Isaiah 41: ⁹ Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

¹⁰ Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Chosen by God and not cast away.  He has chosen us.  Let that sink in. I have been chosen to serve Him. Certainly, I was not chosen for any particular strength of my own.  He recognizes that those who can glory in their own intelligence, power, and righteousness can never recognize their need of Him. Their own vain pride blinds them to His Glory.  He chooses the weak and the foolish.  He then proclaims:  "FEAR NOT, FOR I (THE GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH) AM WITH YOU.  There is nothing and no one that we should fear.  God in His omnipotence is with us to face whatever trial we confront.  BE NOT DISMAYED; FOR I AM THY GOD.  He is our provider.  He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. His resources are endless. He created everything and reigns over the earth.  Let His voice reign eternal with His joy overflowing in our hearts.  He is a joyous God with Love overflowing.  I WILL STRENGTHEN THEE; YEA I WILL HELP THEE.  These human bodies fail sometimes.  We become tired.  These last few years I have begun to feel the strain of all the illnesses I have battled and the effects of all the years of working long hours.  I become fatigued quickly; yet, the strength to continue the strenuous hours that I work–that strength comes from God, Himself.  All of that I find amazing. But the most amazing truth is that He has promised, I WILL UPHOLD THEE WITH THE RIGHT HAND OF MY RIGHTEOUSNESS.  His righteousness is stretched forth holding me.  Just like a father whose hand stretched forth prevents his toddler from falling or from running out into the dangerous traffic, God is holding me steady with His righteous right hand. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noIqO2sS9W0&feature=g-all-lik

2 Corinthians 4:  ⁶ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

⁸ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

⁹ Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

¹⁰ Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Such a wondrous treasure that we have been given.  The Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ.  Just think of that great and wondrous treasure.  The truth of the Gospel of Christ unto Salvation, the Glory of seeing Him in His presence.  The Hope of our hearts being transformed so that we can fully see and understand His love.  All of this was given to these fragile earthen vessels which are so easily broken and chipped–covered with blemishes.  Not fine porcelain, not pots of shining silver, not golden vessels, and not diamonds; but rather to dull, clay, earthen vessels that have no beauty or strength of their own.  When I look within my own self, I have nothing of which to Glory–save Christ.  When the world looks on, they may wonder how or why I have been so blessed; why despite trials, illness, and perplexities I proclaim my only Strength, My only Hope, and my overflowing Joy is because of God.  To demonstrate that the excellency of the power is of God; He hath chosen such a fragile vessel as I.  This fragile vessel may fall or get chips in it or may fall before Him in tears at time; but those broken areas and scars only allow His light to shine forth even brighter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_ZSOG8EsfU

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”Romans 1:16 KJV

What is the Gospel (the Good News)? Some would say that it is the Birth, Death and Resurrection of Christ which is true; but is it more? Is it the hope of Salvation? Or would you believe it to be the hope of heaven? Or would you believe that the Good News is the promises of God for healing and provision? What is the greatest gift that God can give you? If you had a moment to sit and wonder about it, what is the most beautiful and precious thing that you most desire? Would your answer be money, prestige, a good job, security, a child, your family, love, beauty, freedom, or all of these? Do you seek after God to merely obtain these, to feel release from guilt, or to escape eternal damnation? I daresay that the promises of God are tremendously comforting; but are they not merely the byproduct of obtaining the greatest gift and not in themselves the gift at all? Certainly Christ’s death on the cross to pay the price for my sin (His baring the full wrath of a Just and Holy God) so as to provide for my Justification is what was needed to make a way that I might obtain the greatest gift; but, I daresay, though that in itself was a marvelous gift—the greatest gift is even more. The greatest gift that God desires to give us is God.  The greatest gift of the Gospel is that God wants to give me His presence, His joy, His love, and His light to shine in the darkness of the world and my heart so that the darkness will be dispelled by the light. The same God who in Genesis spoke the light into being; wants to shine into the dark crevices of my heart to fill it with “THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

And even more than that, go back to 3:18, Once that light shines into our hearts that we might see the Glory of the Lord (however dimly at first) we are changed step by step into his image (glory to glory) and all that by His own Hand. He wishes to share His full love (the same depth as He has for His Son who is worthy beyond measure) with me so unworthy.  He desires to cover me with His righteousness and His Glory, though I so undeserving. That, my dear friend, is the Gospel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPIOkdNL-QQ

Colossians 2: ⁶ As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

⁷ Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

⁸ Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

⁹ For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

¹⁰ And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:¹¹ In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

¹² Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

What a wonderful admonition from Paul.  Since we have Christ Jesus, so walk we in Him–trusting and leaning on Him.  Walk with that righteousness that He has provided.  Through all the years of this walk He has provided a way to be rooted deep into His Word.  He has guided us through just enough trials to stand firm in our faith even when the whirlwinds abound.  Rejoicing with thanksgiving in His Presence and His Joy.  Yet, in the center of these verses where Paul is reminding us that Christ is there as our foundation, as our faith, and as our joy; he sounds forth a warning.  Beware, lest any man speak to you such words of philosophy or selfish thoughts which draw you in.  Perhaps they have made great promises and have then betrayed you–anger seeps in to destroy your joy.  Perhaps they have promised you great success and worldly treasure, you follow while ignoring that little voice inside that says no–leading to despair.  Perhaps, they promise you the "prosperity gospel" and you want to believe so you lay aside all the truth you have learned and start to seek worldly riches rather than God’s riches.  Or in a moment of loneliness you believe the lies of another and compromise the truth to hold onto that promised friendship.  In Christ, we have everything that we need and should never allow the voices of man to draw us away from the truth that we are rooted in.  We do live in a world where there is the constant input of information from all sides, TV, Work, Radio, text, email, and internet; yet, we must be reminded that we are complete in Him, He is the omnipotent, omniscient God.  We have joined Him and cut away our fleshly desires that we might be raised to new life in Him.

We study His word and we seek Him, we grow in His faith that we might be the light of truth proclaiming Him to the world rather than empty sponges absorbing what the vain philosophies of the world would wish to tell us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFjHdXmrQb0

What is the Gospel (the Good News)?  Some would say that it is the Birth, Death and Resurrection of Christ which is true; but is it more?  Is it the hope of Salvation?,  The hope of heaven? , or the promises of God for healing and provision?   What is the greatest gift that God can give you?  If you had a moment to sit and wonder about it, what is the most beautiful and precious thing that you most desire?  Would your answer be money, prestige, a good job, security, a child, your family, love, beauty, freedom, or all of these?    Do you seek after God to merely obtain these, to feel release from guilt,  or to escape eternal damnation?  I daresay that the promises of God are tremendously comforting; but are they not merely the byproduct of obtaining the greatest gift and not in themselves the gift at all?  Certainly Christ’s death on the cross to pay the price for my sin (His baring the full wrath of a Just and Holy God) so as to provide for my Justification is what was needed to make a way that I might obtain the greatest gift; but, I daresay, though that in itself was a marvelous gift—the greatest gift is even more.  The greatest gift that God desires to give us is Himself.  The greatest gift of the Gospel is that God wants to give me His presence, His joy, His love, and His light to shine in the darkness of the world and my heart so that the darkness be dispelled by the light.  The same God who in Genesis spoke the light into being; wants to shine into the dark crevices of my heart to fill it with “THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST”

And even more than that,  go back to 3:18,  Once that light shines into our hearts that we might see the Glory of the Lord (however dimly at first) we are changed step by step into his image (glory to glory) and all that by His own Hand.   He wishes to share His full love (the same depth as He as for His Son who is worthy beyond measure) with me.  He desires to cover me with His righteousness and His Glory, though I so undeserving.  That my dear friend is the Gospel. 

That love constrains me, pulls me ever closer to Him.  A love so encompassing that my greatest desire is Him.  How could any other earthly pleasure compare?  I only want to do His work, wherever he might send me.  I only want  to seek His pleasure, His desires to become mine. 

2 Corinthians 3:17-4:7

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁷Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

¹⁸But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 4

¹Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

²But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

³But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

⁴In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

⁵For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

⁶For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 KJV