Through the Bible – Day 252

₁God has been kind enough to trust us with this work. That's why we never give up. ₂We don't do shameful things that must be kept secret. And we don't try to fool anyone or twist God's message around. God is our witness that we speak only the truth, so others will be sure that we can be trusted. ₃If there is anything hidden about our message, it is hidden only to someone who is lost.

₄The god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like. ₅We are not preaching about ourselves. Our message is that Jesus Christ is Lord. He also sent us to be your servants. ₆The Scriptures say, “God commanded light to shine in the dark.” Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ.

₇We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us. ₈We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. ₉In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. _10-11We face death every day because of Jesus. Our bodies show what his death was like, so that his life can also be seen in us. ₁₂This means that death is working in us, but life is working in you.

₁₃In the Scriptures it says, “I spoke because I had faith.” We have that same kind of faith. So we speak ₁₄because we know that God raised the Lord Jesus to life. And just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life. Then he will bring us into his presence together with you. ₁₅All this has been done for you, so that more and more people will know how kind God is and will praise and honour him.

₁₆We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day. ₁₇These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. ₁₈Things that are seen don't last for ever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That's why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.

₁Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings that someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last for ever. ₂While we are here on earth, we sigh because we want to live in that heavenly home. ₃We want to put it on like clothes and not be naked.

₄These tents we now live in are like a heavy burden, and we groan. But we don't do this just because we want to leave these bodies that will die. It is because we want to change them for bodies that will never die. ₅God is the one who makes all this possible. He has given us his Spirit to make us certain that he will do it. ₆So always be cheerful!

As long as we are in these bodies, we are away from the Lord. ₇But we live by faith, not by what we see. ₈We should be cheerful, because we would rather leave these bodies and be at home with the Lord. ₉But whether we are at home with the Lord or away from him, we still try our best to please him. ₁₀After all, Christ will judge each of us for the good or the bad that we do while living in these bodies.