GOD's Secret Wisdom Daily

God’s Life-Giving Word of Faith INTRODUCTION 2 Corinthians 5:11-21: Paul reminds the Corinthians that God has made all human beings his friends through Christ and that all who follow Christ have died to sin and have been given new life. TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come. TODAY'S READING Friendship with God through Christ 11We know what it means to fear the Lord, and so we try to persuade others. God knows us completely, and I hope that in your hearts you know me as well. 12We are not trying again to recommend ourselves to you; rather, we are trying to give you a good reason to be proud of us, so that you will be able to answer those who boast about people's appearance and not about their character. 13Are we really insane? It is for God's sake. Or are we sane? Then it is for your sake. 14We are ruled by the love of Christ, now that we recognize that one man died for everyone, which means...

God’s Life-Giving Word of Faith INTRODUCTION Psalm 47: Today’s reading is a psalm proclaiming that God is our supreme ruler. It is a celebratory hymn in praise of God’s kingship and was probably used in some form of liturgical procession. TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: PSALM 47:8 God sits on his sacred throne; he rules over the nations. TODAY'S READING The Supreme Ruler 1 Clap your hands for joy, all peoples! Praise God with loud songs! 2 The  Lord , the Most High, is to be feared; he is a great king, ruling over all the world. 3 He gave us victory over the peoples; he made us rule over the nations. 4 He chose for us the land where we live, the proud possession of his people, whom he loves. 5 God goes up to his throne. There are shouts of joy and the blast of trumpets, as the  Lord  goes up. 6 Sing praise to God; sing praise to our king! 7 God is king over all the world; praise him with songs! 8 God sits on his sacred throne; he rules over the nations. 9 The rulers of the nations ass...

God’s Life-Giving Word of Faith Introduction Acts 1:1-26: Today marks the day when many Christians observe Jesus’s ascension into heaven. Jesus tells his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until God gives them the Holy Spirit, empowering them to share the gospel everywhere. Then he is taken up to heaven. The apostles keep their eyes on the skies until two angels jolt them into action. The apostles choose a successor to Judas and meet and pray with other believers. Today's Scripture: Acts 1:8 [Jesus said:] “But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Today...

God’s Life-Giving Word of Faith Introduction 2 Corinthians 4:16—5:10: Paul says that eternal glory awaits those who suffer for the sake of the gospel, and he assures the Corinthians that all who follow Jesus will be given new life and new spiritual bodies. He compares life on earth to a journey; our human bodies are like tents that we travel in and that are not permanent; once they are destroyed, God will provide for us an eternal heavenly body. Today's Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:1b God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever. Today's Reading Living by Faith 16 For this reason we never become disc...

God’s Life-Giving Word of Faith Introduction 2 Corinthians 4:1-15: Paul says that God’s message is available for all to receive and experience. He says that those who don’t see it are lost in the darkness of this world. Yet God’s light is able to cast out darkness and shine in our hearts. He compares those with the knowledge of God to clay pots to show that God alone has supreme power. Today's Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:7 We who have this spiritual treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us. Today's Reading Spiritual Treasure in Clay Pots 1 God in his mercy has given us this work to do, and so we...

God’s Life-Giving Word of Faith Introduction 2 Corinthians 3:1-18: In today's reading, Paul continues to discuss his relationship with the church at Corinth. In response to the church's demand that he present letters of recommendation as proof of his apostleship, Paul tells them that they themselves are the letter, written with the Spirit of God and written on the hearts of Paul and his companions. He also discusses Moses, whose face shone with God’s glory. Yet following God’s command, he wore a veil over his face. In contrast, followers of Christ are given the opportunity to experience the fullness of God’s glory. Today's Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:6b The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life...

God’s Life-Giving Word of Faith Introduction 2 Corinthians 2:5-17: In today’s reading, Paul addresses a particular situation in which one person had been attacking Paul and his teaching. The followers in Corinth had publicly pointed out the wrong things this person had said. Paul encourages the Corinthians to forgive this person. Today's Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:14b God uses us to make the knowledge about Christ spread everywhere like a sweet fragrance. Today's Reading Forgiveness for the Offender 5 Now, if anyone has made somebody sad, he has not done it to me but to all of you—in part, at least. (I say this because I do not want to be too hard on him....