Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 7:11-8:12; St. Mark 3:20-35
“But as servants of God in all things we commend ourselves in all ways, by great perseverance, in affliction, in calamity, in distress, in blows, in imprisonments, in tumult, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger...”
(2 Corinthians 6:4-5)
Glory be to Jesus. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Beatings, calamity, affliction, imprisonments, and add sleeplessness to boot! Who would want this?
The preachers of this world say that if you just believe then these things won’t happen to you. Believe and it will go well for you. Keep your chin up and things will get better. You do something and then God will fix it for you.
All those things that these world’s preachers are saying direct you back to you. They depend upon you and what you do. You do this. You do that. You change. You pray, you act, you get positive.
We try. We get better. We do more, believe more, put our chin up. We think positive. Why isn’t it working? Why does it seem like one bad thing continues to happen after another?
At that point when all that we do fails, we have only Jesus. He was betrayed, was beaten, mocked, rejected, and then crucified. He suffered all the evil that befalls us in this world. All that hurts us, He bore it in His own body on the tree. It all died with Him. His resurrection is the proclamation from God we are His beloved children.
Now is the day of salvation —not tomorrow, not some distant time when we get our act together. As surely as He rose again from the dead, we will rise. Today, we are risen. Today. This day. Salvation is ours right now! Heaven is yours now. God the Father is your Dad right now.
Beatings, calamity, affliction, imprisonments, and add sleeplessness to boot! Who would want that? No one. But if it comes, even if death comes, we’ll be ready. Or better, Jesus is ready for it, for us. Glory be to Jesus! In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
“The Word they still shall let remain Nor any thanks have for it; He’s by our side upon the plain With His good gifts and Spirit, And take they our life, Goods, fame, child, and wife, Though these all be gone, Our vict’ry has been won; The Kingdom ours remaineth.” (LSB 656:4)