The Light of the Gospel

I hope this pre-Thanksgiving week finds you blessed and safe in Jesus Christ.  Remember that I'm always interested in any reader's life and if you need prayer don't hesitate to message me (Grady Milligan) on facebook or at grady.milligan@gmail.com.  Without further ado, let's jump into what the Word has to say.

"Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."       2 Corinthians 4:1-6

As cliche as it may seem to the jaded reader, the reoccurring theme of dark vs. light is so evident in the scriptures.  I suppose you could say the Bible is the realest version of that theme, if you believe it to be the true account of God's story with man.  The passage from 2 Corinthians 4 is such an example of those two forces in opposition.  

First I want to remind myself and anyone reading that we are far from hopeless.  In the Light of Jesus, and the turning away from our old ways, we are given strength to take the Gospel to the world.  I'll say it enough times in this post to sicken you probably, but we must believe that we're in a winning battle.  More accurately, WE ARE IN A BATTLE ALREADY ONE!  Jesus has defeated darkness in the past, present, and future and (being the Eternal God, not even bound by time) He has given us victory over sin and death.  But, as we experience daily, this knowledge does not whisk us away from all troubles in the day-to-day walk of Christian life.

Each new morning, we are presented with the opportunity to live, as Paul hopes in his letter, in such a way that the open-handed nature of our honest and sincere love for others would show them the sincerity of the Gospel.  Not only that, but by relying on Christ as the source of life and wisdom, we have the power to be in relationship with the saved and lost alike and do so in such a way that we are above reproach and even our enemies struggle to bring negative accounts of us to mind.  However, it is never so simple a thing to see quick or immediate freedom blooming in those we encounter and minister to, and that is largely due to hold that sin and the enemy have on an individual's life. I don't mean to sound overly dramatic or cliche, but it is critical to understand that we are LITERALLY in a battle with powerful forces when we do ministry.

The enemy, as Paul observes, actively blinds the eyes and minds of those that have not been reborn through Jesus Christ.  It's critically important to remember that the struggle for our souls is not passive and not just due to our sin (though that is ultimately the biggest part in my opinion), but the spiritual death we live in prior to Christ is encouraged by the plots and temptations of the enemy.  And maybe the most important thing of all to remember is this:  the darkness has absolutely no chance in the face of the Light.  Though we exist in a broken world of our making, and our old lives fight to make us disobey, the Lord is not threatened by the power of the evil one in the slightest.  As we can easily observe, humans are not proficient in the art of living in righteous obedience and are quickly blinded by darkness.  But with Christ, the sight and life we receive is eternal, complete, and saving.  Though we must grow into that identity each day and repent (turn away) of the old life, it has no eternal or lasting power of the Lord in us.  And we MUST believe that that is God's hope for the other lost ones around us.  We must live and love with the purpose of seeing the trapped enemies of God become God's friends through the blood and resurrection of Jesus!  I DON'T CARE IF IT'S CLICHE, it is, as I understand it, the very point of my continued life.

And just like in the creation of the world (whether you subscribe to the 6 day understanding or slow and evolutionary understanding of God's meticulous and beautiful creation), the Lord has all the power required to bring Light our of the darkest souls. We have a responsibility, not for our own name's sake and whether we believe in a select number of invitations or an open-ended one (in regards to who can be saved) to speak and act out the Gospel for the glory of God and the resurrection of the dead that He calls to Himself.

Transformed With Unveiled Faces

Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:12-18 ESV)

First off, I'm gonna start with huge celebration at the last two lines of the passage. I don't see the "glory to glory" transformation reflected in my actions most days, BUT MAN DO I WANT TO! 

And don't get me started thinking about the unveiled faces bit, I #canteven (I went there) begin to comprehend the joy of seeing our Lord face to face. What really gets me about that particular part of this passage is the marriage symbolism, which is where my romantic brain goes first at any given chance. We, as the beloved bride of Christ, are welcome to grow in closeness and righteousness daily with the Savior..........BOOYAH!

But I need to calm down and meditate on the harder part of the scripture as well. 

Paul's letter encourages the believers that the veil over our spiritual understanding will be lifted when we turn to Christ, amen, but it's heartbreaking to read his report that "to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts."

As is the unfortunate tendency of man, many of the Israelites did not understand the gravity and truth of Jesus as the Way and their Hope.  Paul's letter tells us that, even as the church grew and people were seeing Christ for what He was, there were still many people reading the Old Covenant without the understanding that Jesus was the fulfillment of God's promises and the sacrifice that sealed God's new covenant with all that would believe in His Son.

I want to note that I am not in any way saying that the teachings and stories of the Old Testament are less relevant or less a part of holy scripture (they are still God's word), I'm just examining that, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians, we are made free and unveiled through faith in Jesus and that His Holy Spirit gives us the ability to understand God's will and Truth for the purpose of ministry and transformation. 

So I pray that our minds would not be hardened like those before us, but that we would seek the glory of the Lord in ludicrous amounts and desire to be made more and more like our Maker. Walk with joy as the unveiled bride of Christ and look to the lost around you that they might know God's love and power through the light of the Holy Spirit transforming you!

Commended by Christ

Blessings in the name of Jesus Christ! I pray this post finds you well and joyful. And if you find yourself in a time of struggle, I pray that the Spirit of God empowers you with all you need for the battle.

For today's meditation, please read and examine the following passage from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians:

"Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God," (2 Corinthians 3:1-5 ESV) 

If you're like me you may have found yourself exposed and convicted by this chapter's opening question.  Are we commending ourselves as believers?  I would hope not.  I believe God wants His children to delight not in pride or praise of self, but in the Christ-centered testimonies of God's miraculous fruit that He is growing and displaying in the lives of those around us. I do not mean to put too much emphasis on the works of others either, since glory given to anyone other than Christ is misplaced. But I do think we should be confident in Jesus acting through His body, and that DOES include all of us and our imperfections.

So it's about celebrating the beautiful grace that trades our insufficiency for the ULTIMATE SUFFICIENCY that the Spirit of God empowers us with to spread His Truth.  Even more, we are a letter written BY the Spirit to transform hearts as ours have been made new through  His love.

He is our advocate and all the recommendation we need, and in turn, He makes us a living decree of His goodness for the world.

Love The Prisoners (My Kairos Experience)

If you're a friend of mine on various social sites, you may have seen some celebratory posts about a ministry weekend I was a part of recently called KAIROS.  This program, that ministers to incarcerated persons around the world, was an incredible blessing to me and I wanted to share a bit about my experience and testify that THE LORD IS GOOD AND LOVES THE PRISONERS.

To start, check out this passage from the gospel of Matthew:

Matthew 25:37-43

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

Convicting, right?  Believe me, I'm no great example of self-sacrifice or faithful service to the broken and destitute, but I know from even a little firsthand experience that there is so much power and love in Jesus for the ones the world forgets.   

Though I'll go into much more detail (as any of you that read this blog may be expecting haha), I could almost sum up the Kairos ministry experience with this: SHOWING THE "UNLOVABLE" THE LOVE OF JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING!  I know I'll get distracted and unorganized so feel free to contact me if you want more details, stories, or prayer about anything.

Seriously, that's a massive revelation to me.  If you've lived a spoiled life like I have, it can become so easy to be desensitized to the "Jesus Loves You" stuff we hear everyday in a church environment. BUT I've never seen transformation so obvious/absolute/emotional/freeing as I did on the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex last weekend, and from something as simple and profound as genuine love for the men there.

THINK ABOUT IT, if you're told (like these men have been) that you're scum, worthless, evil, disgusting, and worthy of condemnation for years and years then that's what you'll believe about yourself. These men live in a world of fear with almost no control over what they do, all within the confines of a glorified cage.  NOW I'M NOT SAYING A JUSTICE SYSTEM IS BAD, there are a lot of biblical reasons a society should have a system of punishing crimes within that society, I'm just saying it's a tough environment (especially for any kind of redemption to grow).

But when some of the participants saw genuine smiles on the team's face, or received hugs, good food, laughs, and sincere fellowship, you can't imagine the change that came upon many of the men. And you may be surprised by how much love you receive in return. The men in that group of Kairos participants showed more kindness and grace than the team could've ever showed them.  God is awesome! 

IF YOU EVER WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH PRISON MINISTRY remember this:  Jesus died for us while we were still sinners and He loves those incarcerated as much as you or me. Showing someone that they are loved by Christ and His church can kick the door to salvation and transformation wide open!

And even though Christ's forgiveness is the same level of miraculous for all of us weary sinners, there is something indescribable about watching a person with decades of regret and suffering believe, for the first time, that JESUS STILL WANTS HIM AND HAS A PLAN FOR HIM!

 I know I'm word-vomiting and just typing sporadically, IT'S JUST DIFFICULT TO ORGANIZE MY THOUGHTS OR WRAP AROUND ALL THE COOL THINGS THAT HAPPENED! I'm not exaggerating when I say that every single person (team or inmate) was drastically changed by the gospel love of Jesus last weekend. 

To find some way to stop rambling in excitement, I'll make a little list below of things you should know and celebrate about ministry to prisoners:

1.  YOU ARE NO DIFFERENT OR MORE INNOCENT THAN PRISONERS. 

2.  Jesus is the ONLY WAY TO BE SAVED for any of us so the playing field is even here.

3.  We are called by God to set the captives free, showing someone Jesus is the free-est free there is!

4.  DON'T BE AFRAID, God gives us the words to say and sometimes a bag of cookies or a real hug is all you need.

5.  DON'T FOCUS ON WHAT THEY DID, what's important is Jesus' forgiveness and the NEW life!

6.  Make a friend and be a friend.  Having an agenda is nothing compared to genuine relationship with a person (a good rule for any encounter, not just with a prisoner)

7.  ENCOURAGE AND PRAY CONSTANTLY, these men and women live in a harsh world where persecution as a believer is real and often violent.  Pray for their safety and ministry to other inmates.

To close I'll just ask you to celebrate with me that there is so much life-changing ministry happening within the world's prisons BECAUSE OF THE PRISONERS.  There were some men I met in the program that were hardcore believers that are already fighting the battle for their brothers' lives, so pray these people up all around the globe.

LET US ALL PRAY THAT EVERY PRISON BECOMES A SANCTUARY FOR THE GOSPEL AND ASK THE LORD WHAT HE NEEDS US TO DO.

None of this is intended as a guilt-trip, I just want to testify (as a noob) that prison ministry is nothing but a blessing to everyone involved.  Pray and ask Jesus boldly if there's anything He wants you to do for the souls that live behind bars.  We were all sinners in need of Christ, so let His grace go past any wall, cage, or barrier to reach the lost.

Ask me questions on facebook or otherwise.  God is good.  Praise Him for lives changed forever!

-----Grady Milligan

Triumphant Fragrances (2 Corinthians 2:14-17)

To start today's devotional, consider this passage from 2 Corinthians chapter 2.  Meditate on the meaning of the sensory words like "aroma" and "fragrance".  Ask God to open your hearts and eyes and ears to what He may have for you in the scriptures (which might be completely different than what I needed to hear from Jesus today).

2 CORINTHIANS 2:14-17
"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ."

So I wanna talk about 3 cool chunks of this passage:
1. Triumphal procession
2. The fragrance and aroma business
3. Believers as commissioned spokesman of Christ

First, I just want to quickly celebrate how gloriously humbling the that parade image is to me.  The Savior of weak and awful sinners, through His power, transforms us into a new creation that He is proud to display for all the world!  HOW AWESOME IS THIS??? Also, the word TRIUMPHAL is huge because our God is not eventually going to win, HE'S ALREADY WON IT ALL.  We are part of God revealing the glory of Jesus through the Holy Spirit and the VICTORY that is one from the Resurrection and the power of Christ in our lives. It's a celebration with no fear of defeat!

Through this parade of the Lord's power, we spread the "fragrance" of the knowledge of God. 

The word "aroma", found in the next phrase of the passage, reminds me of a passage from the old testiment.  Check this chunk of Numbers out:

Numbers 29:8

"but you shall offer a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old: see that they are without blemish."

I think it significant that the verse from Numbers deals with sacrifice as an aroma to the Lord. In a final and more perfect sense, Christ and His sacrifice on the cross give us the ability to be pleasing to the Lord. The defeat of sin through Jesus and the ritual sacrifice of animals (which God established before Christ paid our debt in full to make a new covenant) are both means that God's people had to come in contact with Him in righteous and clean communion. Through death in Jesus, we find life, much like the sacrifice of animals showed us the severity of sin and God's promise to forgive the repentant.

It's interesting to me how death and life, on either side of Jesus' offer of salvation, both react INCREDIBLY different to the aroma of Christ. Read this part of the Corinthians passage again:  "to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life."

 Perhaps one of the reasons that the enemy, the world, and our flesh react so violently towards Jesus is the fact that death (the state we live in because of sin and before gracious atonement) is so completely defeated by another kind of death (the crucifixion of our old life with Christ). This reaction is the antithesis of the one we, as believers, experience when another person(s) that loves the Lord enters our space. In that moment, both parties are encouraged and grown through fellowship and common devotion and worship of Jesus.  The connection of the Holy Spirit within the believers is a powerfully binding force, the very Spirit of God affirming Himself in another of His Children.  The fragrance and essence of Christ is the most powerful thing in creation (since He created it), so it will always cause a reaction.

This is why we can say we are not "peddlers of God's word" as Paul writes, but we are ambassadors with authority speaking on behalf of a King. The last point of interest in this beautifully dense passage reminds me that we do not carry a light or fruitless burden in the gospel. I'm also saddened and little angered by the reminder that there are in fact those that would use the gospel cheaply, for personal gain, or without truly knowing the power they speak of. I pray that we seek to be genuine in carrying the truth of Jesus, that we would not be like the pharisees in Jesus' day (who profited off God's teachings without having His love in them). In Jesus, we are speaking the Truth of life and life everlasting.  As Paul says, we speak as the Body of Christ Himself, we are called to be the light of the world in that triumphal procession we talked about earlier.

I've rambled too long, so thank anyone for reading, but I hope that you and I would seek this day, this week, and this season to be the sweet aroma of Christ to God and to the world that He loves enough to die for.

Be bold and courageous, YOU'RE NOT A PEDDLER OF USELESS GOODS, you carry the light and word of Jesus' Gospel!

Much Love

- Grady

The Gift Of Undeserved Everything

I think the best gifts are the ones that we don't earn.  There aren't many things that feel as good as the joy and surprise of an unexpected treasure. 

Recently, my father-in-law bought my wife a really fancy gaming laptop completely out of nowhere.  Brandy was totally blown away, since a computer of that caliber felt like an unattainable dream.

Now I'm NOT AT ALL saying that expensive gifts and earthly  belongings are the best way to show love (it all fades away to dust).  But seeing how happy Brandy was at receiving something out of a father's generosity reminded me of our Heavenly Father pouring out HUGE and UNDESERVED gifts on His children.

And when you get right down to it, EVERYTHING the Lord gives us totally and completely undeserved. From the breath we take each moment to the freedom from sin in Jesus, all of the things we should be thankful for are given to us out of GRACE ALONE.

Think about it, nothing you work for is really a gift.  In the same way, our blessings are not a payment for our wages.  Jesus AND ONLY JESUS completed the work of salvation, so He's the only one who should receive anything.  BUT HERE'S THE KICKER:  Christ shares His inheritance and life that He bought on the cross with us!  Praise the Lord.  You probably know all of that, but man do we need to stop and thank Him constantly for such a blessing!

SIDE NOTE:
Another part of what defines a gift, at least in my understanding and interpretation, is the choice to receive it. I know that the very word "choice" is a theological debate hot-button (which I will typically avoid in these devotionals), but I really think that the choice to thankfully receive a gift given is part of what makes a gift fundamentally different than a mandate.

But I don't think our human nature likes being told it's unworthy.  In our flesh we don't want anyone or anything (God included) to question our well-deserved earnings.  When we work or do ministry, it is easy for us to desire the praise and affirmation we believe we are owed by the world.  WE HAVE TO FIGHT THIS. In every success we must thank Jesus and turn our praise, and hopefully those around us, towards the true giver of every good gift.

Now I don't think we are being sinful when we are happy after receiving a compliment or if we get excited when somebody enjoys a piece of art we create, God delights in our accomplishments too.  It's just a matter of perspective and understanding that we couldn't do what we do without the gifts and skills the Lord has blessed us with. Jesus really, REALLY loves us.  He loves and desires us enough to give Himself WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS.  So don't think for a second you are not valued or beautiful.  In Jesus we are made a wonderful fragrance and a blessing to His heart.  We just HAVE TO REMEMBER that all of those realities are only made possible by His love for us before we ever loved Him. The second we believe He is our Lord and forsake the world's offer, we are made children of the King and inheritors in His family!

I want to finish with a thought that filled me with a great amount of joy this morning.  If I deserve nothing of what I have been given or will be given in the future, then HOW MUCH MUST GOD LOVE ME that He constantly pours out the gifts anyway???  Seriously, I think I'm MORE confident in my worth knowing that God doesn't have to give me anything, but He CHOOSES to give me more than I could EVER ask for or earn.  Not having the capacity to repay God means that we should receive His gifts humbly and thankfully BUT WITHOUT ANY GUILT, HE WANTS TO BLESS YOU

HE LOVES YOU ALL SO FREAKIN' MUCH.  Jesus deserves everything and Jesus lives in you, so you get to share in the greatest treasures in all of reality.  God's love is awesome and we didn't even have to work for it.  Pretty cool stuff.

Here are some scriptures for the day.  I hope something blessed you.  I'm not a great theologian, but I hope some nuggets of truth and encouragement find you in today's devotional.


Romans 5:8
 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

James 1:7
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Romans 8:28
 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

1 Peter 4:10
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:

1 Corinthians 12:7
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

1 Corinthians 10:30-31
 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.





Ephesians 3:7
Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.

For the "YOU" you!

God's timing is always perfect.  He speaks and gives us what we need when we need it most.  For example, I had the privilege of working as a staff on a wonderful youth and college retreat this past weekend, and during a moment of prayer with a good friend, I was reminded of a reassuring truth...

GOD LOVES ME!   And even more incredible, HE LOVES "ME" ME (not just the different hats of me that I wear).

What am I talking about, you might ask (or maybe you don't, I'm gonna type along anyways)?
I am simply praising God and reminding myself and any of you reading that Jesus Christ saves/loves/protects/enjoys YOU at your deepest and simplest level.  I'm not talking about your ministry, your family life, your work, or your dreams (though all of those are beautifully made).  I'm talking about YOU.

Before the very foundation of the world was formed, YOU were DESIGNED by the Creator to be a unique and never-seen-before-or-after work of art.  And you've heard this all before, especially if you're a church kid, and possibly to the point of nausea, BUT YOU NEED TO HEAR AND BELIEVE IT TODAY!

I'm definitely an example of someone that "knows" this truth of God's acceptance and love, but often acts in a way that would reveal a "saved by works" mentality.

If somehow, by now, you don't know that I'm a musician (now you do), you might not know my struggle with motivation and purpose.  I am a Christian that is a musician, so most of my music and poetry draws its strength from my faith journey. But, I battle almost daily to keep proper prioritization of my work.  Do I write and play just for the Lord's enjoyment, do I play for ministry to others, or do I play simply to honor my commitment to put food on the table?

No matter what doubts assail me each day, I know that the Lord has called me to use music as a big part of my ministry.  BUT HERE'S THE THING/THE KICKER/THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS DEVOTIONAL:

MY BIGGEST CALLING FROM GOD (and yours too) IS TO LOVE HIM WITH MY EVERYTHING AND BE THE ME HE LOVES!

When I break down life to it's core purpose, my highest purpose is the pleasure and glory of GOD!

And the amazing thing is that this truth, that Jesus wants me for me and not for what I do, should take TONS of pressure off.  I'm not giving an excuse to not work, because we are all created for good works for His Kingdom, but I'm saying His love and joy around us is not dependent on what we do as much as WHO WE ARE.

You can turn off your theology alarms.  Yes, I believe that if someone is truly saved than good fruit must come from them.  Yes, I believe that Jesus demands obedience.  All that is true and a joy!

I just want to remind anyone reading today that you are EXACTLY who God loves, enough that He died for YOU!

Let Him shape you, let Him improve and grow your faith and ministry, BUT DO NOT ACT LIKE YOU HAVE TO EARN HIS LOVE OR BELIEVE THAT YOUR MINISTRY IDENTITIES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING!

Jesus is delighted by you, His child and beloved, adopted beauty.

Here are some scriptures to think about today.  Much love to you all  ----------Grady Milligan

Psalm 139:14
"I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well."

Romans 8:15
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”"

Romans 5:8
"but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Ephesians 2:10
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Ephesians 1:4
"even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love"

Confidence in Our Conscience: 2 Corinthians 1:12, 1:21-22, and 12:9

Meditate, if you will, on these three passages of scripture:


"For this is our confidence: The testimony of our conscience is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with God-given sincerity and purity, not by fleshy wisdom but by God's grace."     ----  2 Corinthians 1:12

"Now it is God who strengthens us, with you, in Christ and has anointed us. He has sealed us and given us the Spirit as a down payment in our hearts"  ---- 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."  --- 2 Corinthians 12:9

I challenge both myself and the reader to stop and evaluate ourselves.  When we think of our daily walk and ministry, do we have a CONFIDENCE OF CONSCIENCE?  Next, if we do in fact feel confident, WHO ARE WE CONFIDENT IN?  Do we draw a sense of peace and security from our approval of our own works, or do we grasp the magnitude of His humbling grace and guidance?

Having grown up in church life and teachings, it's easy for me to immediately equate the word CONFIDENCE with a much more sinful one: PRIDE. But there is a vast difference between  humble confidence in the power of God's Spirit guiding our every moment and foolish hope in our own strength.

The passages from 2 Corinthians call the believer to rise up in Christ's power and live "with God-given sincerity and purity" and love the people around us without fear of our sinful weakness.  EVEN MORE, Paul said that he would "boast all the more gladly of (his) weaknesses" because Jesus is made EVEN MORE evident when contrasted with human failure.

THINK ABOUT IT!  How excited and fearless (while still humbly) should we live knowing that EVEN WHEN WE'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH Jesus will be glorified through His own confident authority within us.  How fantastic is that?!

The "down payment" that is His world-creating/life-changing/sickness-healing Spirit gives us the anointing to go and do His good works.  THERE IS NO OTHER STRENGTH NEEDED, the power of the MAKER is inside of the believer.  

So no matter where you've been recently in your walk, or how adequate you feel, pray that God would encourage you with grace to walk boldly, humbly, and CONFIDENTLY in the power to minister that He's given you through Jesus.  It isn't with your strength that hearts are changed, so don't worry about how strong you feel.  Be bold in weakness and conduct yourself above reproach so that the world would know Jesus is alive and strong to save!

Comfort: 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

Let me start today's post with Paul's prayer in the first chapter of 2nd Corinthians:  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all COMFORT"

I want to spend this evening meditating on that word: COMFORT.   A dictionary definition of the word comfort might read as follows:

Verb  1.  to soothe, console, or reassure; bring cheer to   2. to make physically comfortable

Noun  1. relief in affliction; consolation; solace   2. a feeling of relief or consolation.

The opening prayer of the this chapter of 2nd Corinthians starts with, for me at least, an incredibly heartwarming depiction of God as "the Father of MERCIES and the God of ALL COMFORT".  What a joyful thought, that the maker of every brilliant star and every beautiful creature on Earth desires to see us comforted and brought to a place of peace in His presence!  Amen!

And, like most things that God does, this act of reassurance and peace has a more lateral purpose than just our personal enjoyment of Jesus (though that's not to be understated, IT'S AWESOME!).

Verse 4 of the same book and chapter tell us that Jesus "comforts us in all our afflictions" as a means of ministry to others.  The overwhelming love and protection of the Spirit, in our darkest moments and difficult battles, should cause us to pour out that same comfort "with which ourselves are comforted by God".   When we see the broken people that God has placed in our circles of influence, we should be contagious with His compassion and desire to see their pains relieved through grace!

IT'S ALL ABOUT SHARING IN EXPERIENCE!  Verses 5 and 6 teach us that we are to share in BOTH THE SUFFERINGS AND COMFORT of Jesus Christ.   Though many of us, especially in overprivileged America, do not experience the type of suffering or persecution as Paul and the early disciples (not to mention many modern martyrs in various parts of today's world), we are called to take joy in EVEN OUR DIFFICULTIES because they lead us to a better understanding and appreciation of God's salvation and providential comfort.  And in the evangelistic sense, suffering for or comforting our brothers and sisters in Christ (and suffering for those who need His salvation) is HUGELY IMPORTANT!  Don't forget that Christ said that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for his friends.  "If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation" (Verse 6).

I absolutely love the confidence Paul (and Jesus) have for the church in verse 7 when he says "Our hope for you is unshaken."  What do we have to fear?   If Jesus has raised us up with Him through the sharing in His death AND resurrection, what can come against His body?

To finish pondering this wonderful chunk of scripture, I encourage us all (since I need this reminder daily) to pray ferverently for each other in our ministry to the lost.  The rest of this passage down to verse 11 recounts Paul's struggles while in Asia and how the prayers of the church at Corinth made a massive difference in his deliverence from dangerous situations.  

IT IS CRITICAL for us to be aware of the sufferings of our brothers and sisters and JUST AS CRITICAL to pray for the sufferings of the unsaved, if we are to join in the comforting process of the Spirit for both parties.

Many don't believe God loves them because they have lived a life devoid of healing or comfort.  Let the hands and feet of Christ not be idle when God has given us comfort and power to make a change!

Blessings!

-Grady

Repentance

My wife and I have recently become frequent fliers at the Vineyard church in Maryville, TN.

I can say without a doubt that this has been the most spiritually refreshing couple of months we've enjoyed in several years.

Aaron, the preaching pastor at our church, was speaking about repentance this past Sunday as a part of a larger sermon series on prayer.  God has been preparing my heart for over a year to hear what I needed to hear in that lesson.

Pastor Aaron spoke about a huge misunderstanding and dangerous perspective regarding the subject of REPENTANCE.   For so many Christians, even the word "repent" sounds like a punishment.  We know we fall short and because of our failings God is going to make us go through a tiring and painful process of earning our way back into his favor... WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

The act of repentance is a BEAUTIFUL GIFT OF GRACE!  We are called, nay, invited to embrace our Savior and get right back on the horse, riding in the direction of His will.  We don't have to go through a painful punishment period or retrace steps, we just "fall forward into grace"- as my friend Andrew Soreano (wonderful dude and awesome missionary) would say.  God brings us in an instant to the place we were right before we stumble.   But I had, for a good long time, been living in the lie that I was doing a terrible job and it wasn't worth trying to get back to a place of obedient walking and ministry.

As any of you who have spoken to me recently would know, I've been in a season of doubt.  Not doubting God (His self, love, or provision), but doubting myself.  Without being aware of what I've been doing, I've spent far too long in a rut of self-induced-guilt-trip-earn-my-way-back-to-Spirit-led-holiness-and-all-without-joy religion.

I haven't had a bad year, in fact it's been both financially and relationally blessed, but I've been giving myself a hard time.  My daily times of devotion, prayer, and scriptural study have been negligent at best.  This is a GENUINE PROBLEM that needs to be corrected.  There is a great deal of holy conviction at work in that area of my life.

BUT, instead of running towards God's open arms in repentance and skipping along our merry way, I've been constantly hesitant to push forward for the fear that I have lost the right to walk alongside Him.


THAT IS RIDICULOUS!   I know now that I need to constantly battle the enemy's lies about my current spiritual state.  Though I am definitely responsible to live in obedience (and deal with discipline and consequences should I stray), there is still NOTHING that makes God love me less or want me less!

The creator of the universe didn't come to earth as a man, suffer ultimate punishment, rise in death's defeat, and pour out salvation and His Spirit on me to take it all back after a dry season!  He adopted me and walks in and with me FOR LIFE!

I needed the reminder of that sermon to redirect my focus.  I am looking forward to a revamp of disciplined devotion and study and prayer, hopefully leading to a season of new spiritual heights and discoveries.  I am EXCITED TO REPENT.  What a glorious gift, to turn away from my weakness and TURN TOWARDS THE ARMS OF FORGIVENESS, SONSHIP, AND GROWTH IN JESUS!

I'll be blogging more (almost daily) to keep myself accountable and log any revelations from study time.

Much love and Grace and Peace to you through the Spirit of Jesus Christ!

First Upon the Field of War - a Battle Hymn by Grady Milligan

First upon the field of war
Far from safety His to claim
Stands my King with Sword in hand
Bold before the coming storm

Vast the loathsome darkness spreads
Strong in greed of godless men
Still, with purpose wavering not
Calls the King, His few to arms

As the tempest beats the shore
Flesh and steel with fervor clash
Countless fall or flee my Liege
Matchless is His wrath out-poured

Long the fires of battle rage
Drawing breath but few remain
Faint, I lend the Foe my guard
Swift he deals a crippling blow

Blood and hope, entwining, spill
Death, the fatal strike, prepares
Yet with devils still in hand
Did my King trade life for me

Piercing light consumes the ground

Justice, far too great to bear

Rising, evil thus destroyed

Victory, claims my glorious Lord!

Darkness is dead, but hard to kill

I legitimately struggle with my dead self sometimes. I know we all battle the old selves that remind us of our pre-Christ ways, but there are moments when I'm literally foaming at the mouth (so to speak) in my mind and spirit. The smallest thing can set it off, then I feel like a totally different, and much more wrathful, person. Pray for me. Pray that God restores sanity to my soul in moments when I am overwhelmed by things I can't even target or specify. God is huge and sin is dead through Jesus. But I honestly feel like a dark-Grady wells up sometimes and makes my blood boil. I'm a cheery guy and most of you never see this, but pray please. I don't want loved ones to suffer.  The Holy Spirit is good to deliver His children.