Masquerade

Today I read 2 Corinthians 11-13. Kind of random, I know, but actually, I was trying to go back to an earlier study, a cross reference led me to chapter 11, and I just couldn't stop reading! I love Paul's sarcasm X-)

One verse that really struck me was chapter 11 verses 13-14:

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve."

Not only does Satan masquerade, but his servants as well--and this verse is not talking about those in the world, but those in the church! We have to be so careful when hearing/listening/reading/watching what Christian teachers are saying, and check it first with Scripture, and not just accept it offhand if we "feel" it's right.

Later in chapter 11, Paul is "boasting" about all his persecutions, and he ends the list with something we might not expect:

"Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?" (vs.28-29)

Although Paul's physical difficulties were painful, his spiritual burdens were even greater! I know I can be tempted to think--"Yeah Paul was able to face all this physical stuff, but he was superman when it comes to spirituality, so I could never be like him."
His own words here disprove that thought! He suffered in his spirit far more than anything I've ever experienced, that's for sure!

One of my favorite verses in all 2 Corinthians is 12:9-10. Paul is talking about the "thorn" in his flesh, given to keep him "from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations..." Paul pleaded in prayer for it to be taken away.

vs. 9-10 -- "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

I certainly don't have that attitude when I face hardships. Lord, increase my faith!

And lastly, chapter 13:5:

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?"

Wow. Pretty strong stuff. I won't go into all the Scriptures that talk about testing, and what exactly Paul means by it, but I would like to point out that it is there--we should be tested at some point or another, and better we testing ourselves than God doing it!! :)

In Christ,
Ellie

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

People Matter

Image
Today was one of those first time experiences that I'll never forget. I've been a part of our local Church Body - Southwest Wake Christian Assembly (SWCA) - for right around eight years, and although we've had a dozen births and a handful of marriages, we've never had a death of one of Body members. One of our oldest members, Mr. Bob, was just transferred to Hospice this week with likely only a few more days to live on this earth. The whole situation was rather sudden - I knew he'd struggled with health issues for a while and was weak, but I didn't realize how close he's been to death. Today I got to visit him. Unfortunately, he was sound asleep the whole time, but I still got to talk and sing loudly to him. Even if he didn't hear anything I said or sang, I'm sure God will pass along the message when Mr. Bob falls into His embrace. I admit, I cried. It was emotional seeing him there, knowing he won't be here for much longer. I was also sad tha
Read more

Joy and "Genesius"

Image
So much has gone on in the past couple weeks!! Not only did I finish my joy study (yay!), but I got through the last two weeks of rehearsals and three performances of a Christian Youth Theatre play! (www.spiritualtwist.com) The play, titled "Genesius", focused on the persecution of early Christians in Rome, 303 AD. It explicitly shared the Gospel, and touched on themes like sacrifice, surrender, faith, love, joy in trials, and much more! I was HUGELY blessed to be able to be a part of this production, and know I will never be the same, especially after the role I played. My character's name was Claudia. Not only was she a Christian, but she was also a noblewoman, which was less common in those days. Her (fictional) husband was also an important official and a close friend of the Emperor, Diocletian. When Claudia and her daughter, Lydia, are captured and brought before the Emperor (which happens during the play), he tries to get Claudia to renounce her faith, first by a
Read more

Dance Before the Lord

Image
Today I read 2 Samuel 6. This is when David and all of Israel are bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. The first time is a failure (the dude touches the Ark and dies, David gets spooked, and lets some other guy take care of it for a while), but I focused my study on the second part of the chapter, when they're bringing it in again the right way. It says that David danced before the Lord (and subsequently all of Israel) with "all his might". There were shouts, and trumpets, and other musical instruments blaring, I'm sure. Then David began "leaping and dancing" in celebration and thankfulness before the Lord. Not only is David held in honor by the people for this whole-hearted display (as we find out later in the chapter), but David also blesses the people by giving them all food. However, David's wife Michal (Saul's daughter), despises and condemns David for his dancing, saying that he made an utter fool of himself before the people.
Read more