Daily Devotional • August 6
A Reading from 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
1 Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 We have renounced the shameful, underhanded ways; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing clearly the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’s sake. 6 For it is the God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
Meditation
In a time of church decline, the temptation to add to, improve upon, or otherwise “rebrand” the gospel is always there. As Christians, we seek greater cultural relevance, we try to innovate, and we strive to be more winsome in our presentation of the Word.
But Paul is clear here: The gospel message needs no additions or alterations, no frills or embellishment. In fact, any attempts at improving the gospel will only serve to distort and dilute it. And if we’re not preaching Jesus as Lord, we are preaching ourselves.
And that brings us back to the first verse of today’s passage: “Therefore,” Paul writes, “since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.” Anyone who has been in ministry for any amount of time knows the occupational hazard of losing heart. Doing church week in and week out presents plenty of opportunities for discouragement. Church attendance ebbs. Parishioners squabble. Programs launch with promise but lose steam over time. Communities experience loss and tragedy.
So, what is the antidote to despair? According to Paul, the answer again seems to be found in the all-sufficiency of the gospel, described elsewhere as the “power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith.”
What are we to do in the face of decline and discouragement? We proclaim the gospel – simply, repeatedly, faithfully – trusting that God can do a whole lot with the “truth set forth plainly.”
Lauren Anderson-Cripps is director of communications and marketing at Nashotah House Theological Seminary and writes for a variety of publications, including The Living Church. Lauren lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Sam, and their dog, Tennessee Jed.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Hyderabad – The Church of Pakistan (United)
Christ and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Norfolk, Virginia