Thursday Devo
Scripture:
2 Corinthians 4
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.
13 But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” 14 We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. 15 All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.
13 But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” 14 We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. 15 All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
Commentary:
4:8–10 afflicted … but not crushed. These verses show the paradox of living as a believer in the present evil age.
4:11–12 Paul is always being given over by God to death for Jesus’ sake so that the power of the resurrection life of Jesus (experienced in Paul’s ability to endure adversity and in the powerful spread of the gospel in spite of opposition) might be made known in the weakness of his mortal flesh (see v. 7). Paul’s suffering and endurance are intended to bring about this same resurrection life among the Corinthians as they too learn to trust God amid adversity (see 1:6–7).
4:13 we have. These words signal that Paul is summarizing what he has just said (cf. “we have” and “having” in 3:4, 12; 4:1, 7). the same spirit of faith. Most interpreters have understood this not as a reference to the Holy Spirit but as a reference to the same kind of attitude of trust in God that David had, in spite of his affliction (see Ps. 116:10). Some hold, however, that this is a reference to the Holy Spirit, since the Holy Spirit is the one who creates faith, who conforms one to Christ, and who secures the promises of God (see 2 Cor. 1:22; 3:6–8, 18; 5:5). In this case, Paul’s quotation of Ps. 116:10 would suggest that he views his experience of suffering (as reported in 2 Cor. 4:7–15) as a continuation of the experience of suffering as a righteous person that David expressed in Psalm 116.
4:16 outer self … inner self. This refers to the weakening of the physical body in contrast with the strengthening of the spirit, and also assumes a contrast between Paul’s life of suffering in this present evil age (his outer self) and the moral and spiritual transformation of his life into the image of God as seen in Christ (his inner self; see 3:18). For the inner/outer contrast in reference to the believer’s moral transformation amid worldly evil, see Rom. 6:5–6; Eph. 3:16; 4:20–24; Col. 3:5–14.
4:17–18 Earlier Paul’s suffering was a burden too heavy to carry (Gk. bareō, 1:8), but now it is a light momentary affliction in view of the eternal weight (Gk. baros) of glory beyond all comparison (see Rom. 8:18). Far from harming him permanently, the affliction is preparing him to receive great eternal reward. Affliction does not by itself bring this benefit, however, but only as it is seen in the light of God’s eternal perspective, as we look not to the things that are seen (i.e., Paul’s suffering and all the shortcomings of this present age) but to the things that are unseen (the full restoration of all things at the resurrection to come, and the sure fulfillment of God’s purposes for history). transient … eternal. This contrast shows that “eternal” (lit., belonging to or characterized by the “age” [Gk. aiōnios] to come) refers not to timelessness but to that which lasts forever.
4:11–12 Paul is always being given over by God to death for Jesus’ sake so that the power of the resurrection life of Jesus (experienced in Paul’s ability to endure adversity and in the powerful spread of the gospel in spite of opposition) might be made known in the weakness of his mortal flesh (see v. 7). Paul’s suffering and endurance are intended to bring about this same resurrection life among the Corinthians as they too learn to trust God amid adversity (see 1:6–7).
4:13 we have. These words signal that Paul is summarizing what he has just said (cf. “we have” and “having” in 3:4, 12; 4:1, 7). the same spirit of faith. Most interpreters have understood this not as a reference to the Holy Spirit but as a reference to the same kind of attitude of trust in God that David had, in spite of his affliction (see Ps. 116:10). Some hold, however, that this is a reference to the Holy Spirit, since the Holy Spirit is the one who creates faith, who conforms one to Christ, and who secures the promises of God (see 2 Cor. 1:22; 3:6–8, 18; 5:5). In this case, Paul’s quotation of Ps. 116:10 would suggest that he views his experience of suffering (as reported in 2 Cor. 4:7–15) as a continuation of the experience of suffering as a righteous person that David expressed in Psalm 116.
4:16 outer self … inner self. This refers to the weakening of the physical body in contrast with the strengthening of the spirit, and also assumes a contrast between Paul’s life of suffering in this present evil age (his outer self) and the moral and spiritual transformation of his life into the image of God as seen in Christ (his inner self; see 3:18). For the inner/outer contrast in reference to the believer’s moral transformation amid worldly evil, see Rom. 6:5–6; Eph. 3:16; 4:20–24; Col. 3:5–14.
4:17–18 Earlier Paul’s suffering was a burden too heavy to carry (Gk. bareō, 1:8), but now it is a light momentary affliction in view of the eternal weight (Gk. baros) of glory beyond all comparison (see Rom. 8:18). Far from harming him permanently, the affliction is preparing him to receive great eternal reward. Affliction does not by itself bring this benefit, however, but only as it is seen in the light of God’s eternal perspective, as we look not to the things that are seen (i.e., Paul’s suffering and all the shortcomings of this present age) but to the things that are unseen (the full restoration of all things at the resurrection to come, and the sure fulfillment of God’s purposes for history). transient … eternal. This contrast shows that “eternal” (lit., belonging to or characterized by the “age” [Gk. aiōnios] to come) refers not to timelessness but to that which lasts forever.
Questions:
- "We fix our gaze on what is unseen." Paul is talking here about living for eternal things, not just what is around you. This is how a Christian should live their lives because of the hope we have in Christ. What are YOUR eyes focused on? How often do you think of eternity? How different might your life look if you focused on eternal things instead of your temporary troubles?
- The first challenge on Sunday was, "Live a life that makes sense in light of ETERNITY." Paul was an excellent example of this. His choices and passions in life went way beyond the earthly things around him. But Demetrius and his friends? They only cared about their stuff. They gave no thought to eternity. Satan is trying to distract you, entice you, mesmerize you with things that have no eternal value! How distracted are YOU? How much thought do you give to eternity? Do your life and choices make sense in light of eternity?
Prayer Topics:
- That your eyes would be fixed on eternity.
- That your life would makes sense in light of eternity.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
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