2 Corinthians 1:19-22

2 Corinthians 1:19-22 

English Standard Version (ESV) 

  Sometimes, we all need to be reminded of core truth of the Gospel, that in Jesus Christ, the truest of all stories comes true -- that you, the beloved child of God, are benevolently rescued from mortal peril by the strongest force in the universe who does this not because you have earned it, but because God loves you.  Upon your rescue, hope and joy are offered to you, although there will be things in life that threaten to obscure your vision of them.  While life is often distracting you from the objects of your hope and joy, God is never distracted from you.  You are never forgotten, never forsaken, never alone.  All the promises of God have found their yes in Christ, and because God is completely good, we can trust those promises.  

  Remember that today.  God is for you.

If you have a second today, please stop and pray for Chuck's family, as well as for my Uncle Paul.  

2 Corinthians 1:18-22

2 Corinthians 1:18-22 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  The first part of verse 20 sums up the Gospel so well -- in Christ, the promises of God find their 'Yes'.  God has reached out to us, established us in Christ, anointed us, put God's seal on us, given us the Spirit -- all of this God has done, and all of the promises of Scripture are affirmed in Christ.  It's all been leading up to this moment, this life, and we can rejoice in knowing how the story ends.
  In our lives, we're wandering through without knowing how things turn out -- none of us know how coronavirus will end.  None of us know how family drama will unfold, or how diseases will end, or how relationship stress will work its way out.  We're figuring it out, day by day.  But the Gospel -- that tells us the end of the big story.  We have the benefit of looking back in history and knowing, giving us the confidence to grasp the promises that God has given us.  We don't have to guess -- the stone has been rolled away, the tomb is empty, and death is no more!!

2 Corinthians 1:15-22

2 Corinthians 1:15-22 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I start my new job on Monday.  In the process of any job search, I have heard a lot of 'no's.  When I was in business school, I was up late almost every night writing cover letters for job applications to companies I usually never heard back from.  To finally hear a company say 'Yes' is refreshing news that brings joy.  (For those interested, I'll be working with Stonehenge Capital on their community development team).
  When we look to Christ, we see the 'Yes' to God's promises that have echoed throughout the ages.  All the hopes that we've based on the portrayals of the Kingdom of God are found to be solid because they are in Christ.  The longing of every human heart finds joy and refreshment in Christ. 
  In response, what does your 'Amen to God for his glory' sound like today? 
  And how are you listening to the Spirit of God in your hearts as God's guarantee that you are established in Christ?

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Happy New Year!  As the calendar has switched from 2019 to 2020 and the old year is left behind, we, too, are changed, and we are new creations in Christ!  Christ reconciled himself to us -- it was God who acted, and we who receive the new.  Your sins are not counted against you, and you are white as snow. 
  May the new year bring hope, may it bring joy, may it bring peace.  Know that you are in Christ!!

2 Corinthians 1:19-22

2 Corinthians 1:19-22 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  This is one of my favorite passages in Scripture.  God has made countless promises throughout Scripture, and in Jesus, they all find their Yes.  Everything God has been doing points to the selfless love and sacrifice of Jesus, and Jesus' love for us points back to God.  All those questions we have about whether or not God cares for us and looks out for us, they all find their Yes in the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for his sheep.  All of our doubts and our fears and our steady anxieties, they find peace in the One who walks with us every day of our lives.  Jesus is the Yes, the affirmation of God's great love.
  Do you remember how in Romans it says that nothing in all of creation will separate you from the love of God?  Jesus is the affirmation of that promise.  God will never leave you nor forsake you?  Look to Jesus -- he is the Yes to that promise.  God is preparing a place for you?  Jesus is the Yes, his resurrection the affirmation of God's great power. 
  All of it -- in Jesus, we have the Yes!

1 Corinthians 3:18-23

1 Corinthians 3:18-23
English Standard Version (ESV)

  The wisdom of the world teaches us about scarcity.  It teaches us that in order for us to succeed, someone else must slip further down the ladder, because there is only so much to go around.  This creates an urgency in us to get there first, and it also teaches us fear -- for if someone else is getting ahead, then there is only so much left for us.  We fear outsiders due to this mindset, because they are going to consume some of the limited supply, increasing the uncertainty in our own lives.  Scarcity motivates us.
  The wisdom of God seems foolish in comparison.  The wisdom of God teaches us that we can relax, because there is enough.  We don't have to be afraid -- God's favor exists in abundance for each of us, so that even if we were the only ones, there would still be more than enough.  All things are ours, no matter who we are.  Death cannot prevent such blessings, and the richness of God overflows for all, so we can welcome others into our lives and share our abundance with them, because there is enough.
  One of these paths sows fear, while the other spreads life and love.  May we choose to rest in the abundance of God, following it out into the world to announce that the richness of God is enough for us all.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

2 Corinthians 5:16-21
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Hurricane Irma yielded some interesting photos of the freeways in Florida -- everyone is streaming north while the southbound lanes are barren.  No one wants to head into the storm.
  In Christ, God enters into the storm of human sin.  He doesn't have to, but he chooses to, because he knows that entering into sin is the only way to save us, and he loves us too much to allow us to continue down that path.  For our sake he became sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God.  It's an amazing trade -- he takes the pain and brokenness and agony of sin, while we receive the glorification that rightfully belongs to Christ.  It's completely unfair in our favor.
  Paul makes this case in Corinthians, urging the Corinthians to live as ambassadors -- to go out into the world and carry the message of hope and peace of the Kingdom of God to the corners of the world.  We are charged to go out in love, carrying within us the joy of a people set free by the love of God.  He entered into our storm and gave us hope.

2 Corinthians 1:18-22

2 Corinthians 1:18-22
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  All the promises of God point toward Christ.  And what do we find in Christ?  Unlimited love, unmerited favor, endless grace, forgiveness and peace and abundance.  All of the beautiful things in this world point to Christ, the Word made flesh, the one who shows us what true love and beauty are.  Christ is the one who poured out himself on the cross to teach us how God's love has no limits.  Christ was the one who rose from the grave to demonstrate his power and invite us into his kingdom, where death cannot touch us and there is no place for hatred or sorrow or fear.
  Everything points to Christ, and so we pray for the wisdom and courage to orient our hearts towards Christ, to let our lives show our love and devotion, to give all in the hopes of gaining life with him.  There is nothing better, nothing greater, nothing worth more than the unsurpassed love of God, shown fully in Christ.