Day Sixteen: That he would rest in Jesus’ accomplishments for him
“Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3:4-6
Paul here woos the Corinthians back to loyalty to himself as their father in the faith, and the true gospel. False teachers had crept into the church and pulled the people away from the freedom and joy of the new covenant. These “false apostles” (11:13) were full of human credentials, boasting and legalistic rules. They had turned Church life into a joyless competition of works. The same thing happens to our husbands when they are weighed down with guilt over what they should do for Jesus, instead of resting in what Jesus has done for them. Let’s pray that our husbands would remember that their competence as leaders comes from Christ, and for the joy of the Holy Spirit that gives life.
Lord please help my husband to rest secure in “the righteousness that comes by faith” (Romans 4:13). Please mold him into the man you are calling him to be, rather than the man I often pressure him to be. Help him to continue discovering the joy of being my hero. I know that you call Pauls and Barnabases and Johns and Peters—each with their own strengths and gifts. Lord draw my husband to believe and rejoice in the competence that comes from you. In your name I pray, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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Marci Preheim is wife to Arnie, mother of two teenagers, and women’s Bible Study teacher at Community Bible Church in Nashville, TN. She is the author of Grace is Free: One Woman’s Journey From Fundamentalism to Failure to Faith, and A Study in James: But He Gives Us More Grace. You can read more of her writing at www.marcipreheim.com.
