The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:4-6

• The most important element of this passage written by the apostle Paul to the church at Corinth is the statement that his message is not about him but about Christ. When someone campaigns for public office, who does the person campaigning talk about? What does that person want? When Paul spoke to the people at Corinth, who did he talk about? What did he want?
• When asked to teach a suicide prevention training session, an Army chaplain included his own experience including matters of faith and quotations from the Bible. He created a teaching aid in the form of handout that listed military resources for helping soldiers at risk for suicide on one side of the page and spiritual resources which he had personally found helpful on the other side. Afterward the chaplain received an official reprimand from his commanding officer for including his faith experience in the class.Where in your own daily experience do you see evidence today that the god of this world is still blinding people’s minds to the gospel of Christ?
• I sat down at a table in a crowded airport food court beside a woman who eventually told me that she was traveling home for the holidays, but she dreaded the experience due to ongoing family issues surrounding the death of her father. When I shared my experience receiving help through prayer about family issues, she said, “That may work for you, but I don’t believe that stuff.” How would you have responded?
• Do you believe that God did create the universe by saying, “Let there be light?” Do you believe that God shines the light of Christ into your heart? How do you let that light shine into the dark lives of people you meet? How will you get past an accusation that you are promoting a silly myth in order to make yourself look better than other people?