2 Corinthians 4 Today

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

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2 Corinthians 4:1-18 -
Paul Is Faithful In Preaching The Good News
1Through God's loving-kindness, He has given us this job to do. So we do not give up. 2We have put away all things that are done in secret and in shame. We do not play with the Word of God or use it in a false way. Because we are telling the truth, we want men's hearts to listen to us. God knows our desires.
3If the Good News we preach is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost in sin. 4The eyes of those who do not believe are made blind by Satan who is the god of this world. He does not want the light of the Good News to shine in their hearts. This Good News shines as the shining-greatness of Christ. Christ is as God is. 5We do not preach about ourselves. We preach Christ Jesus the Lord. We are your servants because of Jesus. 6It was God Who said, "The light will shine in darkness." (Genesis 1:3) He is the One Who made His light shine in our hearts. This brings us the light of knowing God's shining-greatness which is seen in Christ's face.
7We have this light from God in our human bodies. This shows that the power is from God. It is not from ourselves. 8We are pressed on every side, but we still have room to move. We are often in much trouble, but we never give up. 9People make it hard for us, but we are not left alone. We are knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10We carry marks on our bodies that show the death of Jesus. This is how Jesus makes His life seen in our bodies. 11Every day of our life we face death because of Jesus. In this way, His life is seen in our bodies. 12Death is working in us because we work for the Lord, but His life is working in you.
13The Holy Writings say, "I believed, so I spoke." (Psalm 116:10) We have the same kind of faith as David had. We also believe, so we speak. 14We know that God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. He will raise us up also. God will take us to Himself and He will take you. 15These things happened for your good. As more people receive God's favor, they will give thanks for the shining-greatness of God.

Life Now - Life In Heaven
16This is the reason we do not give up. Our human body is wearing out. But our spirits are getting stronger every day. 17The little troubles we suffer now for a short time are making us ready for the great things God is going to give us forever. 18We do not look at the things that can be seen. We look at the things that cannot be seen. The things that can be seen will come to an end. But the things that cannot be seen will last forever.

Copyright Statement: New Life BibleScripture quotations are from the New Life Bible, copyright © 1969 by Christian Literature International. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

~ Lena’s Journalin’ ~
I believed, so I spoke. We believe, so we speak.
It takes a “me” to make a “we”, and a “we” to make a “Him”, a visible “Him” in the earth.
True belief in Christ is evidenced in speaking. Maturity in Christ is evidenced in speaking.
Just as when an infant comes forth from the womb and has no words, so are we when we first come to Christ. We are astounded, overwhelmed with the new life we’ve received, we stand in awe- speechless. Soon and very soon we begin to speak about this wonder and His awesomeness. As we continue to grow we speak more and more replacing our words with His words as we study and become His words in a daily walk with Him..
Ever read in Acts about when they were filled with the Holy Spirit they began to speak…their tongues were loosed from intimidating spirits and spirits of muteness? Another evidence was, that they spoke boldly.
I believed therefore I spoke- to you about Christ. We now both believe and now we both speak about Christ, etc., etc., etc. It takes a “me” to make a “we” and a “we” to make a “Him”- visible in the earth.
How visible is He to your world?
As bright as a light in darkness? So be it. Light be in My world, all of the world I walk through everyday. Bring light into darkness Oh Lord through me and through us.
The entrance of His word brings light (into a place that was dark). So I’m a doer of His words- that I’ve learned from reading the Bible and studying in church or at home. I don’t just sit and hear it, I listen intently, to intently learn, as a student of the word, who wants change to come into my life by the word of God. I hear the word and begin to immediately apply it in my own life. I become the word and the word becomes me. It begins to shine bright enough that others see the changes being made in me by the word of God at work, having its way with me. I am now one with the word. I am the living word in demonstration. The word was allowed to live in me, put on flesh in me, so people could see its living example.
So I enter a room…….the entrance of His word brings LIGHT!
Do you honorably carry in your body the marks of the LORD Jesus?
That means I change from who I am to who He is and it is so visible that others see it without me telling them. They see the old me with my old desires and my old thinking, change and die. They want to know where that old Lena went and I can tell them she went to a spiritual grave.
If that old dead men tries to rise up as its old self, everyone around me says it stinks, can see who’s really alive in me now, and It ain’t Jesus.
Notice I capitalized “Lord”?
There are NO marks if Jesus is not Lord, and Lord does not mean Savior. He came to save the whole world, He IS the Savior of the world and only really the the Lord of those who make Him so, by placing their lives under His governorship. In the “end” He is Lord of All, those who surrender and those who do not, but some He will have known and others He will not.
It would be better to go ahead and surrender now, so it will be clear who He knows and who He does not know.
THIS IS how Isaiah 58:12 begins to unfold and manifest.

Daily Repetitive Verses:

Isaiah 58:12 – in multiple translations….
The Amplified Bible
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of [buildings that have laid waste for] many generations; and you shall be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
The Holy Bible, New International Version®
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language
You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You'll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.
The New King James Version
Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
GOD'S WORD
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the foundations of past generations. You will be called the Rebuilder of Broken Walls and the Restorer of Streets Where People Live.
New Life Bible
And your cities which were destroyed long ago will be built again. You will set up the stones of the bases of the old buildings. You will be called the one who builds again the broken walls, and who makes the streets on which people live like new.