Paul wrote the second letter to the Corinthians to help direct them as false teachers were trying to lead them away from the gospel teachings and to turn them against the apostle.  In this passage we learn about the effects of repentance that we can apply to our lives today.

“Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it.  Though I did regret it-I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while- yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.  For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.  Godly sorry brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.  See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.”  2 Corinthians 7:8-12a 

The truth of this passage is that godly sorrow brings repentance. God wants us to have a repentant heart so that our character may be developed and used for His purposes.  The result of repenting, for the Corinthians, was a turn around in their thinking.  They had no regrets in moving forward to achieve God’s purpose and justice.   Serving God became their goal.  Turning to God changes the heart, the direction and the motivation of the believer and leaves one with no regrets.   Staying with worldly pursuits and goals brings worldly sorrow and troubles that have no future and lead to death and separation from God.   Where are you headed today?  Do you have a repentant heart?  Are you eager and willing to pursue godly goals in your life?  This last week of Lent,  before we head into Jerusalem next Sunday and move towards the cross, hold yourself accountable and face your heart attitude and motives.  Are they aligned with  the Lord?  If not, repent and offer them to God.  Ask Him to replace your worldly heart attitude and goals with His.  May the truth of today’s passage remain in your mind that godly sorrow brings repentance and repentance brings salvation and newness of life. 

Seeking a renewed heart through Jesus,

Linda

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.  For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.  O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.”  Psalm 84:10-12

On this 5th Sunday of Lent, may you find the Lord to be your sun and shield as He lights your way and protects you.  May you be blessed as you worship the one true God and find favor in His sight.  May you be mightily blessed as you put your trust in Him.  May this verse be on your lips today as you worship.

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Linda

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.  And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.  Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.  He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”  2 Corinthians 1:20-23

I find these verses very encouraging.  Paul is telling us that ALL of God’s promises are fulfilled in and through Christ!  Christ helps us to stand firm in faith as we are on solid ground through what He accomplished on the cross.  He blesses us and seals our citizenship in heaven because through our faith in His work we belong to Him.  Finally, Paul says that God gives us His Holy Spirit to indwell our hearts with power so that we can know for sure our faith and future are secure.  What an amazing God we serve!   Do these facts of faith encourage you?  If so, thank God for His many blessings and tell someone today.

Loving our Promise Keeping God,

Linda

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. ” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Have you thought about how easily you can give comfort in words, with hugs or actions when you have been in a position to receive comfort?  God tells us in 2 Corinthians that comfort and compassion are attributes of His character.  By way of God’s comfort we too can take that attribute within ourselves and pass it along to others.  The trials we encounter in our life help to build and shape our character.  Those times we desperately needed comfort God sent His Holy Spirit to minister to us and then some of His faithful servants to physically pray with us and for us, to hug and hold us and to do acts of kindness that ease our pain.  How gracious and loving is our God that He would seek to meet us in our pain and help us through our hard times.  Today, as you encounter hurting individuals, remember God’s comfort and take on that attribute and give His comfort to others.  Be quick with a kind word, a hug, a verse of encouragement, prayers and acts of kindness because they go a long way in giving comfort to others.

Thanking God for His love and compassion towards me and thanking my brothers and sisters in Christ who so recently showed me great comfort and compassion.

Linda

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.  There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.  Their voice goes out into all the earth their words to the ends of the world.  Psalm 19:1-4

Have you ever wondered how someone who does not have the Bible would know that God exists?  The psalmist David says that all of creation speaks of the greatness of its creator.  It is seen day and night by the inhabitants of the earth and proclaims all powerful, sovereign God to be in existence.  David continues in verses 7b-8 “The statues of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the LORD are right giving joy to the heart.  The commands of the LORD are radiant giving light to the eyes.”   Not only do we have creation to testify to God and who He is, but we have God’s Word.  The Words of the Bible are God’s words and lead us to Him and allow us to see Him as LORD.

After Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the religious leaders told Jesus he should scold his followers for proclaiming Him to be king and Lord.   “I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:40   Jesus knew that all creation would proclaim Him Lord.  God created all things to desire to glorify Him as creator and LORD.  What about you?  Do you know God?  Have you seen His creation and yet do not proclaim praise to the Creator?  Think about a beautiful sunset, a mountain’s splendor, a spider’s web and then ask- is God’s creation telling me of His existence? Do you need to read the Bible and ask God to show Himself to you through its words?

Faith comes from knowing, seeing and believing in God.  I pray you will encounter the living God today.

Linda

I woke up this morning with a song in my head. ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength’  I asked the Lord for a scripture about joy this morning and He pointed me to 1 Peter 1:8-9.
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

Does this scripture jump out at you about our loving, invisible God?  Since we cannot see God, how do we know that He exists?  We can see His handiwork in all of creation.  Only an all powerful God could create a universe so intricately and fearfully made.  We feel His love from our fellow believers towards us.  Being upheld in their prayers and through their actions our fellow believers show God’s love toward us.  Most importantly, I know He lives and is real because of His indwelling Holy Spirit that testifies to His being within me.  I have a conviction of faith, that is a gift from God, that upholds and strengthens me each day.   Knowing these things, believing these things about Almighty God gives me incredible joy.  Here Peter says our joy is inexpressible and glorious.  I would have to agree, how about you?  Do you feel God’s joy in your life?  Peter says that this inexpressible glorious joy comes though salvation which begins with faith in Jesus.  Do you know Him as your Savior?  If not, why not?  Take care of that today by placing your faith in Jesus.  He will send His Holy Spirit to indwell you and fill you with inexpressible, glorious joy!

Remember Acts 2:21 “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved”    Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6      What is stopping you from believing?   Accept Jesus’ gift of salvation by believing in Him and He will fill you with inexpressible, glorious joy!

Reveling in God’s joy today,

Linda

Daniel was an advisor King Nebuchadnezzar.  The king could not understand his dream and threatened to have all his advisors killed if no one could tell him the contents of the dream and its meaning.  Daniel and his friends were young Jews living in the palace who had been brought to Babylon when King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem.  Daniel “urged his friends to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.” Daniel 2:18-19 During the night God revealed to Daniel in a vision the mystery of the king’s dream and its meaning.  Here is Daniel’s response to God.

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.  He changes times and seasons, he sets up kings ad deposes them.  He give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.  He reveals deep and hidden things; he know what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”  Daniel 2:20-23

When you experience answered prayer, what is your response?  Do you turn and thank God for who He is and humbly praise Him for what He has done?  I love Daniel’s response because it challenges me to keep a godly perspective on life.  Daniel knew who was all knowing and all powerful, who was sovereign in the universe, who could reveal mysteries to him, who knew the future, who had no evil or darkness in Him and who should receive his praise and thanks.  Daniel knew it was the God he had learned about as a child, the one true and holy God, the God of heaven who He could trust with his life.   Do you know God?    Claim Him as your Father today and call upon Him.  He will answer.  “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”  is a promise given in James 4:8a.   Claim this promise today.

Praising  the Sovereign, Merciful God of heaven and earth,

Linda

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the LORD.  Jeremiah 29:11-14a

These words were spoken to the prophet Jeremiah about the coming Babylonian captivity facing the nation of Israel because of their disobedience in turning away from God.  God knew the plans He had for them and they were good plans.  God is good and intends only good things for us.  His plans will give us hope and a future.  He desires that we seek Him with all our heart and call upon Him in prayer.  Does that describe you?  Do you seek God and call out to Him in prayer?  He promises He will be found.  Jesus said, “For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Matthew 7:8   Are you seeking God with open eyes, looking for Him in your life?  Are you talking with Him in prayer,  believing He will answer?   Know for certain that God has good plans for you.  Seek Him and you will be find Him.  Be amazed and humbled at the wonderful things God has planned for you.

Seeking with open eyes and heart,

Linda

As you worship our Lord and Savior today, may this prayer of David be on your lips in praise.

“Praise be to you , O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.  Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.  Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.  Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things, in your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.  Now our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.”  Amen     1Chronicles 29:10-13

Have a wonderful day in worship and praise.

Linda

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:1-2

What does it mean to set your mind on things above?   We don’t want to be so heavenly minded we are of no earthly good, right?  Paul tells us to set our hearts and minds on things above.  A few days ago I wrote about the heart and things that pass through it.  (February 26)  In light of our hearts, I take  Paul’s words to mean that we need to focus on forgiveness and treasures of the kingdom like salvation, hope in eternity, Jesus’ work on the cross, joy in the Lord, peace for living, thanksgiving and listening to the Holy Spirit.  We also can focus on love for God and others, purity in our walk and obedience to His Word in our thoughts and attitudes.   Setting our minds on Christ keeps us focused on heaven, Christ’s return, those things in life that have eternal value and lifts us up out of the ‘pit’ of anguish, despair, turmoil, hurt and sin that are so prevalent in this world.    Look up today and see if that does not help you have a more positive attitude filled with hope and joy in the Lord.

Endeavoring to develop an attitude for eternity,

Linda

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness..”   Lamentations 3:21-23