2 Corinthians 8 March 26

Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome

God.
Awesome God, not you Kevin.

I actually enjoyed my entire day... for the most part. I watched Sucker Punch guys, it left me with an interesting impression , so maybe I'll talk about it tomorrow, hahahahaha. I DID happen to read this while I was on the bus.

Verse 7 left me with an interesting prayer for today, that being this: "Now as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us - excel also in this grace." I'm having a little trouble understanding how to excel in grace, but what I do know is that it should be as valued as everything else that is being done. I'm guessing that specifically, part of this is telling us that we too should show grace as much as everything else. After all, even I don't completely know what it means to show grace. That's something I will look at... and hopefully will find.

Verse 9 also made me feel about how God helps not only the typical commonfolk, but to the ones who have very little. And when we see homeless people on the street, everything for them is about survival and about money for the day. We have our own things that we occupy ourselves with and let's face it, not all of us really do a whole lot to help the poor. It brings a good scenario about how Christ died for every individual that exists on this planet as opposed to the people who have steady, normal lives. - saying, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ - although he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich."

Note that there's a key word that comes in this phrase. It's that we MIGHT become rich. It also served as a reminder for me in that even though Christ can do so much, he can't force us to undergo changes in our own lives... in reality, it's up to us and who we listen to. Like what Moses said 2 Fridays ago, we should consider the effects of listening and definitely what we choose to follow. Otherwise, Christ went through poverty for nothing, for some people, but Christ did and still does miraculous signs today within the hearts of many, so that they may be convicted.


Take care guys, get some sleep, and be stoked to worship tomorrow!

Jules.

9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
this passage reminds us that Jesus gave everything for us to become "rich" and although people have been driving this in my head since day one, it hadnt really stuck. i hadnt REAALLY thought of it in prespective. he gave absolutely everything for us. that mustve been sooo hard for Him to do, yet he did it for us out of love. This passage encourages us to give to others, give to the church, give to God essentially, only a portion of what we have, relative to what we have in total. This isnt much to ask, yet this is quite hard for many of us. I think that maybe if we were poor and had nothing to give, it would be hardest, but its because of our greed that we dont want to give. even if we gave, we would still be well off, living comfortably. earlier in this chapter, it talks about how poor people gave more than they even had to give. so i think after reading this, it will be easier to let go/ care less about materialistic things and focus on others
alrightyy! see youall tmr! nightt

Hey guys!
Hope your weekend so far was great
Get pumped for tomorrows worship

2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.

Reading this verse, I realized this is a great way that we should live our lives. Although we face hardships; spiritually, physically, financially, socially, we should still have "abundant joy". The term abundant means to have more than the adequate amount. Not only should we feel plain joy even when we go through hardships, we should feel even more joy. Why I think we feel joy is that even when we stumble, we always have to God to help pick us up and that we are even blessed to know him. Just something to think about!

9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

This verse spoke so much of Jesus' personality and humility. Jesus was literally God and he stooped down to our world only to get beaten, spat on, cursed upon, and put to death by humans. "Thought he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor," Jesus went down to hell for us. When i think about that, I just think about the ridiculous amount of love he has for us for him, God, to descend into hell and be stooped to the lowest of the lowest. I feel like we should live our lives more accordingly to the fact that he loved us so much, we should love him as much as we can and also to show his love to others by our actions.

See yall tomorrows

11 Your heart's been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it.\

So this verse struck out a lot to me because it, in a short couple of sentences, sums up the motivation we need. I personally don't think any of us are bad people. We might do dumb things and act kinda stupid sometimes but like the verse says, I think our hearts are in the right place. What I mean by that is that you are faithful to God. The relationship you have is not perfect, but a steady one. This verse can apply to lots of things throughout our lives, but spiritually, I think it's asking us to finish our spiritual journey. Not to end it and finish it off, but to come to the destination we are walking towards. Our hearts and minds are in the right place, and we have what it takes, so go to it. I think we should all try to come to our final destination in our Christian walk.

21 We're being as careful in our reputation with the public as in our reputation with God.

So this verse automatically reminded me of the James verse where it says we are judged harder, being leaders of the church. In this verse, I think the public can refer to our congregation and that the 'we' can refer to us. As a praise team, a group of individuals who are looked up to, we should try to be careful about our reputation, not because of us, but because it might give God the bad name. We also have to be careful to be on good terms with God, because if we are, then the congregation will follow; it works both ways. As a praise team, if we adopted swearing as something to do in front of the congregation, it wouldn't be the wisest thing because it doesn't give God a particularly positive name. If we were doing everything for God, we wouldn't accept sin and make it habitual, we would fight it so that we can break the habit and help others do so as well. What I'm trying to say is that it really is important that as a praise team, we respect the congregation and that we respect God, not so that we can be respected, but because we can get closer to God.

2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
This made me think. We don't need all the money in the world to know the love of God. In fact, it's easier to see it when we have 'nothing'.
For example, there are people around the world who have no food, no money, no clothes, etc but they love and trust God with a passion that we couldn't even fathom.
See, if we understand God and are more dedicated when we fast for one day, imagine how these people are.

15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”
This reminds me that no matter where you are in your relationship with God, you're no better than anyone else. God loves all.