Verse of the Day 9/12

Verse of the Day 9/12

2 Corinthians 4:16-17

Holman Christian Standard Bible

16 Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.

Eternity, specifically heaven, has been on my mind a lot lately.  It is in heaven where I will see Jesus face to face.  It is where I will see Jean's face again, cancer free and vibrant, the best Jean ever! Today's passage was in my read through the New Testament plan.  My Old Testament reading included Ecclesiastes 3 where we read of Solomon's "for everything there is a time and season" 13:1 and whene we also read in verse 11 that God "has placed eternity in our hearrts". Putting the two together He has put etnerity in our hearts because the glory that will be revealled about Him in heaven will far outweigh all of life's trials, tribulations and troubles, proving Romans 8:28 fo us that "all things work together for good for those who love Jesus and are called according to His purpose."  Notice, it is for His purpose singular, all things are working togetheer for one thing, the glory of God.

Quoting John Piper, whatever you are going through today "it is not meaningless".  We cannot fathom what God is doing, but we know that it is pointing to, leading us to His glory a glory that will endure through eternity.  That far outweighs the struggles and grief that I go through.

Read the passage from 2 Corinthians from The Message below.  Then come back and take to heart the song from Fernando Ortega, Lord of Eternity

Blessed is the man
Who walks in Your favor
Who loves all Your words
And hides them like treasure
In the darkest place
Of his desperate heart
They are a light
A strong, sure light

Sometimes I call out Your name
But I cannot find You
I look for Your face
But You are not there
By my sorrows, Lord
Lift me to You
Lift me to Your side

Chorus:
Lord of Eternity
Father of mercy
Look on my fainting soul
Keeper of all the stars
Friend of the poorest heart
Touch me and make me whole

If You are my defender
Who is against me?
No one can trouble or harm me
If You are my strength
All I ask, all I desire
Is to live in Your house all my days

Blessings,

Mike

Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV

2 Corinthians 4:7-18

The Message

7-12 If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best!

13-15 We're not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, "I believed it, so I said it," we say what we believe. And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. Every detail works to your advantage and to God's glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise!

16-18 So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.