Living by faith rather than sight enables you to see far more than otherwise possible.
Read / Listen to the chapter:
Read the chapter in an outlined format
Read previous DIG DEEPER posts on 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 5 Summary
Meanwhile we groan (v2)
It may not sound very uplifting or inspiring, but it actually is. We have life pretty good here in SW Minnesota (or wherever you're tuning in from), so good that most of us are not very well accustomed to suffering, or groaning as Paul puts it here. The things we see (and touch, taste and smell for that matter... ok, maybe not always smell) are all so good. These good things are God's blessings for sure, but in the midst of our plenty we need to remember that this world and it's small pleasures is not our home. Instead, we must live a life in which we groan for Christ to come back and make all things new. In other words, we must live by faith, not by sight (v7).
Remind yourself to groan often.
Dig Deeper
You've likely heard the proverb that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. That same truth is conveyed in a much deeper way in v16:
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.
We often make snap judgments about people based on very limited information, and too often we see people who've wandered so far from God's truth and into sinful lifestyles, so we assume that there's no hope for their salvation.
But don't fall into that trap. Verse 17 contains an amazing promise:
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
Once a person has been claimed by the Holy Spirit, their old nature passes away. It doesn't matter how wicked their deeds have been, the Spirit is able to regenerate them; that is, make them brand new again.
That's why the it's so important to implore all people to be reconciled to God.
AAA Prayer:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Your Father God who has reconciled you to Himself through Christ (v18)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for making you a new creation and that He has entrusted you with the ministry of reconciliation (v19)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Comments