Thoughts for another day

June 21, 2012.

Today's verse: 2 Cor. 9:13.  Through the evidence of this service, you are glorifying God for your obedient confession of the Gospel of Christ and the generosity of your contribution to them and to all others. (NAB)

(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the best honor we can give Him and exalt Him high in this world.  We may be experts in knowing the Word as some are and also every word or every nuance in the Bible, yet we could be far from the Lord for we only know the Word in its letter and not in spirit and reality, for only in living it in spirit and reality, can we please the God of lights and do His work. 

In the second letter to the Corinthians, Paul praises the Corinthians for the service they render to the saints in Jerusalem by providing funds to them, which means they're glorifying God in their obedient confession of Jesus' Gospel and living it in being generous with their contributions.  Paul is lauding their acceptance of the Gospel, not only in Word, but also in deed for the Gospel of Christ comes with certain mandates and of them, a very clear and stark mandate is to be of service to the church, whether the local church or the distant church, when it is in need. 

A true servant of God always seeks to please God in his ways. But how can we please Him?  Not as do the pagans with their candles, flowers, incense and offerings of sweets, etc. But rather in being of use to the least of the people.  In realizing that the poor and the needy or the under-privileged are all children of the same God and recognize that God put them there to test us: whether we'll be liberal with our funds to them or we won't.  Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw the crowds following Him, seeing they didn't have anything to eat.  He therefore worked out a miracle - multiplying the fish and the loaves.   When we share what we have with the poor, we're also partaking of the miracle working out right in front of us, when the poor man you fed, is satisfied and looks happy or when the family you provided clothes to, looks at you with pride in their attire and so on.  In this is the true spirit of Christianity and in this resides Christ Himself.