Bible in a year Genesis 1-3 and Matthew 1
Our light affliction . . . is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. —
2 Corinthians 4:17
Today’s Scripture:
2 Corinthians 4:8-18
The Steinway piano has been preferred by keyboard masters such as Rachmaninoff, Horowitz, Cliburn, and Liszt—and for good reason. It is a skillfully crafted instrument that produces phenomenal sound.
Steinway pianos are built today the same way they were 140 years ago when Henry Steinway started his business. Two hundred craftsmen and 12,000 parts are required to produce one of these magnificent instruments. Most crucial is the rim-bending process, where 18 layers of maple are bent around an iron press to create the shape of a Steinway grand. Five coats of lacquer are applied and hand-rubbed to give the piano its outer glow. The instrument then goes to the Pounder Room, where each key is tested 10,000 times to ensure quality and durability.
Followers of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 ha’Mashiaḥ (Jesus Christ) are also being “handcrafted.” We are pressed and formed and shaped to make us more like Him. We are polished, sometimes in the rubbing of affliction, until we “glow.” We are tested in the laboratory of everyday human experience. The process is not always pleasant, but we can persevere with hope, knowing that our lives will increasingly reflect the beauty of holiness to the eternal praise of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (God).
Reflect & Pray
Think About It
Is 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (God) bending, shaping, or polishing me right now? What’s my attitude:
Am I thanking and praising 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (God), or am I complaining about the process?
Trials are intended not to provoke us but to prove us.