A Sincere and Pure Devotion to Christ, Vol. 2 by Crossway

“Younger leaders are flocking to learn from Sam Storms because he combines the best of charismatic and Calvinistic theology into a heart-grabbing, Bible-believing, mind-stretching, sin-stomping, Christ-exalting act of worship.”

Mark Driscoll, Founding Pastor, Mars Hill Church, Seattle; President, Acts 29 Church Planting Network

“Storms has served a splendid reflection on 2 Corinthians that will benefit readers at all levels. Exegetically responsible, theologically profound, and pastorally relevant. I highly recommend it.” Chris Brauns, a uthor, Unpacking Forgiveness; Pastor, The Red Brick Church, Stillman Valley, IL

Changes Everything

S a m S t o r m s is senior pastor of Bridgeway Church

a Sincere and Pure Devotion to Christ 100 Daily Meditations on 2 Corinthians

S t or m s

in Oklahoma City. After more than twenty-five years of pastoral ministry and teaching, he established Enjoying God Ministries, which provides a wide range of biblical and theological resources to the body of Christ. The other books in his Daily Meditations series include The Hope of Glory (Colossians), To the One Who Conquers (Revelation 2–3), and More Precious Than Gold (Psalms).

 Volume II; 2 Corinthians 7-13 

 Volume II 

“Storms in his usual clear, engaging, heartwarming style unlocks perhaps Paul’s most personal and Christ-centered letter. You will be reminded afresh that everything really is all about Jesus. Release the life-changing power of this much neglected letter, as Storms demonstrates that its message can change you in every way.” Adrian Warnock, a uthor, Raised with Christ: How the Resurrection

a Sincere and Pure Devotion to Christ

“There are few people on the planet who embody in life and in teaching the radically biblical and Edwardsian message of Christian Hedonism better than Sam Storms.” John Piper, P astor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis

CHRISTIAN DEVOTIONAL / NEW TESTAMENT

Sa m Stor ms

A Sincere and Pure Devotion to Christ: 100 Daily Meditations on 2 Corinthians Copyright © 2010 by Sam Storms Published by Crossway Books a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers 1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Design and typesetting: Lakeside Design Plus Cover design: Jon McGrath, Jimi Allen Productions First printing 2010 Printed in the United States of America Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked nasb are from The New American Standard Bible®. Copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. Scripture references marked niv are from The Holy Bible: New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society. All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added. Two volume set ISBN: 978-1-4335-1311-4 Volume 1 Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-1150-9 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-1151-6 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-1152-3 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-2382-3 Volume 2 Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-1308-4 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-1309-1 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-1310-7 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-2252-9 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Storms, C. Samuel, 1951– A sincere and pure devotion to Christ : 100 daily meditations on 2 Corinthians / Sam Storms. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-4335-1150-9 (v. 1, tpb)—ISBN 978-1-4335-1308-4 (v. 2, tpb) 1. Bible. N.T. Corinthians, 2nd—Devotional literature. I. Title. BS2675.54.S76 2010 242'.5—dc22

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Contents 48. Standing on the Promises (2 Cor. 7:1) 11 49. Learning to Lead Like Paul (2 Cor. 7:2–4) 15 50. Comfort for the Downcast (2 Cor. 7:5–7) 19 51. Tough Love: The First-Century Version (2 Cor. 7:8–12) 24 52. “Body Life” as It Was Meant to Be (2 Cor. 7:13–16) 29 53. Are Christians Obligated to Tithe? (2 Corinthians 8–9) 33 54. Grace Giving (2 Cor. 8:1–2) 39 55. Joyful Giving (2 Cor. 8:1–2) 44 56. Generous Giving (2 Cor. 8:1–5) 49 57. Breaking the Grip of Greed (2 Cor. 8:6–11) 54 58. Money Matters (2 Cor. 8:12–24) 58 59. Sovereign Lord of Our Hearts (2 Cor. 8:16–17) 63 60. Giving That Gets in Order to Give (1) (2 Cor. 9:1–6) 67 61. Giving That Gets in Order to Give (2) (2 Cor. 9:7) 71 62. Giving That Gets in Order to Give (3) (2 Cor. 9:8–11) 76 63. In All Giving, God Gets the Glory (2 Cor. 9:12–15) 80 64. Gentle Authority (2 Cor. 10:1–2) 85 65. In the Flesh, but Not according to the Flesh (2 Cor. 10:3–4) 90 66. Taking Every Thought Captive for Christ (2 Cor. 10:4–6) 95 67. “Super” Spirituality and a Call for Discernment (2 Cor. 10:7) 100

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Contents

68. Religious Bullies and How to Avoid Them (2 Cor. 10:8; 13:10) 69. Boasting, Comparing, and Commending: A Warning (2 Cor. 10:9–12) 70. Is All Boasting Bad? (2 Cor. 10:13–18) 71. The Jealousy of God in the Heart of a Human (2 Cor. 11:1–2) 72. Father of the Bride (2 Cor. 11:2) 73. A Sincere and Pure Devotion to Christ (1) (2 Cor. 11:3) 74. A Sincere and Pure Devotion to Christ (2) (2 Cor. 11:3) 75. The Horror of a Different Jesus (2 Cor. 11:4) 76. Price-Less Preaching (Don’t Ignore the Hyphen) (2 Cor. 11:5–12) 77. Knowing Your Enemy (2 Cor. 11:13–15) 78. The Devil Disguised and the False Apostles Who Serve Him (2 Cor. 11:13–15) 79. Answering a Fool according to His Folly (2 Cor. 11:16–21) 80. Writing Your Spiritual CV (2 Cor. 11:21–23) 81. Suffering Is a Gift of God (2 Cor. 11:24–25) 82. Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares (2 Cor. 11:26–27) 83. Paul the Pastor (2 Cor. 11:28–29) 84. Boasting in Weakness (2 Cor. 11:30–33) 85. Of Visions and Revelations (2 Cor. 12:1) 86. “A” Rapture before “the” Rapture (1) (2 Cor. 12:2–4) 87. “A” Rapture before “the” Rapture (2) (2 Cor. 12:2–4) 88. Character and Conduct, Not Charisma (2 Cor. 12:5–6) 89. Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh (1) (2 Cor. 12:7–10) 90. Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh (2) (2 Cor. 12:7–10) 91. My Grace, All Sufficient, Shall Be Thy Supply (2 Cor. 12:8–10) 92. Why God Doesn’t Always Heal (2 Cor. 12:8–10) 93. Signs and Wonders and Sarcasm (2 Cor. 12:11–13)

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105 110 115 120 126 131 135 140 146 151 157 162 167 172 177 182 187 192 198 203 209 214 219 225 232 238

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Contents

94. To Spend and Be Spent for Others (2 Cor. 12:14–18) 95. Humbled by the Sin of Others (2 Cor. 12:19–21) 96. Toxic Triumphalism (2 Cor. 13:1–4) 97. Examine Yourself! Test Yourself! (2 Cor. 13:5–10) 98. And the God of Love and Peace Will Be with You (2 Cor. 13:11–13) 99. Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow! (2 Cor. 13:14) 100. The Power of 2 Corinthians on I-35 (2 Cor.)

269 274

Notes

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Standing on the Promises 2 Corinthians 7:1 Since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

hen a known liar makes a promise, few take notice. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re even skeptical when a trusted friend assures us of something that seems too good to be true. But when the God who cannot lie (see Heb. 6:18) puts his word on the line and stakes his reputation on the fulfillment of his declared purpose, take it to the bank. Second Corinthians 7:1 is a call to holiness based on the rocksolid, infallible, blood-bought promises of God. Paul is undoubtedly referring to those precious promises noted at the close of chapter 6: Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assurance to us that he will make his dwelling in our midst; that he will walk among us and be our God; that we shall forever be his people (2 Cor. 6:16; cf. Lev. 26:11â&#x20AC;&#x201C;12; Jer. 24:7; 30:22; 31:33; 32:38; Ezek. 37:27); that he will welcome us to himself (6:17); and that he will be our Father, even as we are his sons and daughters (6:18; cf. Isa. 43:6). 11

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Standing on the Promises

Now, if ever there were good grounds for heeding an exhortation to live out in practical and experiential reality what is already true by virtue of sovereign, saving grace, that’s it! We have been consecrated and set apart unto him who redeemed us and are already that holy temple in which the Spirit abides (2 Cor. 6:16). Paul’s appeal that one “cleanse” himself from all “defilement” had an obvious point of reference for the Corinthians in the first century that is no longer applicable today (or, at least not for the majority of us). He is undoubtedly thinking of their participation in a variety of ritualistic sexual activities and other illicit behavior associated with pagan temple worship. But the principle that undergirds and gives force to his exhortation is as relevant for us today as it was then for them. The focus here is two-fold: first the what and then the how. What, precisely, are we being told to do? The answer to this first question is itself two-fold: (1) we are to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and (2) we are to bring holiness to completion. Let’s take each in turn. Defilement is an ugly word. A variety of distasteful images come to mind, which you will be relieved to know I will not describe. One immediately thinks of a stain on an otherwise clean garment or of a moral blemish that sullies and soils. Of course, it’s important to remember that not everyone believes there is such a thing as defilement, simply because the word assumes an absolute moral standard from which deviation is possible, resulting in a deficiency of character or a spiritual disfigurement that deserves judgment. Defilement may be something you see or say or in which you participate, but in every case it is unworthy of someone in whom the Spirit of God dwells, who claims God as his Father and Christ as his brother. There’s no need for me to be any more specific than that, for each of us knows from both Scripture and conscience, not to mention experience and common sense, what defiles and what doesn’t. Anything, Paul says, that casts a shadow on Christian purity must be renounced. This isn’t legalism but a diligent determination to display the character of Christ in word and deed. Its reach is pervasive: both “body and spirit” must be kept clean. The word translated “body” in the ESV is literally sarx, the common New Testament word for “flesh.” If that seems odd, Murray 12

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2 Corinthians 7:1

Harris reminds us that “there is evidence in Paul’s letters of a nonpejorative use of sarx where it is synonymous with soma [“body”] and of a popular, non-theological use of sarx and pneuma [“spirit”] where they refer, in a complementary not antithetical way, to the outward and inward aspects of the person.”1 Thus, combined with pneuma or “spirit,” the reference is to the whole person, both physically (sarx) and spiritually (pneuma), both outwardly and inwardly. If one should ask how this is done, the idea here is “by keeping clear of” or “by distancing ourselves from” anything that defiles. Contrary to popular thought, this is possible without separating ourselves entirely from the world or its inhabitants. Daniel and his friends managed quite well to thrive amidst the corruption and paganism of ancient Babylon without being spiritually defiled. Paul similarly expected the Philippians to live “blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation,” among whom they were to “shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15). This also entails a grace-empowered effort to bring “holiness to completion,” a process that Paul anticipated would only be consummated at the second coming of Christ (see 1 Thess. 3:13; cf. also Phil. 3:12–14; 1 John 3:1–3). Finally, if that is the what of our sanctification, we must also take note of the how. Bring holiness to completion, Paul says, “in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). What does Paul mean by this? Is it “because” we fear God or “out of reverence” for him that we strive, by his grace, to live as those in whom he himself lives? Or is it “while reverencing God” or, as someone has said, “in an atmosphere of reverential fear” that we are to pursue holiness? Others say it is “by reverence” for God or “by means of fearing” him that we are to live in purity. Surely there is a sense in which all of these are true. We earlier saw that a robust, reverential fear of God was one of the primary factors that motivated Paul to preach and persuade others to believe the gospel. Knowing that he, and all men, would one day appear before the judgment seat of Christ was sufficient to energize his efforts in making known the good news (2 Cor. 5:10–11). 13

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Standing on the Promises

Some folks cringe at such a thought. The very word “holiness” conjures up an image of the colorless and grumpy killjoy who lives obsessed with what not to do and where not to go and how not to speak and when not to participate. Being a Christian is reduced to an all-pervasive negative. Following Jesus is perverted into a posture of abstinence and avoidance of virtually everything, rather than an increasingly joyful conformity to how he thinks and a deepening delight in what he loves, together with a healthy aversion to whatever might threaten our complete satisfaction in him. Holiness, then, is a good and glorious thing because it makes possible our beholding the beauty of God (Heb. 12:14)! It is the “pure in heart” who ultimately “see” and enjoy and revel in him (Matt. 5:8). If all this seems terribly difficult and demanding, let me close simply by reminding you again of the basis on which such a life is to be pursued. God dwells among us! He is our God! We are his people. He has welcomed us. He is our Father. We are his children! Since, then, we have these promises . . . well, you should be able to quote the verse by now.

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My Grace, All Sufficient, Shall Be Thy Supply 2 Corinthians 12:8–10 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 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. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

eeling weak today? Good. Yes, that’s right, good! I’m not talking about your weakness for chocolate or alcohol or your weakness for sexual lust or any such thing. The weakness I have in mind is not sin. It has nothing to do with your refusal to obey God or your propensity for jealous rage or greed or your disinclination to forgive someone who betrayed you. The 225

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My Grace, All Sufficient, Shall Be Thy Supply

apostle Paul would never boast in wickedness or gladly acquiesce to evil in any form (see 2 Cor. 12:9–10). Weakness should never be equated with laziness, mediocrity, or passivity. So what do I mean by weakness, and how can I say it is good? I should let Paul answer those questions. Weakness means being “so utterly burdened” beyond your strength that you despair of life itself (2 Cor. 1:8), and this for no other reason than that you chose to be faithful to the gospel of Christ. Weakness means embracing your identity as a “jar of clay” (2 Cor. 4:7) so that all power may be seen as belonging to God, not you. Weakness does not mean suffering the consequences for your dishonesty or deceit, but enduring affliction and persecution and perplexity in order that the life of Jesus might be manifest in your body (2 Cor. 4:8–11). For Paul, weakness meant exposure to a litany of undeserved dangers (2 Cor. 11:26) and an embarrassing nocturnal escape (2 Cor. 11:32–33). Weakness was what he felt anytime the thorn launched another painful, debilitating, or humiliating assault against him. Weakness was suffering financial hardship (6:10; 1 Cor. 4:11) in the course of ministry. Weakness is feeling deep within one’s soul and body the frailty of creatureliness and one’s utter inadequacy to accomplish anything apart from the fresh and sustaining supply of power and grace. Weakness means enduring insults without retaliation and suffering calamity without bitterness (2 Cor. 12:10). Weakness means any experience or event that requires incessant conscious dependence on the strength that God supplies. Weakness means any situation or circumstance, in the service of Christ, that is difficult to bear and is beyond your control and cannot be avoided without sinning. That’s what I mean by weakness. But how can it be good? Weakness is good because without it we never experience the fullness of divine power. Weakness is good because without it mercy remains a mystery. Weakness is good because it compels the soul to look beyond itself for answers and in doing so magnifies the sufficiency of divine grace. There is nothing to suggest in 2 Corinthians 12 that Paul enjoyed the thorn or was happy about its presence. He was repelled by it and longed for deliverance. He is initially unaware of any spiritually 226

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2 Corinthians 12:8–10

profitable use or sanctifying power in the thorn. It was clearly something that he believed was too oppressive to bear, thus his repeated prayer for its removal. Did God answer Paul’s prayer? Yes and no. I’m not trying to be cute with that response, but simply faithful in distinguishing between means and ends in prayer. D. A. Carson explains: The end that Paul wanted was relief from the thorn, and he simply assumed that the means would be the thorn’s removal. But God granted the ends by another means: he gave relief from the thorn, not by removing it, but by adding more grace, sufficient grace. The Lord promised Paul that in the distress caused by this messenger from Satan, he would always find that divine grace afforded him a sufficient supply to enable him to bear up as a Christian.1

When the Lord Jesus told Paul that his “power is made perfect in weakness” (v. 9), Jesus did not mean that in the absence of weakness his power was defective or deficient, but that in response to our conscious dependence upon him, when weakness welcomes God’s intervention, it is afforded a great opportunity to be seen as sufficient and sustaining. Divine power performs at its best and reaches its optimal expression in relation to our conscious confession of the inability to do anything of value apart from God’s gracious presence. Also note that “grace” and “power” are here virtually synonymous. Grace is not some static principle or abstract standard that governs God’s actions. Grace is God himself energetically at work in the human heart, enabling us to do what would otherwise prove impossible. What is more, both grace and power are “renewable endowments, not once-for-all acquisitions.”2 This becomes evident when we take a closer look at the Greek tenses Paul employs. Paul Barnett points out that the Lord’s reply is in the perfect tense: “He said to me—and what he said continues to hold good. . . .” Moreover, the content of his words to Paul is in the present tense: his “grace” “is sufficient” (present tense) and his power “is being made perfect” (present tense). The stake/ thorn remains, and Paul continues to be buffeted. But the Lord’s reply

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stands: his grace is sufficient, his power is being made perfect in the unremoved “weakness” of the stake/thorn.3

Thus, God’s supply is a never-ending flow, a self-replenishing river of spiritual resources to equip and uphold and sustain us in the midst of every weakness. There are several important lessons Paul learned, and I hope we learn them as well. First, he learned something about divine providence and how to respond to it. His reaction in verse 9, once the Lord had declined his request three times, was not one of passive resignation to an inexorable fate, but a joyful delight in the privilege of being an instrument for the manifestation of Christ’s resurrection power. Second, although Paul willingly embraced his thorn, it was only after he had passionately prayed that it be removed. “Paul is no Stoic, who sees the thorn as an opportunity for self-mastery and endurance. Nor is he a theological masochist, who glorifies suffering itself. When suffering hits, Paul prays for deliverance.”4 Clearly, he believed that physical affliction was something from which we are to pray to be delivered. At one level, the thorn was the work of Satan’s messenger and must therefore be resisted. At another level, it was used by God to sanctify Paul’s soul. Whereas pain is not inherently good (and only a perverse soul would think otherwise), it is instrumentally beneficial in the hands of a good God. The question has been raised: To whom did Paul pray for healing from the thorn? God the Father or God the Son? In view of the response he receives in verse 9, clearly it is God the Son. In verse 9, the “Lord” to whom he has prayed says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” He then identifies this power as the “power of Christ” (v. 9b). The deity of Christ is thereby clearly affirmed. Thus we see here, as elsewhere (Acts 1:24; 7:59–60; 9:10–17, 21; 22:16, 19; 1 Cor. 1:2; 16:22; Rev. 22:20), people praying directly to the Lord Jesus Christ. Third, in “gladly” (v. 9b) acquiescing to weakness Paul does not mean that we are to seek out suffering on our own. He is not encouraging morbid, self-imposed anguish or asceticism. His affliction was God-given, for Christ’s sake. Paul’s joy was not in pain but in his experiential realization of the complete adequacy of God’s grace 228

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2 Corinthians 12:8–10

in Christ to meet his every need in spite of it and to transform his weakness into an opportunity for the glory of Christ to be displayed. Listen to R. V. G. Tasker: Only a morbid fanatic can take pleasure in the sufferings he inflicts upon himself; only an insensitive fool can take pleasure in the sufferings that are the consequences of his folly; and only a convinced Christian can take pleasure in sufferings endured “for Christ’s sake,” for he alone has been initiated into the divine secret, that it is only when he is “weak,” having thrown himself unreservedly in penitence and humility upon the never-failing mercies of God, that he is “strong,” with a strength not his own, but belonging to the Lord of all power and might.5

Fourth, Paul anticipated that the power of Christ might “rest upon” him (v. 9b). This is a rendering of the verb episkenose, found only here in all of biblical Greek. Related terms are often used of God “pitching his tent” among his people (see Ex. 40:34) and of the incarnate Christ “dwelling” among us (John 1:14; cf. Rev. 7:15; 12:12; 13:6; 21:3). Christ’s abiding and sustaining presence is experienced not so much in ecstasy as in weakness, not in moments when we feel strong but when his power has its greatest opportunity to be seen. But there is more to this word than the idea of God’s presence, for “when the power of Christ pitched its tent over Paul, there was not only divine empowering for life and service but also divine protection, as a tent protects its inhabitants.”6 That’s why weakness is good! Fifth, Paul learned that his spiritual purity was more important to God than his immediate physical pleasure. Of greater value to God than Paul’s comfort was Paul’s holiness. “Physical weakness,” J. I. Packer notes, “guarded him against spiritual sickness.”7 If, in the divine wisdom, it was necessary to give him pain in order to protect him from pride, Paul was willing to yield to the divine purpose. If, in the wisdom of God, the best way to make Paul humble was to make him hurt, so be it. Sixth, when Paul says “when I am weak, then I am strong,” we should see “an allusion, not to Paul’s own ability to cope with adversity by harnessing all his personal resources, but to his experience of 229

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Christ’s power, sometimes in delivering him from adversity, sometimes in granting him strength to endure hardship, but always in equipping him for effective service.”8 So much of what passes for contemporary Christianity speaks often of strength and triumph and victory, but not in the sense in which Paul does. For them it means avoidance of hardship and deliverance from weakness. For him it means perseverance in hardship and unyielding faith in spite of weakness. In the case of the former, we are seen as strong and smart and worthy of praise. In the case of the latter, Christ alone is center stage. The triumphalism present in first-century Corinth and so prevalent in our own day has redefined Christianity so that it promises to the unsuspecting soul freedom from affliction, freedom from suffering, and an ever-available and always victorious deliverance into some nebulous higher and undoubtedly more prosperous and pain-free life. Paul, on the other hand, was “content” (v. 10) with what some would consider a curse, namely, “weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities” (v. 10b). For only then, and by means of the incessant supply of grace, was Christ magnified. Seventh, God’s ultimate aim in orchestrating our weakness, whether by means of a messenger of Satan, annoying circumstances, or long-held dreams that come to naught, is to glorify the sufficiency of the grace and power of his Son. Cannot God magnify Christ by providing escape from suffering and triumph over trials? Yes! And each time he does we must give him thanks and praise. But as John Piper reminds us: The deepest need that you and I have in weakness and adversity is not quick relief, but the well-grounded confidence that what is happening to us is part of the greatest purpose in the universe—the glorification of the grace and power of his Son—the grace and power that bore him to the cross and kept him there until the work of love was done. That’s what God is building into our lives. That is the meaning of weakness, insults, hardships, persecution, [and] calamity.9

“How Firm a Foundation” is an old hymn with words that are eternally true. With it I close: 230

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2 Corinthians 12:8–10

In every condition, in sickness, in health, In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth; At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea, As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be. Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed, For I am thy God and will still give thee aid; I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand. When through the deep waters I call thee to go, The rivers of woe shall not overflow; For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless, And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design, Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

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Mark Driscoll, Founding Pastor, Mars Hill Church, Seattle; President, Acts 29 Church Planting Network

Changes Everything

S a m S t o r m s is senior pastor of Bridgeway Church

a Sincere and Pure Devotion to Christ 100 Daily Meditations on 2 Corinthians

S t or m s

 Volume II; 2 Corinthians 7-13 

 Volume II 

a Sincere and Pure Devotion to Christ

CHRISTIAN DEVOTIONAL / NEW TESTAMENT

Sa m Stor ms