Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Hope, No Matter What  (our theme for September)

2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 16 (CEB)

But we have this treasure in clay pots so that the awesome power belongs to God and doesn’t come from us. We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but we aren’t crushed. We are confused, but we aren’t depressed. We are harassed, but we aren’t abandoned. We are knocked down, but we aren’t knocked out…. So we aren’t depressed. But even if our bodies are breaking down on the outside, the person that we are on the inside is being renewed every day.

Some scholars think the book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible in terms of when it was written. If so, one of the oldest errors humans make is to assume that a prosperous and easy life comes to those who serve God faithfully, and so problems indicate a lack of faithfulness. Instead, Paul differentiates our outer circumstances from our inward response.

Paul and his companions have plenty of trouble. They’re even confused, harassed, and knocked down. Through the power of God, though, they aren’t crushed, depressed, abandoned, or knocked out. They do more than simply hold on. They are renewed.

“Renew” comes from anakainoō, which means a complete change for the better, a makeover of the mind and soul, not just a rerun or a reset, but moving from one stage to a higher stage. The verb tense means it’s not a onetime happening, but an ongoing process.

Life will batter us, but the power that belongs to God sustains us through it all.

Let’s pray:

Father, help us plug into the awesome power that is yours so that we have the strength only you can give us. Give us that experience of your ongoing renewal. Thank you, Father. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Donn King.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.