Foreign hello good people.

Dr.

Brad Miller here with the Daily Bible Refresh brought to you by voiceofgodddaily.com this is where we offer a fresh expression, a fresh reading of the daily Scriptures.

We use the Revised Common Lectionary, Year C.

We're in the epiphany season that is the passage of Scripture for this very day, and we bring it to you in a way that is understandable.

And then we read the New Testament only and the message translation of the Bible relatable.

We give you a couple of points to ponder and applicable.

We give you a point of application in your life.

We have a prayer together and then we do all that in under 10 minutes or so.

Today's reading is from Second Corinthians 7, verses 2 through 16.

Reading from the Message More passionate, more responsible.

Trust us, we've never hurt a soul, never exploited or taken advantage of anyone.

Don't think I'm finding fault with you.

I told you earlier that I'm with you all the way, no matter what.

I have, in fact, the greatest confidence in you.

If only you knew how proud I am of you.

I am overwhelmed with joy despite all your troubles.

When we arrived in Macedonia province, we couldn't settle down.

The fights in the church and the fears in our hearts kept us on pins and needles.

We couldn't relax because we didn't know how it would turn out.

Then the God who lifts up the downcast lifted up our heads and our hearts with the arrival of Titus.

We were glad just to see him.

But the true reassurance came in what he told us about you.

How much you cared, how much you grieved, how concerned you were for me.

I went from worry to tranquility in no time.

I know I distress you greatly with my letter.

Although I felt awful at the time.

I don't feel at all bad now that I see how it turned out.

The letter upset you, but only for a while.

Now I'm glad.

Not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around.

You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from Him.

The result was all gain, no loss.

Distress that drives us to God does that.

It turns us around.

It gets us back in the way of salvation.

We never regret that kind of pain.

But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets.

And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God?

You are more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more Reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible, looked at from any angle.

You've come out of this with purity of heart.

And that is what I was hoping for in the first place.

When I wrote the letter, my primary concern was not for the one who.

Who did the wrong or even the one wronged, but for you, that you would realize and act upon the deep, deep ties between us before God.

That's what happened.

And we felt just great.

And then we saw how Titus felt his exuberance over your response.

Our joy doubled.

It was wonderful to see how revived and refreshed his he was by everything you did.

If I went out on a limb and telling Titus how great I thought you were, you didn't cut off that limb.

As it.

As it turned out, I hadn't exaggerated one bit.

Titus saw for himself that everything I had said about you was true.

He can't quit talking about it.

Going over and over again the story of your prompt obedience and the dignity and the sensitivity of your hospitality.

He was quite overwhelmed by it.

And I couldn't be more pleased.

I'm so confident and proud of you.

Well, good people, in this.

In this passage of Scripture, we're talking about vulnerability.

Vulnerability, transformative vulnerability, and the power of an honest community.

Here's a couple of points to ponder.

It's about embracing sacred discomfort.

Paul's letter caused distress that led to transformation.

And Christianity recognizes that growth often requires uncomfortable conversations about privilege, justice and complicity.

When this discomfort drives us toward positive change rather than defensive withdrawal, it is sacred work.

Then there's also vulnerability as strength.

Paul's openness about his worries and joy models leadership through vulnerability.

This changes traditional hierarchical leadership models that equate authority with emotional distance.

True community requires mutual vulnerability and honest sharing of both struggles and celebrations.

Then there's the point about collective accountability.

The community's response shows how accountability can work without shame.

They turn their distress into positive action, becoming more alive, more concerned, more sensitive.

This is a model about restorative justice principles, where the goal is healing and transformation, not punishment.

Here's your action step.

Think about creating something we might call a brave space circle this week.

That is, gather a few others, three or four others, perhaps committed to transformation in your community, whatever that is.

It may be the town you live in, or your workplace or your church.

And each person shares an uncomfortable truth about their own complicity in something that's not right in the community, something that's oppressive or that's something that needs to be changed.

And practice supportive accountability by checking in regularly.

On these commitments.

Remember, the goal is transformation, not shame.

We're going to pray in just a second here, but I did want you to know that we have available for you a Bible study resource.

We love to provide it for you.

It's you can find it voiceofgoddaily.com is the ABC 123 Bible Study guided.

It makes for your Bible study, your personal Bible study, as Easy as indeed abc123 find it@voiceofgod daily.com let's pray.

Divine God, Source of truth and grace.

Help us embrace the discomfort that leads to growth, the vulnerability that builds authentic community.

When hard conversations challenge us, may we turn towards transformation, not away in fear.

Give us courage to speak truth with love and and wisdom to receive feedback with openness.

Thank you.

For communities that hold us accountable while holding us in grace.

Guide us in building spaces where honesty meets compassion, where growth meets support, and where justice meets love.

May our distress lead us toward you and towards a deeper community with each other.

Amen.

Well, my name is Dr.

Brad Miller.

Indeed, it's always a joy and a pleasure to be with you.

Here on the Daily Bible Refresh.

We look to make the Bible relatable and applicable in your life and understandable.

We're here with you every day to give you this daily Bible study reading you can usually catch me at before 6am is when we usually drop these episodes.

You can find everything we're all about at Voice of God Daily, a back catalog of all of our over 700 episodes and all the transcripts.

Until tomorrow then, good people.

Remember that God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new every morning.