August 7
Our life is purely the result of God’s compassion for and through us
Psalm 11-16 / 2Corinthians 1-3
[About Bible Readingfor the Hungry]
OT
12:1-8 Help, LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue that says, ‘We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips —who is our master?’ ‘Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,’ says the LORD. ‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’ And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. O LORD, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever. The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.
16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
NT
1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
2:14-17 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.
3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
OT Flash Points
Exercises in faith
Proclamation of confidence in God in the face of opposition
NT Flash Points
God comforts us so we can comfort others with the same comfort
That is the unavoidable answer to “Why me, Lord?”
Our confidence is in God’s grace, not earthly wisdom, especially not our own
So, we can say the same thing throughout our interaction and message
Perspective
Am I a holy, innocent child of God, living in Father’s house by eternal identification with Jesus, living His life through me?