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Published: 17 January 2020

There are many assaults on the inner life.  We may not be attacked by knife-wielding maniacs or be running from people shooting bullets but there is surely an assault on our souls.  The enemy is a thief and delights to rob us of life.  He steals, kills and destroys and has had plenty of practice in his crafty craft.  One of the effects of the fall (original sin), is the struggle with “negative attribution.”  Even when people mean well, we can, at times, attribute their actions to evil.  What they meant for good, we see as malice.  There may be people who think ill of us but somedays it feels like it is everyone.  The result is, we start to think ill of them.  All of this is very destructive to the inner life.  When we are attacked from without and from within, the result can be crushing to our souls.  If we’re not treating this malady in ways that are good and right, we can become self-destructive and lose heart.  To lose heart is to give up; to give in, to give over to negativity and despair.  Some will medicate.  Some will seek amusement and entertainment.  Some will try something new and/or novel that seems “right to a man.”  Paul certainly knew what it was to be under attack outside and inside.  He knew what it was to struggle.  Yet, twice in the passage we are considering on Sunday, he wrote, “We do not lose heart.”  I want to know how he kept on going in spite of the assaults on his inner life.   Do you?  See you Sunday, if the Lord wills .

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Published: 11 January 2020

If you have ever tried doing anything worthwhile, meaningful and eternal; you’ve been ready to quit.  At some point, it really hits you, “I’m not adequate for this.”  Gospel ministry is bigger than we are.  It’s bigger than our talents, gifts, money, commitment, strengths, resolve and ingenuity.  It’s bigger than our resources, our budgets, our ability to network and the latest “Easy Button” book.   We are trying to convince the invisible spirit of people that the invisible God has a better plan for them than all we can currently see.  We are trying to get believers to “set their minds on things above,” when the things below are often very appealing and also very visible.  The distractions abound.  We are weak and frail.  Others have quit, why should we keep going?  Our current survey of 2 Corinthians is about all those frustrations and misgivings.  We’ve learned so far that we experience hardship that we might rely on God.  We’ve learned that we should keep our minds on “The Day” to come when we will rejoice over one another in the presence of Christ.  We’ve learned that in spite of the fickle nature of humans, God is faithful!  His yes is always yes!  This letter forms a theology of resilience to help us when we are tempted to give up and give in.  Chapters 2 and 3 will help us deal with our misgivings about our own abilities, about the struggle to get the help we need and about the importance of forgiveness within the context of ministry.  Lord willing, we’ll see you Sunday for “Our Sufficiency is From God.”