Thoughts from 2 Corinthians

In my continued reading of Paul's epistles (I am almost finished with the project), here are some of my favorite verses and thoughts from reading 2 Corinthians. I have a lot of verses that I wrote down but didn't add notes to, which, if I'm being honest, most likely means my toddler woke up before I was done and I had to hurry to finish. But the verses are the important part anyway.

2 Cor 1:21-22 "Now it is God Who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." 

Only in God do we have true strength. We try to stand up on our own, to do the right thing in our own strength. And we crumble. It is God's Spirit that gives us strength to withstand trials. What a gift the Holy Spirit is in our lives - comforting, strengthening, warning, and correcting. I think it's such neat imagery, too, to think of the Spirit as a seal and deposit.

2 Cor 2:15-16 "For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life."

The study note on this explains that Roman victory parades, which is where Paul's metaphor comes from, included a cloud of incense. And verse 14 talks about being captives in a triumphal procession. I believe there is another passage, too, that talks about being the aroma of Christ, but I can't seem to find it, so maybe I'm just imagining it. The whole point, though, is that our lives should be evidence of God's Presence. We should be different, and that difference should be clear. But it won't be pleasant to everyone. To those seeking truth and hope, we are a light. To those pursuing darkness, we are hideous and unwelcome. And we can't change that. All we can do is let the light of Christ shine through us.

2 Cor 3:17-18 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit."

2 Cor 4:

v. 1 "Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart."

God has placed us where we are for a reason; He has a purpose for us in whatever situation we're in. And sometimes that purpose is just waiting, but that doesn't mean it's not His purpose. Let us remember that and not lose heart. 

v. 6 "For God, Who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ."

I love this connection, and it builds on the veiled faces discussion Paul had earlier in the letter. In Christ, the veil over our faces is removed and we can reflect the light and glory of God to others!

v. 7-9 "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."

The study note from my Bible: "... though we may think we are at the end of our rope, we are never at the end of our hope." Also, this takes me straight back to my childhood and music I listened to as a kid.

v. 16-18 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

It's all about perspective. And reading back over this, it comes as a really good reminder.

2 Cor 7:5-6 "For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn - conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, Who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus."

Paul did not have an easy life as an apostle and missionary. He was always on the move. He was taunted, attacked, shipwrecked, and imprisoned. He wrote often about finding joy in his troubles, but clearly there were times when he felt afraid and alone. God saw his struggle and sent him Titus as an encouragement. There are many times we feel cast down by life. But we are not alone. God sees our struggle, and He does not leave us alone. And, often, he uses us to remind others that they are not alone. Thus, it's even more important to listen the prompting of the Holy Spirit. We may be the voice of encouragement to someone else right when they are most cast down.

2 Cor 7:10 "Godly sorry brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."

Courtesy of Pixabay

2 Cor 8:7 "But since you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you - see that you also excel in this grace of giving."

2 Cor 9:6-8 "Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

2 Cor 10:3-5 "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Human weapons and strategies are nothing against the power of God. That power, which lives within us as a gift, allows us to take down falsehoods, both without and within our own minds. It also gives us the power to confront falsehoods afflicting others, when we are so prompted by the Holy Spirit. 

2 Cor 10:18 "For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends."

2 Cor 11:14-15 "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." 

I found this passage really interesting. And a little chilling, honestly.

2 Cor 12:9-10 "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."

It's really hard for me to say this same thing. Although I do believe that God's grace is sufficient for me, I struggle to rejoice in trial and weakness. All I can see sometimes is the frustration and failure. Yet God is with me always, even in my failure. When I realize that I am not strong enough, then His strength can take over. When I admit that I can never be good enough, then His grace can shine through me.

 

Have you read 2 Corinthians lately? What do these verses say to you? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

I've Decided to Start Bible Journaling

So, here's the thing. I'm a words person. I process things by talking and writing. And this has always been true with my Bible reading, as well. Yet I've never made notes in my Bible. For some reason that stems from I-don't-really-know-where, I've always felt sacrilegious about making any kind of mark in my Bible. 

I've journaled alongside my Bible reading for a long time. I've always called it a prayer journal, but really it's more of a devotional, observational journal on what I'm reading in my Bible, with occasional prayers written down. Until recently, that's what I thought of if I heard the term "Bible journaling." Now I'm coming to realize that it refers more to actually writing things down in your Bible, alongside the text. Maybe not universally, but perhaps more stereotypically, it especially refers to artistic illustrations and pretty notes in your Bible. If you type in "Bible journaling" on Pinterest, you'll find plenty of examples of what I mean. 

I recently got to thinking about this more because of some videos I've been watching from the Youtube channel How to Faith a Life. She's got some really interesting stuff, and I'm just starting to get into some of it. I do recommend her videos analyzing worship music. But she had a couple videos that particularly made me start thinking about this topic - How I Bible Journal and Bible Journaling Hacks. Until I saw those, I hadn't even really thought about doing in-depth notes in my Bible. I had toyed with the idea of a note here and there, but, again, I have always struggled with feeling sacrilegious about that. But here was a seminary student and pastor's wife showing how well-used and in-depth her in-Bible notes are. And I began to wonder if I could do that.

As I was mulling that over, I came across a couple more videos, this time from Justine Cheri Ordway - Let's talk about Bible journaling..., in which she explains why she completely stopped the practice, and a follow up video 6 months after doing so. What Justine struggled with was the trap of artistic journaling in her Bible - she felt pressured, she felt like she wasn't good enough at it, and she felt like she was losing touch with the true joy of reading God's Word. I think all of those issues are important and speak to the potential dangers of artistic Bible journaling. As I was looking up Bible journaling on Pinterest for this post, I came across this article - Why Not to Do Bible Journaling - that speaks to a lot of the same issues. 

Now, if you are someone who enjoys drawing in your Bible, I'm not going to sit here and say that's a bad thing. Only you and God can know your heart. I'm really not particularly artistic, so any attempt by me at that would only be distraction. But, as I've been thinking about this topic, I've realized that's not what I want to do, anyway. I don't want to try adding illustrations and pretty artwork to my Bible. If I want to be artistic with Scripture, I'll use one of my coloring books - this one of the Psalms is super fun. I want a way to add what I already do in a separate notebook to my Bible. I have a lot of notes going back years - prayer journaling, sermon notes, etc. But they're all in scattered notebooks, and I don't usually go back and look through them. So, while they were beneficial to me in the moment, they don't add a lot to my further study. When I go back to a passage I've read before, I might remember a little bit, but I don't have those notes in front of me to aid me in going deeper into that passage. Instead, I'm always stuck at a semi-surface level with that passage. There's also that saying that "Bibles that are falling apart belong to people whose lives are not." I have always tended to treat my Bible with kid gloves, wanting it to be pristine. But I don't think that's a good way to look at it. I think it's good to be reverent with your Bible, but I don't want to be so careful with it that I don't use it.

I want to go deeper. I want to add to my knowledge, but more importantly, I want to open my heart to what God is saying. I want to understand Scripture in context, and I want to let it speak into my life. So, I've decided to dip my toe in and try something new. The problem is that my current Bible doesn't really have a lot of space for that kind of thing. It's a really nice study Bible that my parents gave me when I graduated from high school (if I remember correctly). I love that Bible! It's got great context at the beginning of each book, and the study notes have some wonderful application that I get a lot out of. I have no intention of every getting rid of that Bible. And I still have some slight hesitation about writing on those super thin pages. This might take me a bit to get over... Anyway, I decided to get a specific journaling Bible. This is the one I ordered - ESV Journaling Bible, Interleaved Edition. It was on sale
(still is, looks like), and that's the one I believe Faith from How to Faith a Life uses. It's really cool because it has an entire blank page next to every page in the Bible. So lots of room! It's described as being "Patterned after the Bible that Jonathan Edwards, the 18th-century preacher and theologian, used to record more than 5,000 notes about God's Word." I've heard about Edwards' prodigious notes before, but it's been a long time since I looked into it. I think that's really a cool way to think about it. 

I've always used the NIV translation for my Bible, so contemplating a new version was a bit of a nail biter for me. But I've always heard good things about the ESV, and it's fairly similar to the NIV. Besides, I think it's a great practice to have different translations on hand - often you will get more context for a verse or passage. So I did it. I bought a new Bible. It should get here toward the end of this month, and then I'll see what I'm working with. I have every intention of continuing to use my study Bible. I think they'll work well alongside each other, and I will probably use that one when I just want to sit down and read a passage. 

It will take me a while to get into a groove, I think. I know for sure that I don't want to put frivolous notes in this Bible. I don't want it to be a place where I put just anything and everything that pops into my mind. But I think it will be a great place for things I learn about historical context and word origin. It will be a place for solid sermon notes and real life application. I do think you can be sacrilegious just putting whatever you want on the pages of the Bible, but I'm coming to a place of realizing that writing itself is not wrong. It can be good and helpful, and that's what I want it to be. 

I will most likely still use a notebook sometimes. I want to get better at actually writing prayers down, and that will be a good place for those. And, like I said, not every thought should go in my Bible. Some things are helpful to write down, process, and then move on from, and I think that's true with Bible reading, too. I'm excited about this, though. I'm excited for the possibilities.

Have you ever done any form of Bible journaling? How do you like to study God's Word? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

August's Reads: Young Adult

So, August's genre was supposed to be Young Adult. And, though I don't read a lot of that particular genre, I did have several books planned for it. Unfortunately, I don't actually own all those books, and my library was not terribly helpful. Thus, I didn't end up reading all of them. My month became a little random as a result.

I did start the month with a young adult re-read, Prophet by R.J. Larson. It's the first title in her Books of the Infinite Series.

(From Christianbook.com)

Ela Roeh of Parne doesn't understand why her beloved Creator, the Infinite, wants her to become His prophet. She's undignified and bad-tempered, and at age seventeen she's much too young. In addition, no prophet of Parne has ever been a girl. Worst of all, as Parne's elders often warn, if she agrees to become the Infinite's prophet, Ela knows she will die young.

Yet she can't imagine living without Him. Determined to hear the Infinite's voice, Ela accepts the sacred vinewood branch and is sent to bring the Infinite's word to a nation torn apart by war. There she meets a young ambassador determined to bring his own justice for his oppressed people. As they form an unlikely partnership, Ela battles how to balance the leading of her heart with the leading of the Infinite.

It's been a long time since I read this one, but I remembered liking it. And it holds up! Ela Roeh and Kien Lantec, the two main characters of this story, are very compelling characters. Ela in particular draws you in immediately. The world and story are somewhat based on the Old Testament, but the fantasy setting takes on a life of its own that makes it feel unique. I've never gotten ahold of the next two books in the series, Judge and King, but this time I'm determined to. I look forward to finishing this series!

Next, I read Jupiter Storm by C.J. Darlington. This is the second book in her Jupiter Winds series, so, as to avoid spoilers, I'll give you the description for the first book instead. 

(From Barnes and Noble)

Ever since Grey Alexander’s parents disappeared five years ago, she’s had one goal—to keep herself and her younger sister Rin alive. But surviving in the North American Wildlife Preserve isn’t easy, especially for the unconnected who can be shot on sight by border patrol robot drones. Through the guidance of their eccentric old neighbor Mrs. March, Grey and Rin get through by smuggling contraband into the Mazdaar government’s city zones.

But when Grey is captured by the merciless General Evangeline Yurkutz and is forced to become bait for her mother and father, she questions everything she thought she knew about her life in the Preserve, her missing parents, and God. Is it possible Jupiter isn’t uninhabitable? And could this planet, whose sky swirls with orange vapors and where extinct-on-Earth creatures roam free, hold the key to reuniting her family?

I read Jupiter Winds a while ago, and for some reason, when I first tried to read Jupiter Storm, I couldn't get into it. This time around, I didn't have that problem. I found the setting really interesting - both the zones and Wildlife Preserve on Earth and the military settlement on Jupiter. The science fiction elements feel reasonably solid, the characters are interesting, and the plot is fast-paced and logical. This second book does feel a little more rushed. The end of Jupiter Storm also doesn't feel like it wraps everything up, so I don't know if it was meant to be the last book in the series or not. It came out in 2011, and there are no more books. So I don't know what to make of that. 

After that, I deviated back into Robin Jones Gunn books. None of these are technically young adult, but they are continuations of her Christy Miller Series, which is more specifically that genre. 

I bought and read, in succession, three Christy Miller books - Forever with You, Home of Our Hearts, and One More Wish. I really loved these books and highly recommend them. I also read Peculiar Treasures, the first book focusing on Christy's best friend, Katie Weldon. Katie is a very quirky, fun personality, and her story is equally compelling. I'm hoping to read the rest of her series soon. 

I then veered back into young adult by re-reading Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.

(From Cornelia's website)

After a nightly visit by the mysterious Dustfinger, bookbinder Mo and his daughter Meggie leave their home in a hurry, carrying with them a precious but dangerous book.

Meggie loves stories, but her book-binding father, Mo, hasn't read aloud to her since her mother mysteriously disappeared some years ago.

When a stranger who knows her father knocks at their door, Mo is forced to reveal an extraordinary secret – when he reads aloud, words come alive, and dangerous characters step out of the pages.

Suddenly, Meggie is living the kind of adventure she has only read about in books, but this one will change her life for ever.

Though this book is technically considered middle grade, I really have never thought that appropriate, since it's got a bid of mild language in it. Regardless, it's such a richly developed world, filled with compelling characters. I really appreciate the flaws in her characters; they don't always make good choices, but their choices always feel like the one that they would of course make. The plot is so interesting, and you can't help but keep reading. I'm currently partway through the second book of the series, Inkspell. Also, if you've never seen the movie with Brendan Fraser, I recommend it! As most movies do, it leaves out a lot. But I think it's a good rendering of the story, and it's very entertaining!

I finished the month with the final book of Linda Byler's Lancaster Burning Series,
The Witnesses. I've struggled a bit with this series, because, while it's been interesting enough for me to keep reading, the writing sometimes takes me out of the story. This third book was a decent ending to the series. But, while the barn fires that form the "suspense" portion of the "suspenseful romance" were never really the main focus of this series, they are nonetheless resolved really early on in this book and without a lot of fanfare. I don't know. I didn't dislike the book necessarily. It just didn't really excite me.