“Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” (Winston Churchill)
2 Corinthians 4:7-18,
Living Bible
7 But this precious
treasure—this light and power that now shine within us—is held in a perishable
container, that is, in our weak bodies. Everyone can see that the glorious
power within must be from God and is not our own. 8 We
are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are
perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give
up and quit. 9 We are hunted down, but God never
abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.
10 These bodies of
ours are constantly facing death just as Jesus did; so it is clear to all that
it is only the living Christ within who keeps us safe. 11 Yes,
we live under constant danger to our lives because we serve the Lord, but this
gives us constant opportunities to show forth the power of Jesus Christ within
our dying bodies. 12 Because of our preaching we
face death, but it has resulted in eternal life for you.
13 We
boldly say what we believe, trusting God to care for us, just as the psalm
writer did when he said, “I believe and therefore I speak.” 14 We
know that the same God who brought the Lord Jesus back from death will also
bring us back to life again with Jesus and present us to him along with
you. 15 These sufferings of ours are for your
benefit. And the more of you who are won to Christ, the more there are to thank
him for his great kindness, and the more the Lord is glorified.
16 That
is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our inner strength in the
Lord is growing every day. 17 These troubles and
sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet
this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us
forever and ever. 18 So we do not look at what we
can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys
in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the
joys to come will last forever.
How do you get back up when life
knocks you down?
1. Recognize
how to succeed in the midst of troubles
- (See 2
Corinthians 4:7-9 above) Even if good people fall seven
times, they will get back up. But when trouble strikes the wicked, that’s the
end of them. (Proverbs 24:16, Contemporary English
Version)
When you
try to hide your sins, they do not go away, but instead it festers in the
darkness of you heart. God sees and
knows about it all.
2. Remember
the goodness and grace of God- (See 2 Corinthians 4:10-12 above) But he answered me, “My
grace is always more than enough for you, and
my power finds its full expression through your weakness.” So
I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the
mighty power of Christ living in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9, The Passion Translation)
Focusing
on you problems gives your spiritual amnesia. This is where one forgets all the
miraculous things your heavenly Father has done for you.
3. Reconnect
to good habits - (See 2 Corinthians 4:13 -15 above) Don’t
change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you
inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and
accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and
pleasing to him and what is perfect. (Romans 12:2, Easy-to-Read Version)
It is important make spiritual disciplines a good habit because
not doing so can affect relationships with others. Ask for forgiveness from God
(and others).
4.
Resume your
life with the grace of God – (See 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
above) I am
confident that [God], who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep
perfecting you until the day Jesus …returns
to redeem the world. (Philippians 1:6, The Voice)
God has a
vision and a purpose for your life, which is why you are still here on Earth,
and not enjoying the eternality of Heaven.
All years have both their
positives and negatives. During any year, there
are some of us that will stumble harder in the midst of our challenges. Allow
Jesus (through the hands of someone else) to help pick you up from the ground
to a better life.[i]
[i] Inspired by the sermon
“Get Back Up,” Sunday December 27, 2020, Pastor Josh Boyer (CPLC).
All CenterPoint churches have returned to an online format because of the
increase in COVID-19 cases in central Ohio. Sunday morning online services can
be viewed at facebook.com/centerpointchurches or centerpointchurches.com/live.
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