Treasured Truth

As we continue our study in 2 Corinthians, we discover that Paul had a unique perspective about his problems, because he chose to look at the Problem Solver, instead of at his problems. Instead of looking at the Devil, who has some power, Paul chose to focus on the One Who has all power—Jesus Christ.

Pastor Ford will remind us that the Apostle Paul essentially encouraged us to not ever take our eyes off of Christ and put our eyes on our problems or our pain.  By maintaining what Pastor Ford calls an abiding vision of God, Paul was able to accept his suffering when God chose not to remove it from his life.

Today, we’ll continue to look at how the Apostle Paul described and dealt with his “thorn in the flesh.” Pastor Ford will point out that there was a tension, or a tandem nature about Paul’s situation—God graced the suffering to him, but Satan was the one who was giving him fits. Satan was the one causing his pain. It wasn’t God. God was the one being gracious toward him.

Today, Pastor Ford will help us identify some very practical ways we can tell if God has called us to a certain ministry, before we dive in head first to what we think we’ve been called to do.  We’ll learn how to discover our passions and priorities, and identify our desire to glorify God and follow His guidance. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.

One reason why we’re fighting against what God is allowing to happen in our lives may be because we’re immature in our faith and we don’t understand that God’s not allowing our suffering to happen in order to hurt us.  Instead, He’s trying to help us.  He’s not trying to destroy us.  He’s trying to develop us.

We need to remember that God can do with us whatever, whenever, wherever, and however He pleases.  And guess what—He’s not going to ask our permission to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ.  However, sometimes the best way He is able to do just that is through our suffering.

Sometimes all we can see is our problems.  We’re surrounded by our handicaps, our sicknesses, and our liabilities—emotionally, physically, psychologically, socially, financially.  What we need is a fresh, abiding vision of God.  We can ask God to help us see Him in the midst of our suffering.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about his “thorn in the flesh.” And Pastor Ford will explain how Paul dealt with his suffering by keeping an an abiding vision of God, so that it helped him to deal with whatever he was going through.  We’ll learn that Paul wasn’t looking to his suffering.  He was looking to the Savior.

As we begin a study today from 2 Corinthians, and consider why God gives us challenges and liabilities that we must deal with in our lives, Pastor Ford will challenge us to consider this question—Why isn’t it a possibility that you have your disability not as a liability, but as a possibility?

God calls those who have believed in Jesus to do the work of His ministry in the church and around the world.  They’re called by Him and God chose them because of their passion for certain ministries. But Pastor Ford will explain today that there are those who went, but weren’t actually sent.  In other words, someone appointed them to a certain ministry, but they were not anointed for it by God.  So, as we seek to take care of God’s business, we need to be sure we are called by Him to do what we’re doing.