Passage Read: 2 Corinthians 4-5
Meditation Verses: 4:1-3
Thought
The ministry of the Gospel is given from God, not from men. God is in control of the results. If I explain the Gospel clearly, simply, accurately, and someone doesn't believe, it's not a problem with the message or the messenger, but of the hearer. The god of this world has blinded them, and God has not delivered them. As much as I want positive results, as much as I not only want the message to be welcomed, but also for myself to receive welcome, I cannot change the message in any way. I can't change any truth, I can't soften anything that is hard to hear or speak, I can't magnify something that is pleasing to hear or pleasant to speak as if to make the message more acceptable.
Application
I need to faithfully present not just the Gospel, but every teaching, every passage of Scripture as plainly, simply and clearly as possible. I need to let go of any desire to make the message as palatable to people as I can, and just let God and His Word do the work He wants. I need to let God reveal to me His meaning and purpose for every passage and receive it for myself and my own life before I go and speak it to another. That means I need to be careful not to distort or interpret God's Word in a way that avoids the hard truths He has for me. And if I can hear them for myself, then I'm qualified and capable of presenting them accurately to others. If I'm unwilling to receive all Jesus wants to teach me, I need to repent! But if I won't repent, I had better not presume to teach others; I'll only be harming others and heaping judgment on myself.