“When I write letters to you, I am not trying to frighten you. Please do not think
that. Some people say: ‘Paul's letters are powerful and they say strong things.
But when he himself is here with us, he seems to be weak. And the words that
he speaks have no value.’ Anyone who says things like that should understand
this: There is no difference between what we write and what we do. When we
come to you, we will do what we have written in our letters.”
2 Corinthians 10:9-11 EASY
https://www.bible.com/2079/2co.10.9-11.easy
Paul’s letters really hit the nail on the head on many fronts. On this front, Paul
iterates how he writes what he says. If his writing is strong, his words match the
same strength. Paul is not out to look good. Paul is not comparing himself to
others. Paul is not trying to scare people. Paul is not trying to save feelings. Paul
is simply truthfully sharing Christ.
I wish I was more like Paul and Jesus. I was always about sparing feelings. For
example, the Bible has many passages about judgment and there were times
Christ’s words were bold but truthful. Yet, when discussing the Bible, I was eager
to talk about the love in the book and skimpy on the forthright passages in the
book. I have been working hard on changing this. I need to understand that
sharing the bold parts of the Bible is just as important as sharing the loving
pieces. This devotional will discuss a bit about the bold parts of the Bible.
The Bible has many passages on Judgement. Yes, God is loving and merciful but
he is also just. He cannot leave sin unpunished. Hell is not a nice place and many
will go there as Matthew 7:13 tells us:
“‘Go in through the narrow gate to get true life with God. There is a wide gate
that is easy to go through. The wide path is easy to travel on. Many people find
that wide gate, but it is the way to hell. It is difficult to go through the small
gate. And it is difficult to walk on the narrow road. But when you do go that
way, you will get true life. Not many people find that narrow gate.’”
Matthew 7:13-14 EASY
https://www.bible.com/2079/mat.7.13-14.easy
The truth is many passages discuss how people only hear what they want to
hear and ignore any parts that hurt their feelings. Yet, it’s the harsh parts that
give truth and the truth is love.
“Do this, because a time will come when people will not listen to God's true
message. Instead, they will want to hear all kinds of new messages that will
make them happy. So they will find many teachers for themselves who will tell
them what they want to hear.”
2 Timothy 4:3 EASY
https://www.bible.com/2079/2ti.4.3.easy
Christ will not return like he did the first time as a lamb of God. Christ will return
with power and glory. Many will cry when he returns. The tribulations before His
return will not be pretty either.
“Then people will see a powerful thing in the sky. This will show them that the
Son of Man is coming. All kinds of people in the world will cry because they are
very sad. Then they will see the Son of Man. He will be riding on the clouds in
the sky. He will be very powerful and very beautiful.”
Matthew 24:30 EASY
https://www.bible.com/2079/mat.24.30.easy
The Bible has many beautiful passages of love and peace. However, the beauty
is also weighed with suffering, and judgment, with many not making it to heaven and
ending up in everlasting torment. It’s important to balance God’s beauty with
his justice to garner a complete, truthful picture. Just remember, it was the
Pharisees would want Christ crucified because he was harsh on them. He told
them things they did not want to hear. Others who shared the truth of Christ
were killed because they shared things others didn’t want to hear and became
angry.
“Remember what I told you: “No servant is more important than his master
is.” If they have caused trouble for me, they will also cause trouble for you. But
if they have obeyed my message, they will also obey your message.”
John 15:20 EASY
https://www.bible.com/2079/jhn.15.20.easy
by Kent Brosh a Kawaiaha’o Blog Contributor
Alberta, Canada
