The Grand Parade Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: The Grand Parade ------------------- Date: 12/1/2002 Keyword: “victory” Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: 2 Corinthians 2:14a* But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ Questions 1. Many people would look at the life of the apostle Paul and characterize it as profoundly difficult. Does it surprise you, then, that he is able to give thanks to God?   2. Does Paul’s life — and does your own life — seem to be one victory after another, as the verse above seems to indicate? (or does the verse mean something else….?)   Practical help Paul said that God always led him in HIS triumph in Christ. What did he mean by this? Was Paul saying that because he was a Christian, every time he laced up his sneakers, he won a race? Or that he always accomplished the goals he set out for himself? No! He meant this — God has won a great victory through the death of Jesus on the cross and through His resurrection from the dead. On the basis of that victory, Paul (and all believers today, too!) are marching in a parade that celebrates Jesus’ victory. That’s right, the Christian life is viewed here as a parade! Sure, there will be hardships from time to time as we travel the parade route. But, we can be confident that Jesus is turning everything we experience in life — both the things that that we ENJOY and the things that we ENDURE — into redemptive experiences. Based on this verse, we can confidently says that your success in resisting the temptation to view porn TODAY is part of the "triumph" Paul refers to in verse 14. It is not a stretch, either, to say that the "always" of the verse includes those moments of sexual frustration when we learn the grace of patience and long suffering. Your on-going struggle with sexual misbehavior — be it porn or some other variety — is being turned by Jesus into the tapestry that will bring glory to God, blessing to you, and the Gospel to the world. So, keep struggling! Fight the good fight! eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2002 by eXXit *"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."