Ministry

2 Corinthians 5:18 "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;"

In the modern age of the church, I'm afraid we have become far too comfortable with certain words. This has caused them to lose their true meaning. The word "church" itself could arguably be categorized this way. But right now the word I want to address is "ministry".

In today's church, ministry is generally some kind of activity that you help perform. The music ministry, the children's ministry, the women's ministry, the communion ministry, the greeting ministry, etc. And while these can all definitely be considered ministries, we need to understand what the word ministry means. Ministry is literally "service, ministering, esp. of those who execute the commands of others." As Christians we execute the commands of God.

Paul makes it clear, a Christian's first ministry is doing everything we can to execute the command of "be reconciled to God". So, whether it's children's, music, or any other kind of ministry, the real question to ask is - Is this ministry truly executing the commands of God?

Earnest

2 Corinthians 5:5 "Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit."

Paul is talking in this passage about the hope we have of one day being in the presence of the Lord. A day where we will shed this sinful flesh and know what it means to be totally in His presence. While some may doubt that we can have this kind of assurance, the Bible is very clear.

The Holy Spirit is the only proof we need. The Bible says His presence in our lives as God's children is an "earnest". This is not a common word and is probably unknown to many. It means - "Earnest: money which in purchases is given as a pledge or downpayment that the full amount will subsequently be paid." Having the Holy Spirit dwelling in us is not just a perk of being a Christian. It is God's downpayment on the relationship we will one day enjoy in Heaven with Him, face to face.

Am I daily experiencing God's Holy Spirit in my life? Does it affect the way in which I live life? Thank God today for this downpayment, and for the fact that it can only get better!

Just A Glimpse

2 Corinthians 4:18 "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

I sincerely believe there is nothing on this earth that can even come close to being a shadow of how incredibly amazing God and His love is. The beauty of creation, the wonder of a loving marriage, the heart swell of joy at a child's laughter, all these will pale and fade to nothing compared to Him. All these things on earth will fade away, but He will not.

Although I believe this, it is impossible to fathom. Words can not describe the joy of companionship. The human tongue fails to express what happiness comes from being with the one you love. The anticipation and excitement that comes from the prospect of finally marrying your one and only is a feeling and an emotion the soul can not contain! Yet I know that it is just a beautiful picture, a pale reflection of what is to come.

But even though I know this, there is nothing inside me that can imagine it to be true. More wonderful than this? More joyful, more content, more satisfied, more elated? How? I cannot understand it!

What a wonderful God we serve. I am so thankful for the temporal things that give us a glimpse of heaven.

Liberty

1 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

This has to be one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It is so beautiful in its simplicity. We know that he who does not have the Son does not have life and he who has the Son has life. The Lord and true life are inseparable. Where one goes, the other follows. So it is with true liberty.

These days we have a skewed view of what liberty and freedom are. Many without the Spirit of the Lord, and therefore without true liberty, think they are free when they are doing whatever they please. However, this is merely slavery to fleshly desires. No matter what we do, we are submitting to someone. Submission to God invites His presence and therefore true liberty. As Christians indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we can now be free from sin, death, and the law. Free to live as we have been designed to live!

Is there liberty and freedom in your life today?

Triumph - Always

2 Corinthians 2:14 "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place."

If we are honest, we don't always feel like God is always causing us to triumph in Christ. In fact, there are many times where the word triumph is about the furthest thing from our mind. Temptation, weakness, disease, failure, broken dreams, and more whisper defeat in our mind. The victory that is ours in Christ feels an eternity away.

But God is not bound by time. Our victory is complete. What Jesus did for us on the cross and when He rose from the dead, fully accomplished His work. He is seated on God's right hand. The victory is won and He causes us to always triumph in Christ.

The word always means just what is means - always, every time, without fail. Regardless of what this life throws at us, we can claim this verse, and live in the reality that our victory is in Christ.

Why?

2 Corinthians 1:9 "But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:"

Because of our eternal perspective, Christians often try and find meaning when difficult things happen in our lives. Paul and his believers had a sentence of death hanging over their heads and the same question occurred to them that occurs to us so often - why? Why would God allow this to happen?

I've heard life compared to a tapestry. If you look at it from the back, it looks like a mess of tangled, multi-colored threads with no rhyme or reason. Yet if you look at it from the front, the design is clear and beautiful. While on earth in our fleshly bodies, we're stuck seeing life from the back. But when we get to Heaven, we will see if from the front, from God's point of view. But nevertheless, that nagging question still comes - why? Why would God allow a child to die? Why would God allow me to get this disease? Why would God allow me to lose my job? Why would God allow me to be persecuted and sentenced to death?

Paul had an answer - God allows these things in our lives so that we would lose all faith and trust in ourselves, and instead, put all our faith and trust in the One Who has the power over life and death itself. We know that faith and trust without action is dead. So God brings these difficult circumstances in our lives to give us the opportunity to act on what we say we believe.

What are you wondering 'why' about today? Have you been trusting in yourself instead of the God Who raises the dead?

Watch

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity."

There are a lot of commands in the Bible to watch and be vigilant. Even Christ Himself commanded His disciples to watch and pray. What are we to watch for and why? Anytime you travel to a place you've never been before, it is natural to keep a closer watch of your surroundings than you would if you were in your own home. This is a self-defense mechanism. When we are in unfamiliar territory, the threat level is raised and so is our awareness.

We know that as Christians, this world is not our home. In that way, we are in unfamiliar territory. We know the devil is like a roaring lion seeking to devour. We know that sin can easily beset us. For these reasons, we watch. The evil influences in the world will try and make us fall away from our faith. For these reasons also, we stand fast in the faith. The evil influences in the world will try and make us give in to our base nature. For these reasons, we are called on to act like men and be strong.

But then Paul finishes off with the exhortation to be loving in all we do. This world is not our home and many things in it are threats. However we are called to love the lost and share the love of Christ with them.

How are you doing on this little to-do list today?