Today we continue our series “God is faithful!” I was led to 2 Corinthians 4. In this passage, we will look at what it looks like to believe God is faithful. Because of God’s faithfulness towards us, we can withstand and overcome anything!
(2 Corinthians 4:1, 7-13, 16-18 TPT)
1 Now, it’s because of God’s mercy that we have been entrusted with the privilege of this new covenant ministry. And we will not quit or faint with weariness.
7 We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours.
8 Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option.
9 We are persecuted by others, but God has not forsaken us. We may be knocked down, but not out.
10 We continually share in the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the resurrection life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
11 We consider living to mean that we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake so that the life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
12 So, then, death is at work in us but it releases life in you.
13 We have the same Spirit of faith that is described in the Scriptures when it says, “First I believed, then I spoke in faith.” So we also first believe then speak in faith.
16 So no wonder we don’t give up. For even though our outer person gradually wears out, our inner being is renewed every single day.
17 We view our slight, short-lived troubles in the light of eternity. We see our difficulties as the substance that produces for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison,
18 because we don’t focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
The New Covenant ministry is a privilege.
(2 Corinthians 4:1 TPT)
Now, it’s because of God’s mercy that we have been entrusted with the privilege of this new covenant ministry. And we will not quit or faint with weariness.
Let’s break this verse down.
“Now, it’s because of God’s mercy…”
— Grace is when God gives us what we do not deserve.
— Mercy is when God withholds the punishment we clearly deserve.
— Paul tells us that God has entrusted to us the ministry of the New Covenant
— We did not earn it, and we do not deserve it.
— If there is anything we deserve, it is punishment for sin.
— If God gave us what we deserved, we would be men/most most-miserable, and we would not have grounds to complain because we would have earned our punishment.
— Thank God for continuous mercy.
— God loves us so much the He renews His mercies towards us every morning (Lam 3:23).
“we have been entrusted with the privilege of this new covenant ministry.”
— Thank God for the New Covenant.
— Under the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit lived in a tent (and later a temple), and the only person authorized to visit Him was the High Priest, and even then, only once a year.
— The High Preist got to visit was Adam had living on the inside of him 24/7/365.
— Adam walked with God, and God walked with him. This was before the Old Covenant was established. Once it was, people did not live in fellowship with God. They lived trying to obey a bunch of rules.
— Because of Adam, sin and death entered the world.
— Because of Adam, humans were resigned to live as mere men, and they had to earn everything they received.
— After the fall of Adam and the covenant provided through Moses, God’s people lived their lives based on works.
— Thankfully, Jesus came to get us OUT OF everything Adam got us into!
— Because of Jesus, the Holy Spirit has been restored to mankind.
— Because of Jesus, sin is no longer an issue for us. We have been declared righteous in Christ!
— Because of Jesus, death is no longer an issue for us. Jesus took the sting out of death. Once we are dead in Christ and Born-Again, we have done all the dying we are going to do. Death now, for us, is just a “moving day.”
— Under the New Covenant, we have been entrusted with the Holy Spirit, entrusted to preach Christ and Him crucified, and entrusted with the power to complete our divine assignments before we die.
*** Without question, this is a privilege! Do you realize the privilege you have?
“And we will not quit or faint with weariness.”
— When you acknowledge the mercy God has extended to you, the grace He has bestowed upon you, and the calling He has called you to, there is no way you will quit!
— You won’t quit or faint because you know your power is not coming from you. Your power is coming from the God in you.
— Under the Old Covenant, the spotlight was on man, and it was about man working for God.
— The purpose of the Old Covenant was to get man to the “end of himself.”
— The Old Covenant was designed to show us that we are not good enough and need a Savior.
— Well, guess what? That realization has been made. Our Savior came, and His name is JESUS!
— Now, we have God’s grace, which gives us access to His power!
— Now, we are filled with God’s Spirit, so we can know what God is leading us to do.
— Now, we get a revelation of God’s calling on our lives, and we get up every morning knowing that our calling is calling us!
— When you consider all of this, there is no way we will give up, cave in, faint, or quit. God is ON us, IN us, WITH us, and FOR us!
— God is more than the entire world against us!
— When you walk with God, led by His Spirit, empowered by His grace, and filled with His love, you will not grow weary in well-doing. Your joy will be renewed every day!
This is how you can withstand and overcome anything!
We only covered one verse today. But we will stop here. I have given you enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for leading me to LEVEL UP in this season. I LEVEL UP by thanking You daily for Your grace and mercy. Your mercies are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness towards me. Thank You for entrusting me with the New Covenant ministry. I get to represent Jesus daily. As Jesus is, so am I, in this world! You trust me with Your Spirit, Your grace, Your power, and Your calling on my life. I get up every morning knowing my calling is calling me. Therefore, I will never quit or faint. There is too much waiting on me. GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
