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Morning Devotion for the Season of Pentecost
October 28, 2024
Reading 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore, we do not lose heart. Outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Meditation by Glenn Beamer
Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians compliments well our Gospel reading from Job 38 this past Sunday. God’s series of questions to Job reveals our flawed and fleeting, comprehension of God’s mysteries on earth. Paul, in turn, recognizes that our experiences on earth, whether trying or joyful, are temporal. Paul then recommends shifting our concentration to the eternal glory that outweighs our contemporary struggles and accomplishments.
Just over a week ago, Tony Bennett, the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Virginia since 2009, announced his sudden and unexpected resignation. Coach Bennett enjoyed a very successful career including a NCAA Tournament Championship.
At his press conference explaining his decision to leave a powerful, influential job several years before his contract was up, Coach Bennett humbly quoted the missionary Jim Elliot, “He is no fool who gives away what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” In society that prizes achievement, Tony Bennett reminded us that no matter what our apparent successes, our experiences on earth are not ours to have forever. Nevertheless, rather than seeing their release as loss, moving on from them provides the time and space in which we can nurture gifts from most especially our relationship with God and Jesus and our relationships with one another.
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