His Indescribable Gift! (2 Corinthians 9:5)

Friends: If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that my friend Frank (in New Jersey) and I have been doing an email Bible study for over a year. We read the same chapter every day for a week — and then send a brief email of encouragement to each other. We’ve completed most of the epistles of the New Testament — and it’s been a great discipline for both of us.

Let’s further notice some significant truths in chapter ten:

His Indescribable Gift! (2 Corinthians 9:5)

I. The Source of That Gift: God Himself!

>>> No one can out-give God!

II. The Description of That Gift: Indescribable!

>>> The candy bar “Almond Joy” was marketed as “indescribably delicious!” On this vintage box we read: “When they ask for Almond Joy and you’re out of stock, There go your profits! Plunk! Like a rock!”

III. The Response to That Gift: Giving Thanks!

Today’s Challenge: What did God give? He gave Himself! Pastor John Piper makes the point (in his book God Is the Gospel) that when you trusted Christ, you got GOD! Live today as someone who has been gifted — by God Himself!

 

Time for a Great Cartoon! (apathy)

Our church just held our missions conference with the title “WHO REALLY CARES?” In light of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, a visiting missionary to France challenged us to genuinely care about world missions.

But apathy seems to be our default setting in spiritual matters, doesn’t it? Our affections are all messed up. We care deeply about things that don’t matter and little about things that are eternal.

I recently unit-read the book of 2 Corinthians and was impressed by the statement in chapter 10 verse 5- “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  Might we paraphrase this verse for today as “We demolish apathy and every emotion that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every feeling to make it obedient to Christ”?