus on the things we cannot see, which live on and on. We know that if our earthly house — a mere tent that can easily be taken down — is destroyed, we will then live in an eternal home in the heavens, a building crafted by divine — not human — hands. Currently, in this tent of a house, we continue to groan and ache with a deep desire to be sheltered in our permanent home because then we will be truly clothed and comfortable, protected by a covering for our current nakedness. The fact is that in this tent we anxiously moan, fearing the naked truth of our
Treasure in Fragile Clay Pots
Note from Jesus Dear Precious Follower, In Paul’s day, the Greek language had two words for two different types of pots. One was called an amphiphora. An amphiphora was a beautifully decorated pot that was sometimes fired to have a beautiful ceramic glaze. These kinds of pots were works of art and used decoratively and as part of a very special meal. The other word for a pot was skeuos. A skeuos was an ordinary clay pot used for just about anything. It was unimportant and insignificant. This kind of pot was used for routine things, could be easily discarded, and was without much consequence even if broken. When Paul described himself and his fellow gospel messengers, he didn’t use the word amphiphora. Instead, he emphasized the fragile and inconsequential nature of a skeuos pot to describe himself. He described himself as a simple vessel made of earth and clay for ordinary and everyday use. Paul emphasized that he and each person who ministered for Me was a simple, fragile clay pot whose purpose was to carry something significant. My messenger, My clay pot, is not necessarily fancy, flashy, or consequential in his or her personal importance or appearance. The true significance of My messenger is determined by the “treasure” he or she carries as My clay pot. Paul’s ministry was not about himself, but about declaring the good news of the Almighty Father. This good news was about My coming to earth, My going to the cross to pay the debt for everyone’s guilt of sin, My being buried in a tomb sharing your human mortality, and My triumph over death through My resurrection. The Father used Me to begin His new work of re-creation just as surely as We — Father, Son, and Spirit — created everything when We spoke, “‘Let there be light.’ And light flashed into being” (Genesis 1:3). I entrusted the message of good news about Me and God’s power of re-creation to My disciples who were ordinary people made extraordinary because of the good news they shared and because of the Holy Spirit Who empowered them. They were clay pots carrying glorious treasure! These ordinary people faced extraordinary challenges. They endured repeated abuses. They were often threatened and sometimes tortured. Some were martyred for sharing this good news about Me. However, nothing could stop them or the message that they shared about Me. The Holy Spirit within them empowered them to speak My good news. Their ordinariness as fishermen, tax collectors, those formerly possessed by demons, fathers, mothers, men and women, young and old made their courage and their impact all the more extraordinary. These ordinary people, these fragile clay pots, brought the treasure to the lost world. They brought the treasure of true life to those who feared death. They carried the treasure of light to those trapped in Satan’s darkness. They delivered the treasure of hope to those lost in monotonous mortality. They brought the treasure of re-creation to those too old or too set in their ways to expect new things. Paul insisted in the verses for today, and again and again in other places in 2 Corinthians, that the Father’s strength and wisdom are made perfect through human weakness. The Father’s “transcendent character” was at work within these normal people. This power at work within them was not human power, human wisdom, or human charisma. It was Holy Spirit power. It was the Father’s power released through the Holy Spirit’s presence within My disciples. This power was available to all people who follow Me. It was the power that could transform every human life it touched. That same power is available to you, today! Verses to Live Don’t depend on the charm, charisma, and persuasiveness of public Christian personalities. The world needs to discover real treasure, not focus on the person who is the vessel to bring My treasure to the lost world. This lost world needs to see the Father’s grace delivered into the world through ordinary people made extraordinary by the Spirit’s work through them. This transcendent power is also at work in you as another ordinary and fragile clay pot made extraordinary by the treasure that you carry. Listen carefully as Paul teaches about this treasure that is now alive in you! We do not preach about ourselves. The subject of all our sermons is Jesus, the Anointed One. He is Lord and Master of all. For Jesus’ sake we are here to serve you. The God Who spoke light into existence, saying, “Let light shine from the darkness,” is the very One Who sets our hearts ablaze to shed light on the knowledge of God’s glory revealed in the face of Jesus, the Anointed One. But this beautiful treasure is contained in us — cracked pots made of earth and clay — so that the transcendent character of this power will be clearly seen as coming from God and not from us. We are cracked and chipped from our afflictions on all sides, but we are not crushed by them. We are bewildered at times, but we do not give in to despair. We are persecuted, but we have not been abandoned. We have been knocked down, but we are not destroyed. We always carry around in our bodies the reality of the brutal death and suffering of Jesus. As a result, His resurrection life rises and reveals its wondrous power in our bodies as well. For while we live, we are constantly handed over to death on account of Jesus so that His life may be revealed even in our mortal bodies of flesh. So death is constantly at work in us, but life is working in you. (2 Corinthians 4:5-12) Response in Prayer O Almighty Father, there are times when the devil abuses and batters my sense of significance. Sometimes, dear Father, I feel too inconsequential to make a difference in Your work. As I read Paul’s words, I was reminded that Jesus