“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:1 ESV). The combined effect of having received both the “mercy” and the “ministry” of the gospel strengthened the apostle Paul, so that he did not “lose heart.” Whenever he felt discouraged, he remembered that, through the gospel, God
“I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?” (Job 31:1 ESV). Job made a covenant with his eyes not to gaze at a young woman. His “covenant” (“pledge, sacred promise”) was with God and with his wife, that his eyes belonged to God and to his wife
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Psalm 42:11 ESV). The psalmist searched his own soul to discover the source of his distress. When we look inward to find the source of
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 ESV). This proverb speaks of the God-given stewardship of parenting. For children are a gift from the Lord and parents are called of the Lord to raise them to follow Him. The
“But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9 ESV). In his second letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul wrote how the hardships he and his fellow believers had experienced in Asia Minor had nearly crushed them. For their afflictions were so great
“On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:2 ESV). Ironically, the church in Corinth, one of the most wealthy among the 1st Century churches, was the one
“Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:49 ESV). People today spend a great deal of money and effort on extending the youthful appearance of their bodies. Yet inevitably, our earthly bodies will age and die. This
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22 ESV). The apostle Paul explained the critical importance of the resurrection of Jesus to the gospel message, saying “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Cor.
“What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning and test him every moment?” (Job 7:17-18 ESV). Job doesn’t accuse God of being absent, but of being too present. He doesn’t blame his suffering on being forsaken by the Lord as most
“I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25 ESV). Like the psalmist David, I can make the same observation. For I have never seen the righteous forsaken. Whether David meant this as a promise or a general rule, I’m