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Prayer
[b said:Quote[/b] ] 2 Corinthians 4:6-18 (NRSV)
For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture--"I believed, and so I spoke"--we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
Devotional
[b said:Quote[/b] ]We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
-2 Corinthians 4:16 (NIV)
I have lived 87 years, almost 10 years beyond the average life expectancy for a Japanese male. When I was 40 years old -- and in the midst of such hardship, despair, and loneliness that I wished to die -- a Christian led me to the Lord. Even today I don't know how to fully express my thanks for God's abundant grace and kindhearted compassion in sending Jesus Christ to die on a gruesome cross to redeem us from all our sins and give us real life. But I have dedicated myself to praising and obeying Jesus Christ and to sharing the Good News with others.
Yes, I am growing old. But I am comforted by what Paul wrote in Second Corinthians, that even though my outward body is going to decay, inwardly I am being renewed daily (4:16). Jesus' words as recorded in John 11:25-26 live in my heart and soul with steadfast faith: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." Isn't this the greatest joy in the world and in eternity?
Masaharu Iwata (Kobe, Japan)
Prayer
[b said:Quote[/b] ]Prayer
God of strength and renewal, thank you for giving us opportunities to serve you and for the promise that in the Spirit our life is without end. Amen.
Thought for the Day
As our bodies age, our spirits can be renewed daily.
Prayer Focus
Those whose witness brought me to God