2 Corinthians 4:5-12 (NRSV)
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Verse 5For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake. Verse 6For it is the God who said, "Let light 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 Jesus Christ. Verse 7But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.
Verse 8We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; Verse 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; Verse 10always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. Verse 11For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. Verse 12So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Devotion
Sabbath Keeping is not just about Sunday Worship. God’s gift of Spirit—marked at last Sunday’s Pentecost celebration—reveals that the support of Sabbath Keeping is a daily necessity. As the Apostle Paul writes, the light that can shine in our hearts, giving “knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,” is hugely important to thrive in such a way that the “life of Jesus may be made visible in our bodies.”
Sabbath Keeping is the gift of life that is at work in you. Remembering what God has done, recalling what God is doing, and celebrating what God has promised yet to do is a remarkably restorative activity. Daily Sabbath Keeping can help us to step boldly into the extraordinary power from Christ alone that the Apostle Paul urges Christ’s followers to embrace. Sabbath Keeping is the keeping of that extraordinary love.
Prayer
Face of Jesus Christ, shine your light and love, rekindled by daily Sabbath Keeping, fully into our lives to reflect your love, reminding us that such love comes only from you. Amen.
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