Overview of: 2 CorinthiansToday's Reading:
2Cor. 1:1 – 3:18
"Comfort and Covenant"
Focus Verses: 2 Cor. 3:17-18
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Insight:
The Spirit of the Lord gives freedom. Those who place faith in Christ receive the free gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38) who indwells our mortal bodies (Romans 8). We are no longer in bondage to sin (Romans 6), but instead we are freed from it to live a new life in Christ. Freedom in Christ means we have the freedom to change and grow and become. The Spirit of God leads, empowers, transforms, and shapes the lives of all who follow and submit to Christ. This is a process; each passing day, each passing year, we continue to grow, becoming more and more like Jesus.
Response and Action:
I need to remember that in Christ, I have the freedom to change and become more like Jesus. I need to hold on to this promise and make every effort to make it a reality. I need to open my heart and focus my mind on the leading of the Spirit of the Lord as I read and apply the scriptures, as I pray, and as I participate in Christian community.
O God, I have so far to go, but I know you love me where I am. Thank you for a love that accepts me where I am and yet calls and lifts me to where I can be. Thank you for your Spirit and the freedom he gives me as a believer in Christ Jesus. Help me to be faithful in prayer, a student of the scriptures, and an active participant in Christian community. Make me sensitive and alert to your leading. Help me to make new strides each day as I follow Jesus with a heart to be like him. Amen.
Old Testament for Today: Exodus 34:33-35
33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.
In Context: Exodus 34
Proverb for Today: Prov. 29:13
"The poor and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both."
Recommended Reading:
In His Image: Reflecting Christ in Everyday Life
by Michael Wilkins
