Daily Inspirations

  Good morning. Continuing with the theme that things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal: for we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. A tent is a temporary thing, while a house is an “eternal“ one. The tent of course represents our earthly body; the building represents our resurrected one. The tabernacle of Moses was temporary, while the temple of Solomon was “permanent”. Both contained the Ark of the covenant with the tablets of God. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. It is easy to damage or destroy a tent (just like our body), it is much more difficult to damage or destroy a building. Just like astronauts wear a space suit, someone has compared that to our body being our “earth suit“. Astronauts need space suits to exist and...

  Good morning. Therefore we do not lose heart (how can he say that after all that he has been through?), but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man (the real us) is being renewed day by day. It is hard to do, but we need to keep that in mind. What happens to our physical body is “inconsequential“. Notice the contrast in the following verse. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. The affliction is momentary and light (though it may not seem like it), while the glory is eternal and heavy (like gold). While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. We have to look at beyond the now. As we used to joke about the verse that says “and it came to pass” - thank goodness it didn’t come to stay. We have all heard it said about someone, “he/she is so heavenly minded, they are no earthly...

  Good morning. Paul then mentions bad things that have happened to him, but he has not given up. Always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. It did not matter what happened to Paul, it would not turn him away from doing what was best for the Lord and them. So death works in us, but life in you. But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke.“ we also believe, therefore we also speak (he couldn’t help but speak), knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. Do we have that kind of faith, or would we let bad things happening to us deter us from speaking the truth of God? All things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people...

  Good morning. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “light shall shine out of darkness (let there be light),“ is the One who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (who is the image of God). There was darkness in our hearts until God said “let there be light“. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. According to my Bible, it was customary to conceal treasure in clay jars, which had little value or beauty and did not attracted attention to themselves and their precious contents. The same is true of us. We are but “clay jars“ with a precious content, the glory of Christ, within us. It is not our “beauty“ that attracts others to God, but God Himself within us. Father help us to remember that we are not the “main attraction“ but rather You Your...

Good morning. Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. (back to the veil) and even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. Remember that he said earlier that whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. It is not veiled to everyone, but only to those who are not born again. In whose case the god of this world (the devil) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. In Luke, speaking of Jesus with the disciples in the upper room, “then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures“. Until that point, they too could not understand the Scriptures. To me this references what John talks about ...

  Good morning. Completing the discussion about the veil: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. Remember that the veil was on the face of Moses upon whom the glory shown, because he had been in the presence of God. “Beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord“: go to the bathroom sink and look in the mirror. What do you see? You see your reflection. So when you behold the glory of the Lord in a mirror, you are seeing that glory upon yourself. It’s as if you are seeing the Lord standing there instead of yourself. We are being transformed into that image - of the Lord. So that when the devil and his minions look at us, they should be seeing the glory of the Lord. In other words, they shouldn’t be able to tell us apart. The word translated transformed is the same one in the verse that says “do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by...