Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart:

2 Corinthians 2:17, “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”

Here the apostle Paul gives us a practical example of a person living out of God as his source.

For we are not as the many, corrupting the word of God: but as out of sincerity, but as out of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ.

The three special phrases in this verse–out of God, in the sight of[or, before] God, and speak we in Christ–are all ways of describing how Paul’s speaking was out of the source of God, and not out of himself.

His ministry was proceeding out of God, before God, and in Christ.

When we are redeemed and regenerated, we are ushered into the realm of the new creation, where God begins a process in which experientially the old things start to pass out of our lives.

The old things are related to our self as our point of reference.

We lived out of our own impulses, our own choices, our own thoughts.

But now we begin to live by revelation, that is, by what God has revealed to us in His Word.

It is when we live by revelation that God becomes our source.

He reveals to us the purpose of our human life.

We no longer take man’s views and concepts as the basis of our human existence.

Revelation unveils to us God’s eternal purpose, which is the purpose behind the created universe.

This revelation causes me to be a person who is living to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, with the many others in the church (Rom. 8:28-29).

Thus, we are squarely planted in the church life, with Christ as the focus and reality of our daily life.

We do not live by our own thoughts–what we think we should do.

We live by the unveiling of God’s heart’s desire for His Body, the church, where Christ is all and in all.

It is by this unveiling that God becomes our source.

The Spirit teaches us, through the Word, to be persons who are living a life in complete accord with God’s heart’s desire.

Our daily life begins to proceed out of God as we learn to live out of Him as our source.

Until Tomorrow,

With A Shepherd’s Love

Pastor

TODAY’S PRAYER LIST

Tammy Shellnut in Passing of her Mom

Jane Evans

Amy Garner’s Mom & Dad

Brandon’s Dad

Charlene Palmer

Ed Mays

Dan Haines  

Darlene Thaxton    

Denise Hulsey – Jordan’s G’Mother

Dr. Don Davis

Easton Fielder

Ellen Boyd

Freddie May’s Mom & Friend 

George/Linda Alexander

James Burnette

Jim Mabe    

Joan Cronan’s Sister

Joel Bateman

John McClain

Linda Hodges’ Sister

Michael Stanley

Ricky Gipson – Ashley’s Brother

Rose Fuller’s Nephew

Rusty Turner

Sandra Graham

Scott Nix

Terrell Loyd

Tom Witcher

James Garner’s Friend 

Kim McClain’s Mother

Lonzo Christian             

Ashley Burn’s Sisters

Colby/Connor – Allison’s G’sons 

Larry Barker  

Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah

Mary Sims  

Marynell Ford

Pastor & Mrs. Driskell 

Ricky Stubbs  

Roseleigh Osborn  

Scott Lanier – Linda’s Son 

Shaelyn – Jill’s Friend

Sheila Simmon’s Cousin

Tammy Shellnut’s Mother/Dad