Embracing transformation Finding hope in life's evolution a reflection in 2nd Corinthians 4:16 5:5 on the Daily Bible refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller Foreign welcome to Daily Bible refresh with Dr.

Brad miller.

It is so good to be with you as we reflect every single day on the reading of the New Testament.

We do that by using the Revised Common Lectionary.

It's a three year cycle of reading through the whole Bible.

We're in the Lenten season and we come to you in a way to bring the Bible to you with ways that's understandable.

We read from the Message version of the Bible.

Relatable.

We have three points to ponder Applicable we have a question to apply to your life with a prayer.

We do all of that in under 10 minutes or so.

It's all brought to you by our website, voiceofgoddaily.com the home of the ABC1, 23 Bible study method here's our reading for today from 2nd Corinthians 4:16 through chapter 5, verse 5 and we're reading from the Message.

So we're not giving up.

How could we?

Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.

These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us there is far more than meets the eye.

The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow.

But the things we can't see now will last forever.

For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven, God made, not handmade, and will never have to relocate our tents again.

Sometimes we can hardly wait to move, and so we cry out in frustration.

Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack.

And we're tired of it.

We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies.

The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead.

He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less.

Well, our reading today is all about exploring Paul's powerful metaphor of transformation and what it means on a contemporary journey of faith and social justice.

So let me give you three points to ponder.

One is about perpetually becoming.

Paul speaks of a constant renewal even amid apparent decline.

Rather than seeing this through the lens of a traditional heaven versus Earth dualism we might understand it as speaking to the continuous evolution of consciousness and being like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.

Transformation isn't just about a future state.

It's about embracing the sacred process of becoming.

Each day offers new opportunities for growth, even and especially through our struggles.

The second point to ponder is about revolutionary hope.

When Paul talks about what's coming, he's not asking us to passively wait for a better afterlife.

Instead, this passage calls us to active hope, the kind that glimpses possibilities for transformation in our present reality.

This unfolding grace invites us to participate in creating the beloved community here and now, while remaining open to even greater expressions of love and justice we haven't yet imagined.

One more point.

It's about embodied spirituality.

The metaphor of tents and permanent dwellings isn't about escaping our physical existence, but about embracing our full potential as embodied beings.

In progressive theology, we can interpret this as an invitation to fully inhabit our bodies and our world while remaining open to ongoing transformation.

The Spirit's taste of what's ahead might be experienced in moments of deep connection, justice, work, or ecological awareness.

Let's talk about an action step.

This week I would invite you to practice what I call hope journaling.

Each day write down one sign of transformation you witness, whether in yourself, your community, or the world.

It might be as subtle as a shift in your own thinking or as visible as a community initiative for change.

Then write one hope you have for the future for a future transformation.

And this is the type of practice that helps us stay attuned to the Spirit's ongoing work while maintaining our commitment to active hope.

We're going to pray here in just a moment, but I did want you to know that we've got a resource for you.

Our big goal here at the Daily Bible Refresh is to get the audible word of God into 2 million years.

That's a million people by 2028.

And you can help do that by listening every day and inviting others to be with us, but also by participating in Bible study of your in your own accord, in your own, in your own way.

So we have a tool for you.

It's called the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible Study Method.

It's a simple three or four page document which gives you a really simple process, an ABC 1, 2, 3 process to study the Bible on your own.

You can pick it up for free, absolutely free at our website, voiceofgod daily.com let's pray.

God, you are a creative spirit who dreams new possibilities into being.

Help us embrace the constant evolution of our lives and our world.

When we feel worn down by struggle, remind us that transformation is at work even in our weariness.

When we grow impatient with the pace of change, help us recognize the small signs of your presence already emerging.

Thank you for placing us within the holy restlessness that keeps us reaching toward greater love and justice.

Give us courage to remain open to change, wisdom to recognize the sacred in our everyday struggles, and strength to participate in the ongoing work of transformation.

May we be both patient and persistent as we help birth the world you imagine.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Hey, it's great to be with you here on Day Daily Bible Refresh.

It is a wonderful opportunity to share the words of the Bible with you and we hope that you'll join us again tomorrow.

We're here every day.

We have over 800 episodes of this podcast which are here for you.

Every day is about a reading of the Bible.

Our goal is to get the word of God, the audible word of God, into 2 million years, a million people, by the end of 2028.

You can do that by coming and be with us tomorrow and then bring a friend.

We'd love to have you.

Until tomorrow then, friends, My name is Dr.

Brad Miller and I just want you to remember that God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up.

It's created new every morning.