January 2, 2009
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Bible Reading: II Corinthians 1-Blessings out of buffetings (Alan Redpath)
I've just begun reading in II Corinthians. (Please see the Bible reading schedule on my home page––and once again a plug here, if you don't have a plan for reading through the Bible, you are more than welcome to read along with me. When I blog on something that's recently come up on the schedule I'll title it and tag it as Bible reading. FYI: I'm on a schedule which I adapted from this plan, which will take you through the entire Bible in three years. There are lots of Bible reading schedules out there you can use, but the main thing is for you to be spending time in the Word of God regularly.)
...As I was reading the first chapter of II Corinthians, I realized how it so wonderfully dovetails my post about the broken heart.Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, 11 you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.I pulled out (once again) Alan Redpath's book on II Corinthians, "Blessings out of Buffetings."[1] Here are a few excerpts from the first chapter.
Personally, I would rather have the spiritual gift of bringing life to one broken heart than the ability to preach a thousand sermons. Indeed, any public ministry which has not at its heart something of the tenderness which has come because of the personal experience of what Paul calls "the sufferings of Christ" is lacking in the one thing that really matters. I wonder if there was ever a greater need for the ministry of comfort (using that word in the sense that Paul uses it here). . . .Clearly Paul is speaking here [II Cor. 1:3-11] about some deep experience through which he has passed, for he speaks about the sufferings of Christ abounding in us. And therefore he is making it perfectly clear that if we would ever qualify to bring blessing to one poor needy life, one broken heart, it is going to require a spiritual experience of suffering on a deep level. . . .
...if you and I are to be a blessing to someone in need, who is without God and without hope, and if we would have that sacred, precious ministry, we are assured that this is something absolutely impossible to us by ourselves, by any human talent or ability. This is not a ministry that we will acquire at the university, or at a college, or at any school, but it is something that the Holy Spirit will give to us. It is He who will be our strength and enduement. But He will come to us only in the measure that we have entered into the affliction which the Lord said would be the portion of His people.
You do not go far before you find that the people of God throughout the world are going through times of unprecedented pressures and tensions and problems. It would seem as though God is allowing times of testing to come to His people, not that they might despair, but that as they share in the fellowship of the suffering of Christ they may know in a new measure the enduement of the Holy Spirit. Out from the pressure of affliction, the church will begin to fulfill again this tremendous ministry of comfort and blessing which is her unique and glorious task. I am quite sure that these days of pressure upon the church have a very special significance in the mind of our Lord; and I am quite sure that if any of you know something about this in your own life, it has a very special significance for the ministry the Lord has for you.
At the beginning of his book, Redpath included the poem "Blessings out of Buffetings," from which, I presume, his book title derives.
Blessings out of Buffetings
by Avid B. ChristiansenOh tried and tested Christian,
Beset on every hand
By storms of strife, remember
Thy Father holds command!
E'en though the tempest rages,
Thy chastened heart may sing,
For He doth purpose blessing
Through all thy buffeting.
Be strong and of good courage,
Though foes thy soul assail.
No weapon formed against thee
Hath power to prevail;
For thou shalt share the triumph
Of Christ, thy conquering King,
Who purposes a blessing
Through all thy buffeting.
Rejoice to be found worthy
Of suff'ring for His name,
Who on the cross of Calvary
Bore all thy weight of shame.
When He shall come in glory
His ransomed Home to bring,
Thou'll know in full the blessing
Attained through buffeting!
Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.[1] The contents of Redpath's book were taken from a series of messages he preached while he was pastor at Moody Church, Chicago (1953-62).
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Comments (2)
Thank you so much for this post. It has confirmed to me what the Lord wants me to do and why He placed me in the circumstances and situations that He had.
@Christenstein -You're welcome. We have to keep having a Psalm 139, Genesis 50:20, etc. perspective on all of life. All that has happened to us, is happening to us and will happen to us (the good and the bad, the joys and the griefs, the pleasure and the pain) is being worked by God for His good purposes, all so we might walk in the good works He has prepared for us. The problem is that we (I!) often get impatient and distressed and confused when we (I!) don't trust God's hand is continuing to work through it all. We need to look beyond what we can see to Him who is unseen and continue to walk by faith and not by sight.