Let the Life of Jesus Be Manifest
Scripture Reading for the day: 2 Corinthians 4:6-14
Scripture Quote: “ We face death every day because of Jesus. Our bodies show what his death was like, so that his life can also be seen in us.” 2 Corinthians 4:10 (CEV)
It's easy to proclaim Christ when things are going smoothly. The challenge is in hiding solely in His arms and finding the pure joy of that even as life turns bitter or infuriating. To lay disappointments, defeats, anger and resentments, and even envy, at Christ's feet while picking up His calm, peaceful acceptance of all things, is to truly know the intimacy with which we can come to have with our loving and forgiving Savior.
It is during adversity, in particular, that we see Him all the more clearly as we deepen our “knowing” that He lives, even in us. Trials put us and all we profess to believe to the test. When we can stand in our trials, we prove that Jesus is manifest in us. We can take courage, bear patiently, and persevere.
Meditation for the day: We can choose not to pray for “things” anymore, but to seek to know God Himself. The life of the Son of God has been reborn in us and we have the privilege to nourish that life and value it more than we value anything.
Memory Verse: “You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested.” James 1:3(CEV)