SCRIPTURE UNION DISCOVERY DEVOTIONAL (USA)
Scripture Union Discovery 29th May 2023, Monday Devotional Message
TOPIC: Telling the Truth
Opening Prayer
Loving Lord, open my eyes to see, my lips to praise, my hands to serve, and my feet to obey.
Read 2 CORINTHIANS 4:1-6
Present Weakness and Resurrection Life
4 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 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 everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
Footnotes
2 Corinthians 4:6 Gen. 1:3
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture Union Discovery 29th May 2023 Reflect
What ‘gods’ would you say blind people to the truth of Christ today?
Surveys seeking to establish what people most look for in a leader consistently come up with ‘integrity’. Paul had it in spades! Unlike the false teachers at Corinth, with Paul there was no deceit, no distortion, no dissembling. Just the plain truth proclaimed ‘in the sight of God’ to whom he was accountable. That truth is embodied in ‘the gospel that displays the glory of Christ’ (v 4). At this point Paul’s thought and language take flight as he focuses on the one who has captivated his heart. The one whom he serves and for whose sake he serves the church.
Jesus who is the image of God, Jesus who shines the glory of God into the lives of those who turn to him, Jesus who is Lord, Jesus whom Paul proclaims as the truth. By contrast, those who choose to follow false idols find themselves consigned to darkness, blind to the glory of Jesus who is the truth (John 3:19). It is a sobering thought. May it challenge you and me to tell the truth to all who will listen. While that truth will be incarnated in our own personality and conveyed through our own ‘story’, it will, at the same time, point away from ourselves revealing the glory of Jesus Christ.
Apply
Ask God to show you one person today with whom you can share the truth of the gospel.
Closing Prayer
Gracious Lord, enable me to put on the belt of sincerity (Ephesians 6:14). Let there be no duplicity in me.
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