Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

2 Corinthians 12:7  Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.   8  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.   9  But he said to me,  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.   10  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Often the question is asked, "Where is God in suffering?"  Or, "Why doesn't God answer my prayer for healing?"  The way Paul dealt with what he calls, "the throne in the flesh", gives us some great insight. The first question usually asked is, " What was Paul's thorn in the flesh? "  Answer: We don't know!  But I think we can make some educated guesses based on some o

  Paul Boasts About His Sufferings 16  I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting.   17  In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool.   18  Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast.   19  You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise!   20  In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face.   21  To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! Paul returns to the theme of the lack of respect he was receiving from the Corinthians.  One of the knocks against him was he didn't even charge for his ministry and preaching.  Paul received donations from other churches so he could preach to the church of Corinth "free of charge".  But instead of being grateful they used this against him.   So Paul speaks "tongue in cheek"

Paul’s Defense of His Ministry 10  By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away!   2  I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.   3  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.   4  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.   5  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.   6  And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. Once again we see Paul having trouble with being accepted by the Corinthian church. Despite his resume, all the churches he has planted and the ministry he has done among him, they still continue to doubt

Thanksgiving 2020 Today is thanksgiving a day to give thanks for as we say in our family prayer at dinner, "family, food and friends".  Specifically in this country, we give thanks for the first pilgrims who journeyed across the ocean to the place we now call the United States of America.  Of the 100 who came over, only 50 made it through the harsh first winter, which was much more difficult than they ever imagined. They sacrificed their lives for the freedom we now enjoy. Paul talks about a similar type of thanksgiving about another sacrifice made on our behalf.  A thanksgiving that flows out of a thanksgiving to God for the gift of His Son.  First, he teaches on the attitude and motivation we should have when we give to God for the work of the church locally and globally.   Generosity Encouraged - 2 Corinthians 9 6  Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.   7  Each of you should give what you hav

Paul addresses another practical issue of collecting for the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem.  They were poor and Paul initiated a giving campaign which would be collected by people like Titus, then delivered to the saints there.  It is amazing how these principles that Paul gives the Corinthians for giving are perfectly applicable today!  The Collection for the Lord’s People 8  And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.   2  In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.   3  For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,   4  they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.   5  And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.   6  So we urged Titus, just as he had e

2 Corinthians 7:8-13  - Paul's Joy Over The Church Repentance 8  Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—   9  yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.   10  Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.   11  See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.   12  So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you a

  Paul’s Hardships 2 Corinthians 6 3  We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.   4  Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;   5  in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger;   6  in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;   7  in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;   8  through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors;   9  known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed;   10  sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.  11  We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.   12  We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are w

Awaiting the New Body 5  Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 6  Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.   7  For we live by faith, not by sight.   8  We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.   9  So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.   10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Paul moves from teaching in chapter 4 about how we are inwardly being renewed day by day though our outward bodies are wasting away to the hope we have of a new body in heaven.   Until the Lord calls us to our eternal home, we have been given a deposit, a guarantee of our future inheritance, which is the Holy Spirit.

  16  Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.   17  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.   18  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Paul starts with the word "therefore" meaning that in light of everything he has taught so far.  I.e. All of the sufferings he has suffered for the sake of the gospel.  The worst of his suffering and weakness has brought out the power of the gospel.  He knew that he suffered, but he also knew that the Corinthians would suffer too, so he wants to prepare them for how to handle it.   Paul moves the focus away from what is happening on the outside of our bodies to what is happening on the inside of us.  On the outside Paul might have taken a beating, but on the inside, the Spirit was renewing him and making him stronger