November 14, 2014 A TREASURE NOT HIDDEN
2 Corinthians 4:7-9: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves, we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” In life there are times when we sense or feel “afflicted”, “perplexed”, “persecuted” and “struck down” just as Paul did, but perhaps not to the extent he did. It needs to be said that it is possible that we have to deal with these feelings or emotions as a result of bad decisions we make or by not having biblical thinking. For example, if I overspend, make bad financial decisions; I should not be surprised when I feel “perplexed” when I can’t pay my bills. However, even in my bad decisions, God can work for good. The realities Paul dealt with came his way because of his uncompromising stance on the gospel. On every hand we find situations and circumstances that would defeat us or discourage us unless we put those times in the right perspective. It is somewhat comforting to know that even the Apostle Paul at times had to deal with a sense of affliction or of being perplexed or persecuted or even struck down. If we find ourselves asking why certain “bad” things happen to us or to our friends or loved ones, we should at that time examine our perspective and make sure we have the proper Christian view of life in general. It is by no means wrong to be perplexed, etc. and in fact, if we live long enough, we will experience the same feelings Paul dealt with in the above verse. The point of danger is that if these “feelings” are not properly dealt with and brought into proper perspective, we will find ourselves retreating and taking our seat on the sideline of life, living in quiet desperation. It is our enemy’s desire to cause us to be defeated in life and he attempts to wage war in our mind-how we think-how we view life. When we realize the enemy’s tactics, we then see the absolute need to know the word of God because only in His word will we learn how to think as we should and as a result, we will have the right perspective when the battles come and will not be defeated. Also, some have the idea that because they have become a Christian, life should be all rosy and free of problems. The truth is that God does allow trials and problems to come our way, but He does so with a purpose in mind. It is God’s plan for us to learn how to become overcomers, how to take dominion, and how to rise above whatever it is that we are facing. It may be a stretch for some, but God is not only a God of love; He is also a God of adversity! Yes-God will allow adversity to come, but He has a reason for doing so, and it is based on His love for us. So, what are we to glean from these verses? Because we have a treasure in us, the presence of God no less, we have the power to live as overcomers no matter what comes our way. We cannot live the life that God offers in our own strength. Even in the most difficult situations we will face, the very life of Jesus may be manifested in our earthly body! Yes, we may be afflicted, but we will not we crushed. We may be perplexed but we will not despair. We may be persecuted but we will not be forsaken. We may be struck down, but we will not be destroyed. Because Jesus died for us, His life will be manifested in our earthly body. His life in us IS the great treasure! It is absolutely critical that we welcome, that we grasp, that we hunger for, that we buy into the gospel-the word of God. Only by knowing the God of the Word will we overcome in life. The book of Revelation contains many awesome promises to those who overcome in this life-check them out. Most of the people I know are facing difficulties of some type-whether it be health, financial, relational, loneliness, lack of purpose, family or mental. May we be people of God and rise up and face head-on the challenges we presently face knowing that we have the treasure of all treasures WITHIN US-the life of Jesus! The world is in desperate need of overcomers. Be one.
Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Blessings
Buddy
2 Corinthians 4:7-9: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves, we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” In life there are times when we sense or feel “afflicted”, “perplexed”, “persecuted” and “struck down” just as Paul did, but perhaps not to the extent he did. It needs to be said that it is possible that we have to deal with these feelings or emotions as a result of bad decisions we make or by not having biblical thinking. For example, if I overspend, make bad financial decisions; I should not be surprised when I feel “perplexed” when I can’t pay my bills. However, even in my bad decisions, God can work for good. The realities Paul dealt with came his way because of his uncompromising stance on the gospel. On every hand we find situations and circumstances that would defeat us or discourage us unless we put those times in the right perspective. It is somewhat comforting to know that even the Apostle Paul at times had to deal with a sense of affliction or of being perplexed or persecuted or even struck down. If we find ourselves asking why certain “bad” things happen to us or to our friends or loved ones, we should at that time examine our perspective and make sure we have the proper Christian view of life in general. It is by no means wrong to be perplexed, etc. and in fact, if we live long enough, we will experience the same feelings Paul dealt with in the above verse. The point of danger is that if these “feelings” are not properly dealt with and brought into proper perspective, we will find ourselves retreating and taking our seat on the sideline of life, living in quiet desperation. It is our enemy’s desire to cause us to be defeated in life and he attempts to wage war in our mind-how we think-how we view life. When we realize the enemy’s tactics, we then see the absolute need to know the word of God because only in His word will we learn how to think as we should and as a result, we will have the right perspective when the battles come and will not be defeated. Also, some have the idea that because they have become a Christian, life should be all rosy and free of problems. The truth is that God does allow trials and problems to come our way, but He does so with a purpose in mind. It is God’s plan for us to learn how to become overcomers, how to take dominion, and how to rise above whatever it is that we are facing. It may be a stretch for some, but God is not only a God of love; He is also a God of adversity! Yes-God will allow adversity to come, but He has a reason for doing so, and it is based on His love for us. So, what are we to glean from these verses? Because we have a treasure in us, the presence of God no less, we have the power to live as overcomers no matter what comes our way. We cannot live the life that God offers in our own strength. Even in the most difficult situations we will face, the very life of Jesus may be manifested in our earthly body! Yes, we may be afflicted, but we will not we crushed. We may be perplexed but we will not despair. We may be persecuted but we will not be forsaken. We may be struck down, but we will not be destroyed. Because Jesus died for us, His life will be manifested in our earthly body. His life in us IS the great treasure! It is absolutely critical that we welcome, that we grasp, that we hunger for, that we buy into the gospel-the word of God. Only by knowing the God of the Word will we overcome in life. The book of Revelation contains many awesome promises to those who overcome in this life-check them out. Most of the people I know are facing difficulties of some type-whether it be health, financial, relational, loneliness, lack of purpose, family or mental. May we be people of God and rise up and face head-on the challenges we presently face knowing that we have the treasure of all treasures WITHIN US-the life of Jesus! The world is in desperate need of overcomers. Be one.
Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Blessings
Buddy
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