2 Corinthians 3:5-6
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
What of Today’s Verse…
Unfortunately, most folks who claim to follow Jesus miss the incredibly radical claims of the apostle Paul. We are not under law. It’s not that the righteous demands of law are bad, but they have no power to change us — not down inside where the problems in our behaviours really reside. Instead, when we surrender our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us.
With the gift of the Spirit’s presence come both the power and the urge to be more like God — holy and righteous, gracious and compassionate. Written laws ultimately convict us of our failures, but this “law,” the principle of living by the Holy Spirit of God within us, is life-inspiring and enabling. Rather than a law demanding us to be holy, we have the presence of the Holy One inside us urging, leading, empowering, convicting, and transforming us to be like Jesus.
Let us Pray:
Holy God, I appreciate the Ten Commandments and the rules, regulations, and laws you gave your people through Moses. I hear your call to me to be holy — to be righteous and compassionate like you are. Yet I know, dear Father, that without the empowering presence of your Holy Spirit and the gift of your grace in Jesus, I would never measure up. I ask that you give me life, hope, holiness, joy, peace, passion, endurance, and grace as I seek to yield to the Spirit’s influence in my life. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Words of Wisdom
What Is Courage
Courage is the strength to stand up when it’s easier to fall down and lose hold. The conviction to explore new horizons when it’s easier to believe what we’ve been told.
Courage is the desire to maintain our integrity when it’s easier to look the other way. It is the feeling happy and alive, and moving forward when it’s easier to feel sorry for ourselves and stay.
Courage is the will to shape our world when it’s easier to let someone else do it for us. It is the recognition that none of us are perfect when it’s easier to criticize others and fuss.
Courage is the power to step forward and lead when it’s easier to follow the crowd; their pleas resound. It is the spirit that places you on top of the mountain when it’s easier to never leave the ground.
The foundation of courage is solid, the rock that doesn’t roll. Courage is the freedom of our mind, body, and soul!
