READ: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Do you ever get discouraged? Do you sometimes feel, ‘Is this all worthwhile? Are we actually getting anywhere?’ Are you ever tempted to ‘lose heart’? If you are, you are not alone. Paul was almost certainly tempted himself to lose heart, and he wrote to other Christians who were also tempted to do so.

Yet Paul wrote, ‘We do not lose heart’ (2 Corinthians 4:1,16). ‘We do not throw up our hands and walk off the job’ (v.1, MSG). Why not? Paul explains that it is because in Jesus we have received a ‘treasure’ (v.7). The treasure is the message of Jesus. It is because the message that Paul has to proclaim is so amazing that he starts and ends by saying, ‘Therefore… we do not lose heart’ (vv.1,16).

READ: 2 Corinthians 3:7-18

 Father Raniero Cantalamessa, a Capuchin monk, preacher to the papal household, aged eighty-one, kindly came and spoke at our Leadership Conference at the Royal Albert Hall. Many people comment on how his face and eyes shine with the radiance of God’s presence. He was on a train one time in Italy when a woman, who was a total non-believer, approached him and said, ‘Your face compels me to believe.’

It has been said, ‘We cannot control the beauty of our face, but we can control the expression on it.’ As this story illustrates, you can tell a lot by looking at people’s eyes and faces. We say, ‘You should have seen the look on their face.’ As the old Latin proverb says, ‘The face is the index of the mind.’

READ: 2 Corinthians 3:1

How can you bring life to others? In this passage, Paul describes himself as a minister of a ‘new covenant – not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life’ (3:6).

READ: 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11

God himself is not afraid of confrontation! In this passage we see how, in his love, God confronted both an essentially good leader who became proud, and an evil leader who was enabled to repent.

It is such a relief to read about a good king. Hezekiah restored the temple. He led by example – he contributed from his own possessions (31:3). The people responded generously (v.5). The Lord blessed them and they had plenty to eat with food left over (v.10).

READ: 2 Chronicles 29:1-31:1

In the Old Testament, three groups of people were anointed: kings, priests and prophets. Through the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we are all now anointed with a kingly anointing, a priestly anointing and a prophetic anointing. What does this mean in practice?

READ: 2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Have you suffered loss or bereavement? Are you facing some health issue? Are you under great pressure in your finances or some other area of your life? Are you being opposed or criticised? Are you in a time of difficulty, disappointment or hardship?

Paul was the founding pastor of the Corinthian church. In this, his most personal letter, he reveals the heart of a leader…

READ: Psalm 102:18-28

The Bible has a great deal to say about family life. Not only do we have a natural family but, as Christians, we are part of the church, which the New Testament sees as, “the family of God.”

Every generation has a responsibility to think about the future and to plan for it. We should be concerned, not just about what happens in our time but also about the next generation...