Not Crushed

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. God has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  2 Corinthians 4:3-10 NIV

There is finality in planting a tree. Its location and proximity to water will determine its future. 

Have we planted our lives in the presence of the Lord? 

We can trust the Bible teaching us about the protection we receive from God. Read Jesus calming storms in Mark 4:39, the crows feeding a starving Elijah in 1 Kings 17:6, King David’s praise 2 Samuel 22:3-4 and so much more.

And we get to know more of Jesus, He made it clear when someone made a wrong choice, and He didn’t condone bad behavior. But He always sought to understand where people were coming from, and He always led with love. 

Yes, Jesus flipped tables. Our Warrior king. 

But Jesus is known for sitting down at tables with people others rejected and people He disagreed with. He ate with sinners. He ate with Pharisees. And He even had His last meal with Judas—the guy who He knew would betray Him shortly after. 

Jesus handled sin with grace and truth. He always brought 100 percent grace and 100 percent truth. When a woman was caught in the act of adultery, she was humiliated by the religious leaders. This was original cancel culture. They wanted her stoned for her bad behavior, but Jesus stepped in. He didn’t cancel her. He rescued her. He loved her. He forgave her. And then He told her to go and sin no more. 

Jesus led with love. Then left her, and leaves each of us, with a choice about what to do with the truth He offers.