Day 65 - 2 Corinthians 5: 1-10

 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

Tori's Comments:

All around me I can see people obsessed with their bodies.... racks of magazines depict the importance of hair, clothes, and makeup, and especially for women, it becomes a struggle. 
With all the self esteem issues faced every day, verse 6 is a great reminder. We should emanate confidence, a transformation brought about by no one other than Jesus Christ.

Terrie's Comments:

No matter if we are here on earth in our earthly body or at home with the Lord our goal is to please Jesus Christ.  And even though we are standing in faith having confidence that what we hope for is indeed true, I am glad that we have the Holy Spirit to give us assurance of our future :-) 

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 62 - 2 Corinthians 3:7-18

7 The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. 8 Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? 9 If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! 10 In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. 11 So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!

12 Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 14 But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.

16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

Terrie's Comments:

Wow!  The people begged God for Moses to cover his face to cover God's glory, which was just a residue of Moses time with God.  I LOVE that the veil is taken away when we make Jesus Lord of our lives.  The fact that we can both see and reflect the glory of the Lord to the world is awesome.  I also LOVE the fact that we are not on our own.  That we aren't left as we are found.  Jesus makes us more and more like him as we are walking with him each day.

Tori's Comments:

"wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" Do I feel that freedom? I feel like the church has got a bad reputation as something that holds people down or binds them up, when in fact its reputation should be the opposite. 

And if we reflect the glory of God, shouldn't those around us see that glory and know we are the children of God? It makes the "city on a hill" verse easier to visualize. 

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!