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: Friday, November 27, 2009 10:02 PM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Saturday November 28 > Day 332 > > 2 Corinthians 4 > Trial and Torture > 1-2Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we're not > about to throw up our hands > and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. We > refuse to wear masks and > play games. We don't maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we > don't twist God's Word to > suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, > the whole truth on > display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the > presence of God. > 3-4If our Message is obscure to anyone, it's not because we're holding > back in any way. No, it's > because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse > to give it serious > attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They > think he can give them > what they want, and that they won't have to bother believing a Truth they > can't see. They're > stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with > Christ, who gives us the > best picture of God we'll ever get. > > 5-6Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we're proclaiming Jesus > Christ, the Master. All we > are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God > said, "Light up the > darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God > in the face of Christ, > all bright and beautiful. > > 7-12If 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! > > 13-15We'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! > > 16-18So 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. > > 2 Corinthians 5 > 1-5For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down > like tents and folded away, > they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven-God-made, not > handmade-and we'll never have > to relocate our "tents" again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move-and so > we cry out in > frustration. Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem > like a stopover in an > unfurnished shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of > the real thing, our true > home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by > giving us a taste of what's > ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle > for less. > 6-8That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our > heads or dragging our > feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of > the spacious living > conditions ahead. It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us > going. Do you suppose a few > ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time > comes, we'll be plenty > ready to exchange exile for homecoming. > > 9-10But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully > pleasing God is the main thing, > and that's what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions. Sooner or > later we'll all have to face > God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take > what's coming to us as a > result of our actions, either good or bad. > > 11-14That keeps us vigilant, you can be sure. It's no light thing to know > that we'll all one day > stand in that place of Judgment. That's why we work urgently with everyone > we meet to get them ready > to face God. God alone knows how well we do this, but I hope you realize > how much and deeply we > care. We're not saying this to make ourselves look good to you. We just > thought it would make you > feel good, proud even, that we're on your side and not just nice to your > face as so many people are. > If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it > for you. Christ's love has > moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in > everything we do. > > A New Life > 14-15Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died > for everyone. That puts > everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that > everyone could also be included > in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived > on their own. > 16-20Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have > or how they look. We > looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We > certainly don't look at > him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone > united with the Messiah > gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life > burgeons! Look at it! All this > comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and > then called us to settle our > relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself > through the Messiah, giving the > world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the > task of telling everyone > what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade > men and women to drop > their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between > them. We're speaking for > Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with > you. > > 21How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything > wrong, so we could be > put right with God. > > 2 Corinthians 6 > Staying at Our Post > 1-10Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don't > squander one bit of this > marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us, > I heard your call in the nick of time; > The day you needed me, I was there to help. > Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don't put it > off; don't frustrate God's > work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we're > doing. Our work as God's > servants gets validated-or not-in the details. People are watching us as > we stay at our post, > alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when > we're beaten up, jailed, and > mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure > heart, clear head, steady > hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we're telling the > truth, and when God's showing > his power; when we're doing our best setting things right; when we're > praised, and when we're > blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; > ignored by the world, but > recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten > within an inch of our > lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep > joy; living on handouts, > yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all. > 11-13Dear, dear Corinthians, I can't tell you how much I long for you to > enter this wide-open, > spacious life. We didn't fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from > within you. Your lives > aren't small, but you're living them in a small way. I'm speaking as > plainly as I can and with great > affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively! > > > 14-18Don't become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a > partnership out of right > and wrong? That's not partnership; that's war. Is light best friends with > dark? Does Christ go > strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands? Who would > think of setting up pagan > idols in God's holy Temple? But that is exactly what we are, each of us a > temple in whom God lives. > God himself put it this way: > > "I'll live in them, move into them; > I'll be their God and they'll be my people. > So leave the corruption and compromise; > leave it for good," says God. > "Don't link up with those who will pollute you. > I want you all for myself. > I'll be a Father to you; > you'll be sons and daughters to me." > The Word of the Master, God. > > > > > > > > ~~~~~ > 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. 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