PASSAGE: Treasures in Jars of Clay
MEMORY VERSE: "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer." 2 Corinthians 5:16
NOTES: (v.2) "Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."
(v.5) "For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 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 the glory of God in the face of Christ."
(v.10) "We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body."
(v.16) "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."
This verse made me smile. We live in a culture where physical beauty is often more important than inward beauty, and so people devote their time, money, and energy at trying to postpone, disguise, or even prevent the natural effects of aging. Yet, as followers of Christ we have the comfort of being renewed DAY by DAY with the blood of Christ! It's like Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised" haha. In fact, I just love this entire passage (and the rest of the paragraph). Whatever present sufferings we may encounter for Christ cannot compare to the "eternal glory that far outweighs them all." HALLELUJAH.
ACT OF LOVE: Today, Barnabas (me, Naomi, Jeff Wu) met up at a different time than normal: 6:30pm, before fellowship. I think throughout these past few months, God has been impressing me with the importance of prayer, especially for the church. I felt that there should be more time devoted to prayer for the fellowship, so today was our first Friday-night meeting! We spent a while supporting the church in prayer
Also, I met a new girl who had JUST moved from Hong Kong and will be attending El Camino with a host family. I introduced her to all my friends and helped her get situated within the fellowship.
ALSO also, I had the opportunity to catch up with a friend (who had left a while back for the army). It was great talking to him and seeing the work God has done in each of our lives, since our lives are so different and yet sustained by the same God. It was crazy and super encouraging at the same time to see the work God's doing on the other side of the country, within the army. We got to share prayer requests and pray for each other as well.
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