O. Addison Gethers e-mail address [email protected] [email protected]
twitter URL http//:twitter.com/OAddisonGethers Messenger contact window live/msn messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS rs ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> To: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, November 26, 2009 9:58 PM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Friday November 27 > Day 331 > > 2 Corinthians 1 > 1-2I, Paul, have been sent on a special mission by the Messiah, Jesus, > planned by God himself. I > write this to God's congregation in Corinth, and to believers all over > Achaia province. May all the > gifts and benefits that come from God our Father and the Master, Jesus > Christ, be yours! Timothy, > someone you know and trust, joins me in this greeting. > The Rescue > 3-5All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! > Father of all mercy! God of > all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, > and before you know it, he > brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that > we can be there for that > person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that > come from following the > Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort-we get > a full measure of that, > too. > 6-7When we suffer for Jesus, it works out for your healing and salvation. > If we are treated well, > given a helping hand and encouraging word, that also works to your > benefit, spurring you on, face > forward, unflinching. Your hard times are also our hard times. When we see > that you're just as > willing to endure the hard times as to enjoy the good times, we know > you're going to make it, no > doubt about it. > > 8-11We don't want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all > this came down on us in > Asia province. It was so bad we didn't think we were going to make it. We > felt like we'd been sent > to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the > best thing that could have > happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of > it, we were forced to trust > God totally-not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead! And he > did it, rescued us from > certain doom. And he'll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need > rescuing. You and your > prayers are part of the rescue operation-I don't want you in the dark > about that either. I can see > your faces even now, lifted in praise for God's deliverance of us, a > rescue in which your prayers > played such a crucial part. > > 12-14Now that the worst is over, we're pleased we can report that we've > come out of this with > conscience and faith intact, and can face the world-and even more > importantly, face you with our > heads held high. But it wasn't by any fancy footwork on our part. It was > God who kept us focused on > him, uncompromised. Don't try to read between the lines or look for hidden > meanings in this letter. > We're writing plain, unembellished truth, hoping that you'll now see the > whole picture as well as > you've seen some of the details. We want you to be as proud of us as we > are of you when we stand > together before our Master Jesus. > > 15-16Confident of your welcome, I had originally planned two great visits > with you-coming by on my > way to Macedonia province, and then again on my return trip. Then we could > have had a bon-voyage > party as you sent me off to Judea. That was the plan. > > 17-19Are you now going to accuse me of being flip with my promises because > it didn't work out? Do > you think I talk out of both sides of my mouth-a glib yes one moment, a > glib no the next? Well, > you're wrong. I try to be as true to my word as God is to his. Our word to > you wasn't a careless yes > canceled by an indifferent no. How could it be? When Silas and Timothy and > I proclaimed the Son of > God among you, did you pick up on any yes-and-no, on-again, off-again > waffling? Wasn't it a clean, > strong Yes? > > 20-22Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, > this is what we preach > and pray, the great Amen, God's Yes and our Yes together, gloriously > evident. God affirms us, making > us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has > stamped us with his > eternal pledge-a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete. > > 23Now, are you ready for the real reason I didn't visit you in Corinth? As > God is my witness, the > only reason I didn't come was to spare you pain. I was being considerate > of you, not indifferent, > not manipulative. > > 24We're not in charge of how you live out the faith, looking over your > shoulders, suspiciously > critical. We're partners, working alongside you, joyfully expectant. I > know that you stand by your > own faith, not by ours. > > 2 Corinthians 2 > 1-2That's why I decided not to make another visit that could only be > painful to both of us. If by > merely showing up I would put you in an embarrassingly painful position, > how would you then be free > to cheer and refresh me? > 3-4That was my reason for writing a letter instead of coming-so I wouldn't > have to spend a > miserable time disappointing the very friends I had looked forward to > cheering me up. I was > convinced at the time I wrote it that what was best for me was also best > for you. As it turned out, > there was pain enough just in writing that letter, more tears than ink on > the parchment. But I > didn't write it to cause pain; I wrote it so you would know how much I > care-oh, more than care-love > you! > > 5-8Now, regarding the one who started all this-the person in question who > caused all this pain-I > want you to know that I am not the one injured in this as much as, with a > few exceptions, all of > you. So I don't want to come down too hard. What the majority of you > agreed to as punishment is > punishment enough. Now is the time to forgive this man and help him back > on his feet. If all you do > is pour on the guilt, you could very well drown him in it. My counsel now > is to pour on the love. > > 9-11The focus of my letter wasn't on punishing the offender but on getting > you to take > responsibility for the health of the church. So if you forgive him, I > forgive him. Don't think I'm > carrying around a list of personal grudges. The fact is that I'm joining > in with your forgiveness, > as Christ is with us, guiding us. After all, we don't want to unwittingly > give Satan an opening for > yet more mischief-we're not oblivious to his sly ways! > > An Open Door > 12-14When I arrived in Troas to proclaim the Message of the Messiah, I > found the place wide open: > God had opened the door; all I had to do was walk through it. But when I > didn't find Titus waiting > for me with news of your condition, I couldn't relax. Worried about you, I > left and came on to > Macedonia province looking for Titus and a reassuring word on you. And I > got it, thank God! > 14-16In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one > perpetual victory parade. > Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people > breathe in the exquisite > fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, > which is recognized by those > on the way of salvation-an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way > to destruction treat us > more like the stench from a rotting corpse. > > 16-17This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on? > No- but at least we > don't take God's Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to > sell it cheap. We stand in > Christ's presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we > say straight from God and > say it as honestly as we can. > > 2 Corinthians 3 > 1-3Does it sound like we're patting ourselves on the back, insisting on > our credentials, asserting > our authority? Well, we're not. Neither do we need letters of endorsement, > either to you or from > you. You yourselves are all the endorsement we need. Your very lives are a > letter that anyone can > read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it-not with ink, but > with God's living Spirit; not > chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives-and we publish it. > 4-6We couldn't be more sure of ourselves in this-that you, written by > Christ himself for God, are > our letter of recommendation. We wouldn't think of writing this kind of > letter about ourselves. Only > God can write such a letter. His letter authorizes us to help carry out > this new plan of action. The > plan wasn't written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal > footnotes, killing your > spirit. It's written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives! > > Lifting the Veil > 7-8The Government of Death, its constitution chiseled on stone tablets, > had a dazzling inaugural. > Moses' face as he delivered the tablets was so bright that day (even > though it would fade soon > enough) that the people of Israel could no more look right at him than > stare into the sun. How much > more dazzling, then, the Government of Living Spirit? > 9-11If the Government of Condemnation was impressive, how about this > Government of Affirmation? > Bright as that old government was, it would look downright dull alongside > this new one. If that > makeshift arrangement impressed us, how much more this brightly shining > government installed for > eternity? > > 12-15With that kind of hope to excite us, nothing holds us back. Unlike > Moses, we have nothing to > hide. Everything is out in the open with us. He wore a veil so the > children of Israel wouldn't > notice that the glory was fading away-and they didn't notice. They didn't > notice it then and they > don't notice it now, don't notice that there's nothing left behind that > veil. Even today when the > proclamations of that old, bankrupt government are read out, they can't > see through it. Only Christ > can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there's > nothing there. > > 16-18Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the > veil and there they > are-face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal > presence, not a piece of > chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that > old, constricting > legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! > Nothing between us and God, our > faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured > much like the Messiah, our > lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our > lives and we become like him. > > > > > > > > ~~~~~ > Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning > Skype Prayer Time. > Also, follow my tweets on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/Donnie1261 > > > Contact Me At: > Donnie Parrett > 1956 Asa Flat Road > Annville, Kentucky 40402 > Home Phone: 606-364-3321 > Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY > Skype Name: Donnie1261 > Email: [email protected] > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/dbilg?hl=en.
