Living Faith Authentically A journey of Self reflection based on 2 Corinthians 13:5 10 on the Daily Bible refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller.

Hello my friends, Dr.

Brad Miller here with Daily Bible Refresh.

Thank you for joining me on a daily journey through the New Testament.

The we bring you the reading selected for this very day from the Revised Comment Lectionary.

We're in near sea of a three year cycle Pentecost season.

We make the reading of the Bible understandable in that we read the New Testament selection only from the Message version.

We make it relatable by giving you some points to ponder and applicable.

I give you an action step to take.

We have a prayer.

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

It's all brought to you by voiceofgoddaily.com that's the home of the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible study method.

Join us in our efforts to get the Ottawa Word of God to the two millionaires a million people by 2028.

Here's today's reading from 2nd Corinthians 13:5 through Twin 5 through 10 reading from the Message Test yourselves to make sure you are on solid in the faith.

Don't drift along taking everything for granted.

Give yourselves regular checkups.

You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay that Jesus Christ is in you.

Test it out.

If you fail the test, do something about it.

I hope the test won't show that we have failed, but if it comes to that, we'd rather the test show our failure than yours.

We're rooting for the truth to win out in you.

We couldn't possibly do otherwise.

We don't just put up with our limitations.

We celebrate them and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you.

We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.

I'm writing this to you now so that when I come I won't have to say another word on the subject.

The authority the Master gave me is for putting people together, not taking them apart.

I want you to get on with it and not have to spend time on reprimands.

Really like this, this passage of Scripture.

But it's about because it's about really, really living our faith authentically because it guides us into a passage of deep self reflection and how that aligns with community growth.

So let's talk with about some points to ponder.

The first one indeed is about the practice of self examination.

Paul's call for self examination isn't about harsh self judgment or toxic perfectionism.

Rather it's an invitation to authentic spiritual awareness in progressive faith.

We understand this as maintaining integrity between our proclaimed lives, our proclaimed values and lived actions.

Are we truly embodying the inclusive, justice seeking, love centered way of Jesus?

That's the question.

The second point to ponder is about embracing our whole selves.

Paul speaks about celebrating limitations alongside our strengths.

This radical acceptance challenges perfectionism that is often found in religious spaces.

Our weaknesses, questions and doubts aren't spiritual failures.

They are a part of our humanity and a part of our faith journey.

The third point is about building up, not tearing down.

Paul emphasizes that spiritual authority should be used for construction, not destruction.

This reminds us that true Christian leadership is about empowerment, not control.

It's about creating spaces where people can grow, question and evolve in their faith without fear of judgment.

Let's talk about an action step for for the day, choose an area of disconnect between your stated values and your daily actions.

Perhaps it's environmental stewardship or social justice engagement or how you treat other people who are different than you.

Spend some time today thinking about and planning a concrete step that you can take to better align your actions with your values.

We're going to come back and have a prayer here in just a moment.

I did always I always want you to know that we have a resource for you.

It's called the ABC 123 Bible Study Guide.

I think you're going to find it helpful.

Head over to voiceofgoddaily.com you're going to find some links there.

They're going to help you to find this this resource.

I want you to go there and pick it up.

Let's pray.

Oh God, you are Divine love and we come to you as we are perfectly imperfect beings in a journey of growth.

Help us embrace both our strength and our limitations as sacred parts of our story.

Guide us and examine our lives not with harsh judgment, but with compassionate awareness.

Give us courage to align our actions with our values and wisdom to build up rather than tear down.

May we be agents of your inclusive love in a world hungry for authenticity and connection.

Amen.

Well friends, I just want to thank you for joining me today here at Daily Bible Refresh.

It's always a joy.

It's always a pleasure to be with you.

We're here every day to bring you the reading of the New Testament that is relatable and actionable and perfect for you to use as your daily Bible study.

We invite you to use the resource we have at Voice of God daily to help you as well.

The ABC 123 Bible study method.

And please join us in our effort to get the audible word of God into many ears.

Two million years, a million people by 2028.

Remember, we'll be with you again tomorrow, so please subscribe to the podcast and ask others to join us.

We'll see you tomorrow.

Until then, My name is Dr.

Brad Miller, reminding you that God's loyal love doesn't run out.

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