Daily Devotion with Pastor Tong Liu: Today's Passage

2 Corinthians 4:1-4

Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Paul clearly knew that he had a ministry because of God's mercy. Therefore, if we want to serve God, we must first understand God's mercy. If we don't understand God's mercy, we can easily fall into the trap of either becoming conceited or having low self-esteem. For example, some people think that they can serve God by offering their talents to God, but they often become self-reliant rather than depending on God. Some always think they don't deserve to serve, and they fall into self-pity. These are both outcome of not understanding God's mercy.

We can come before God to worship Him today not because we are more worthy than the non-Christians, but rather it's solely because of God's mercy. We have nothing to boast about, and we don't need to have low self-esteem; we just need to walk in the mercy of God. Paul clearly said that our ministry is the result of God's mercy, and that "we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." If we understand that everything is from God's mercy, we will be thankful and return the favor. In the New Testament, Jesus told Zacchaeus to come down from the tree; Jesus didn't scold him, and instead said to Zacchaeus with mercy: "I must stay at your house today." Zacchaeus could not believe that the Lord wanted to stay at his house and be friend with him. Jesus showed tremendous mercy to Zacchaeus, so Zacchaeus quickly "renounced secret and shameful ways" and the truth was manifested.

In your life, has there been any "secret and shameful ways?" When you understand that God is merciful, you will give thanks to Him. As Christians, we need to live out the mercy of God, and those of us who have seen and heard about mercy of God must be responsible for our own choices. In verse 3, Paul said that "even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing." In other word, anyone who had heard and seen the gospel must be responsible for their own decisions on whether to accept it. Zacchaeus chose to repent in response to God's mercy. Are we willing to turn back from our secret and shameful ways in response to God's mercy?

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, we thank you because you are a merciful God, for you did not punish us in the way that we deserve. May you once again shine upon us with your mercy, give us a willing heart to turn back to you. Help us to depart from our old secret and shameful ways of life, and to live in your light. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!