Focus

Slow your breathing and become aware of the taking in and letting out of your breath. Focus on putting things aside so you will be open to what God is saying to you today.

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Read

2 Corinthians 4:13–5:1 (NRSV)

But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—“I believed, and so I spoke”—we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

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Reflect

I stayed after work one day to work on my eVotion assignment. As I read through the scripture options and was reflecting on which one I would use, there was a knock at my door. A representative from a local Hospice agency was making a call to the group homes where I am the program coordinator. She was letting me know about the services they offer and said that if the need should arise in the future, she hoped I would consider her agency.

We had the polite “chit-chat” that usually accompanies such a visit. We shared our past job experiences and she told me that she used to work for a home health agency. Two years ago her husband was diagnosed with what was supposed to be the most treatable type of Leukemia. However, within a day or 2 of his diagnosis, he suddenly died. They had not even finished planning his treatment regime. In an instant he was gone. She began working for Hospice in the hope that she would be able to offer others a sense of peace in being able to say good-bye to their loved ones.

This lady shared that had it not been for her faith she didn’t think she could have endured this experience. She went on to say that she still has difficulty having faith in something she cannot know for certain. Her statement floored me. I looked at her incredulously and shared what I had been doing when she came to my office. I opened to the above passage in Second Corinthians and read it to her. We both sat there looking at each other. Tears came to her eyes and she said, “You don’t know how badly I needed to hear this today.” In the presence of Christ we had prayer together. Indeed, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.

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Pray

Loving and holy God, please do not let me lose heart. Renew my faith from day to day in things seen and in things unseen. Help me to share your grace with others so that we extend to each the encouragement we need and receive in your son. In Christ’s name. Amen.

Go with God.