Different Results

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

DIFFERENT RESULTS

2 Cor 5:6-10

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

NIV

We are not both, in the body and with the Lord, which is for sure. It is also undisputable that we must live by faith rather than sight as not one of us has actually seen or been in the presence of the Lord. Now there have been some accounts of people visiting, so to speak, someplace and returning to write books about their journey into what they call heaven. Yet the majority of them, if not all, have never expressed their faith in Jesus Christ, being born again. So than where did they go and what did they see, for Jesus said that in order for a man to see the Kingdom of God he must be born again. The fact remains they never left their body and therefore never were in the presence of the Lord. As long as we are here we are not there. Once again we must come to terms with whether we prefer here or there. If we prefer there, then should we not live our life here in accordance with what it will be like there? Should we not be looking forward with great anticipation to our opportunity to leave here so we can be there? Of course that is for those of us who are born again. Now that is not to say everyone will not stand before the judgment seat of Christ, that is all of mankind, those born again and those who are not. For every person will stand and be held accountable for what we have done in the body. This should not be confused with a list of do’s and don’ts that us believers have established and that we think we will have to account for each and every failure to comply correctly to all the do’s and abstain completely from all the don’ts. Which one of us is without sin and could cast the first stone? No, this stands in accordance with other scriptures that teach us Jesus will separate the goats from the sheep, those on his right and those on his left, and the sheep, us who are born again, will be given entrance into the Kingdom, while the goats, those who did not accept him as Lord and Savior while in the body, will be cast out into the lake of fire. This is the good and the bad, or wicked, or evil doers, as the Greek word would imply. For those of us who are born again, our reward is surely to be in the presence of God within the new city of Jerusalem which is established on the new earth under the new heavens which Jesus has gone ahead to prepare this place for us. Although we cannot see it yet, we live by faith in it. We know about it, for God has made sure we have his word on it. He made sure that at least one man, John, saw it all, and was told to write it down, so we would know all about it. In all reality that does not require much faith, when we have the words of a firsthand account, but in a sense we must believe or have faith that account it true. Nevertheless we live for that day, or we live for this moment. We either live to please God, or to please self. The result of each will be very different. We are born again or we are not, this choice will produce different results. 

Groan and Long

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

GROAN AND LONG

2 Cor 5:1-5

5:1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

NIV

It may sound like earth and heaven as we think of this planet and the stars but this is not about them, but about our physical bodies and our heavenly ones. This is all about the body we now reside in and that it is perishable, mortal and will in fact be destroyed in death. This body cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. This body cannot enter the gates of the living God. We have to leave it behind if we want to be in the presence of God within the heavenly realm. What we learn here is that we should be groaning, longing for our heavenly body. We should not be content to be here in the naked state we are, without our heavenly clothing. We should not be so comfortable here in this form that we do not want to let go of it. Yet it would seem we fight with every ounce of energy to stay here as long as we possibly can. That does not look like we are groaning and longing to be in our heavenly clothing. If God made us for the very purpose of being clothed in immortality, to live for all eternity with him, walking side by side in paradise, fellowshipping with him, then why are we so do we try so hard to postpone it. Of course we should not hurry it up either by our own hands, but in the natural course of events of life, age takes its toll, our body is descend to give out. Sometimes we contact certain illnesses or disease’s that hurry that process alone. So we employee the great medical minds of this age to prolong the inevitable for as long as they can, hoping we will not have to give up this naked mortal body. Is it because we do not know exactly want death brings? Is it fear of the unknown which drives us to stay in this form? No matter how much we try death with come and then what? For some it is over, but for us who know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior it is just beginning. This mortal body will be swallowed up by life, not by death. We will be changed in an instant, this corruptible will be exchanged for incorruptible, this mortal will be immortal, this perishable with be clothed with imperishable and we will enter his gates with thanksgiving and praise. Glory to God in the highest because he has given us the Spirit as a deposit, as a guarantee, that all this is true, so we only need to sense him within to know without a doubt what is to come. Therefore let us groan and long for the day. 


ADDENDUM

As a second thought it might be possible that we cling to this life so dearly because we are not sure of what is to come, yet we have been told over and over throughout the scriptures exactly what is to come. Do we not believe it? Why are we so sad when one of our loved ones passes into the eternal glory of the Lord? We miss them of course, but is that not purely selfishness? Should we not rejoice that our dear one no longer has to groan and long for the day they will enter into his gates with thanksgiving and praise? Should we not rejoice for them, if we truly love them? Maybe that should put a whole new approach to praying for those who are very ill. What matters is if God still has something for us to do here on this earth for his kingdom, of course. When we are done with what he has for us to do, then we should go home. 

Eye Examine

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

EYE EXAMINE

2 Cor 4:16-18

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

NIV

What here in this world could be worth more than eternal glory? Why do we get so overwhelmed by all the little stuff of this life? Why do we think anything is so important? Why are we bothered by anything at all? We get upset, anxious, worry and even to the point of getting ill over situations at best are only temporary. What is wrong with that picture? Do we not know that this life is just the beginning of something wonderful? Yet we spend so much of our efforts trying to make as much of this temporary life as we can. We strive to become great. We compete with our fellow man to see who can be better at whatever. Not just at games, but in intelligence, in wealth, in position and possessions. We compare ourselves with those around us, seeing if we have more or less then them, or what we have is better or not then theirs. We put so much value on education and career, success and yes even power. If we do not have we feel inferior to an extent, and if we have we feel superior. But all of it is just a flash in a pan, over is a blink, faster than a speeding bullet, gone before we know it. Nothing matters when we lie in that coffin being viewed by people saying how good we look, dead! Emperors and Pharaohs tried to take all their stuff with them, but to no avail it is still here and they are not. True some achievements last for generations after us, but some day even those with be destroyed either like some of the great cities of the past, or structures like the tower of Babel or Solomon’s temple, or they will be destroyed in the last day. This entire world and everything in it are temporary and in all reality we all are just wasting away in these bodies, with death awaiting its time. All that we see is not worth even the tiniest drop of what we cannot see. Let us fix our eyes on what we cannot see, let us fix them on the glory of what is to come, that which we cannot see yet, but one day will indeed not only see but be within. We will stand in the presence of God Almighty without fear, knowing his love, his grace, his compassion, his mercy, his divine fellowship, walking in the cool of the day among paradise with him, having him slip his arm around our shoulder, smile with great joy that we are there with him. That is our goal, the finish line. Let us fix our eyes on that and in doing so, all this temporary stuff becomes less meaningful. Let us do some self-examination, especially an eye examine.

Our Turn to Speak

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

OUR TURN TO SPEAK

2 Cor 4:13-15

13 It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

NIV

It was David who wrote that in one of his psalms and we know how much he believed. We also know how much Paul believed and what he has written. Both men inspired by the Spirit to write for the benefit of all of mankind. Both men spoke about God in such a real sense, never doubting for a moment of the fact God exists and that he is active in their lives. Now it is our turn, maybe not to write such profound words, yet some of us might well write as inspired by God for the benefit of others to know and learn about God. But we all can speak up. We all can be inspired by God to speak about Jesus, about his life and his death; about his resurrection and that we will also be resurrection and join those others in the presence of God. This is what we believe because we know it to be a fact, not a theory, as those of the world believe in. All they have is theories of how things began, but we have facts. We need to speak those truths into the hearts and minds of others so they may benefit from the truth as we are. If we live out our life in Christ open and without reservations, speaking our heart in our conversations with everyone, then his grace will reach more and more and much thanksgiving will overflow to the glory of God. Silence only benefits Satan and his agenda. We cannot serve his purpose, for we must serve God and him alone, so we must speak up about Jesus, about his life and death, about his resurrection and about ours to come. Oh sure we talk about God and about faith and about Jesus and maybe even his teachings. But mostly we talk about what we cannot do as a Christian, we recite do’s and don’ts, we might even declare people have to believe in order to be saved, but do we proclaim his death and resurrection? Do we proclaim that only those who are born again will be resurrected into the presence of God? We hear unbelievers, those not born again, claiming a loved one is now in a better place, but that person had never been born again, if fact, never lived as a believer. How can we remain silent in those times? Is it cruel to tell them their love one may not be in the presence of God? Then again how do we actually know? How can we know the heart of that person in the coffin? Can we take that chance? We need to speak up before those we know die. We need to tell them about the opportunity to be resurrected into the presence of God. It is our turn to speak.

Vessel of Clay

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

VESSEL OF CLAY

2 Cor 4:7-12

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

NIV

There is a whole lot in here and not sure if we should spend a couple of devotions in here or not, but let us at least first start we these jars of clay. This treasure we carry is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have to notice that we carry it in jars of clay which represent us, just simple vessels of clay to be used in service by our owner. We see the reason for this is so that this all-surpassing power from God is shown rather than any human abilities that would promote pride, puffing us up, thinking we are so good, intelligent, and talented or something or that sort. We are but clay vessels, subject to being crushed, subject to being perplexed, persecuted and stuck down, yet because of the power of God at work in us we do not have to be despaired and we are not abandoned nor are we destroyed. This body we live in will experience all sorts of conditions; some of them may not be pleasant to deal with. Aches and pains, hurts, illness, and those things which are a result of just getting old. Some of us may have to experience crushing injuries which leave us impaired in some way, at least in the physical sense. Some might have to deal with mental injuries, like some wounded warriors are. All this is because we are but clay vessels. Yet all these situations should not get us down because we carry the light of the knowledge of the glory of God within us. We have to know those of the world are watching us to see how we react to pressures, to be hard pressed, even to death. But because we carry this light we must live in such a manner that Jesus is glorified. This is not in the check list of we don’t do this or that, but in how manner we deal with the situations of life, the hardships as well as the good times. we must see ourselves for who we are, simple clay vessels, yes we are the creation of God, yes we are made in his image, yes God does not make junk, but let us not be prideful, but respectful of the fact we are God’s workmanship for the purpose of showing his light to others. That is why he revealed the light of the knowledge of him in us. Yes he desired to save us, to reconciled himself to each one of us, but he desires that for all his creation, even those still blinded by the god of this world. Those words, make us, break us, mold us, fill us, use us ring so true in the this truth for we are his vessels of clay.

Stand Out For Jesus

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

STAND OUT FOR JESUS

2 Cor 4:1-6

4:1 Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

NIV

Once again a beginning to a much longer dissertation, but we must view one of the truths within this portion first. It might be the signs of the times as we are seeing more and more churches try to create an image of not being a church. Maybe we should not judge them as using deceptive ways to entice people to enter, but that is what it appears to be. Hopefully the rest is not true in that they distort the word of God too, but maybe just water it down a bit as not to scare people off right away. But the fact is that the truth of the Gospel is veiled to unbelievers, to those who are perishing. It still comes down to free will. People have to hear the unabashed truth of the Gospel. They have to hear the simple fact that in order to see the Kingdom of God they must be born again. Those are the words of Jesus, not some theologian, although Jesus was the ultimate theologian. Those are the words of Jesus, spoken straight forward, not some pastor who thinks he has a better way of presenting it. Jesus sent forth the truth plainly, Paul said he set forth the truth plainly. Should we do any less? We cannot use any form of deception in presenting the gospel, either in our church or in our life. We must let the light shine in the darkness. We must stand up, stand out and stand for the truth of God, both as a church building in the community and in our lives among our community. The fact remains some people have been blinded by the god of this age. Our light must shine so brightly that we overpower the darkness that veils their eyes and hearts. Yet we know some will never leave the darkness, they will choose to remain under the veil, influenced by the god of this world, which does use deception in order to trap its victims. Knowing the truth, we must make sure we do not far prey to those deceptions, all the while proclaiming plainly the truth of the gospel. We do need to be among the unbeliever. We do need to establish some means of communication, interaction and trust with them in order to present the truth. Surely the days of street corner evangelism has passed, but we cannot replace it with deceptive ways in order to maybe get the message to them. The gospel must be preached, Jesus Christ crucified, buried, resurrected and ascended must be preached plainly so that people might be saved, be born again. We cannot afford to allow people to evolve into what they think is a relationship with God. They must be presented with the facts plainly and openly. Being born again is an event in their lives, a moment in time when the veil is lifted and they see the truth and response. Our task, our calling is to be that light shining in the darkness, to present the truth, unashamed of it, open and without deception. We need to stand out for Jesus. 

By The Spirit

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

BY THE SPIRIT

2 Cor 3:12-18

12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

NIV

If it was any clearer it would jump up and slap us right in the face, it fact, it is doing just that. Which would we rather have, a veiled law which bring us nothing but slavery to death or Jesus who gives us liberty and life? Those who try to live by the law, either the one God penned on the tablets of stone, or the one man has written in their bylaws and doctrines are under a veil which hides the glory of God. The Glory of God cannot be seen in its fullness within laws, rules and regulations, but only in the freedom Christ brings. When God created man and placed him in the glorious garden he neither handed him a list of rules and regulations, nor did he tell him to make such a list for him to live by. God merely gave him one command; man only had to obey God. Man had full access to the Glory of God and he blew it, so this whole law thing, this whole list of don’ts was simply to show us all that we cannot do it and if we try we will be under this veil unable to see the full glory of God as he intended us to. But Jesus takes that veil away and we can be restored to the full glory God intended in the first place. We do not have to struggle with guilt because we have failed to keep even just one of the smallest points of the law. We do not have to fear death because we cannot fulfill certain parts of the law. But low and behold we sure try, and we even add a bunch of our own laws, rules and regulations to ensure we have a full and comprehensive list of do’s and don’ts to check off. The problem is we lie to ourselves about how well we are doing. We pretend we are doing all the right things and that we are not doing all bad things. That is being behind a veil unable to see the real truth. How can we reflect the Lord’s glory when we live in so much failure? How can we reflect Jesus when we are trying to live by the law and failing to uphold up? So let us live truly unveiled, reflecting the glory of the Lord and we will be transformed even more into his likeness, not with a written code on paper, but with the instilled law of love in our hearts by the Spirit. We live in the grace of God, his divine influence upon our hearts and we reflect him to the world. Let us live by the Spirit. 

Righteousness Over Death

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

RIGHTEOUSNES OVER DEATH

2 Cor 3:7-11

7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

NIV

Have we ever thought of the Ten Commandments as bringing death? We surely still try to live by them yet it would seem in doing so we are surely condemned to death. Still we cannot say that we should abandon them, giving ourselves over to every whim and fancy of our deceitfully wicked heart. So how do we deal with the truth which is laid for us here? Do they still apply or does the new covenant of the Spirit supersede that which condemns us to death? We have to say yes to the question or we would still be under that law and we would never be able to see the Kingdom of God. It is true that Jesus expanded on these laws, but did so not as a law which condemns but as a point to show us we need a Savior. We can never be good enough. We can never keep all the law one hundred percent all of the time. If we use the law, or even all that Jesus expanded on as a check list, we might find that we would receive a failing grade. Why do we insist on trying to be good enough? Why do we think that we can live according to all the commands of God? It is clear, if we are honest with ourselves, that as much as we want to be good enough, we are not. Death is just there. But, thanks be to God, he did not leave us with the law which brings death to us, but he sent Jesus to fulfill that law, and to bring us life. So we accept Jesus and we live, but then we go right back to attempt to live under the law, checking the list of do’s and don’ts trying to make sure the do’s outweigh the don’ts. We hope that we live good enough to please God so we make it in. But what pleases God is, not our living good enough, although it seems it should, but our accepting his Son as our Lord and Savior. Saying yes to Jesus paying the price for us is ultimately what all the law, all the commands of God points us to. The law is our death, but Jesus is our righteousness. As glorious a moment that must have been when God himself penned those words on stone, it is far more glorious to have the love of God, Jesus, written on our hearts. So we should always choose Jesus. Righteousness over death. 

Death or Life

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

DEATH OR LIFE

2 Cor 3:4-6

4 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 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.

NIV

There are two very important points or lessons for us to learn or remember if we have forgotten here in this statement. The first if that we are absolutely without any abilities of our own when it comes to doing anything worthwhile for the Kingdom of God. That is to say we have no competence in our human efforts. All that we are, all that we do that is of value or worth, any competence we have comes directly from God. If for one minute we actually think we  are intelligent or have a great talent because of our own determination we might well be sliding down that slippery slope of pride, which is course sin. Oh sure we might have decided to go to college and learn a profession, put in the time to study and become able to secure a highly paid position. It might have even been a Bible College and our position is full time ministry. Or maybe we did not attend college and we are not in a highly paid position but work in some field of endeavor providing the best life we can, but also serving our Lord in some lay ministry. Whatever we are, whatever we do wherever we find ourselves in life, it is all because God has a plan for us and he empowers us for that plan. He gives us whatever abilities he determines for each of us. It may appear some have more than others, but it is God who makes each of us competent in what he desires for us to do. The second great truth here is this death or life situation. It is made very clear to us the law brought death. If we ever attempt to live under the law, under the rules and regulations God set out for the children of Israel we will surely die for we cannot ever be successful. That ought to teach us about establishing a bunch of man-made laws, rules and regulations, to live by. If the law of God brings death, why would not the laws of men bring it too? No, we need to live by the Spirit. We need to live in accordance with the Spirit of God, this brings life. We might even be a bit in trouble because we make the new covenant into a list of do’s and don’ts. We create checklists of how we are to act and what we can do, but especially those things we are not supposed do to. We spend some much effort in defining sin to the very exact wording. We write volumes of denominational rules defining how we believe. But which of us simply lives by the Spirit? We can be quite such Paul did not have any of the words of men to live by, but only the Spirit of God. If the Spirit is good enough for Paul, it should be good enough for us. So it comes down to death or life. 

Read By All

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

READ BY ALL

2 Cor 3:1-3

3:1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

NIV

Are we known and read by everybody? Do we show that we are a letter from Christ? Are we the result of someone’s ministry, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the loving God, not on tablets of stone but on the tablets of human hearts? That is a tall order to fill. It certainly would imply that we are to live our lives as an open book, transparent so that everyone can read the gospel message in us. It would appear we should not live a private secluded life, withdrawn from the public square. If we are to be read by everyone it would be necessary for us to be out there available on the news stand, with our headlines so bold that it could not be missed by those passing by. Letters, such as the ones Paul writes, are written to influence the way the reader lives. Letters like these bring hope and peace to the reader if, of course, they are read with in open mind and heart. Should we not be that kind of letter as well? Should we not live in such a manner that we bring hope and peace? We should bring the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ to all those who read us with an open mind and heart. Our lives should be such that we write on the human heart of those we come in contact with. But we must be on the news stand. We must be out these living among those who need to read us. We must engage ourselves in the lives of those who need to know about Jesus. Sure it is nice to hang around other believers and worship God together; in fact, we should be that kind of letter to each other as well. Yet the fact still remains we need to be read by those who need the message of salvation because they are part of that “known and read by everybody”.  So we should be available to be read, actually we should encourage people to read us. That would mean we should live what we believe. Paul had said he became all things to all men so that by all possible means he might save some. It is true we should not become blatant sinners in order to connect with other sinners, but we should engage them on their own turf so to speak, as Paul did, so as by all possible means they might be able to read us and know the saving grace of God. We need to be read by all.  

We Must Smell

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

WE MUST SMELL

2 Cor 2:12-17

12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia. 14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

NIV

Could we possible be just like what Paul is taking about? Could we spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ? Are we to God, the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing? It would appear that we are supposed to be. It is also pretty clear that to some people we are the smell of death and to others the fragrance of life. But the point here is that we should either have the smell of death or the fragrance of life. That would imply that we must smell one way or the other because we are constantly on all occasions spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ. We are asked if we are equal to the task. From this truth we must come to the conclusion that we cannot simply live our life among the people of this world in isolation. We cannot separate ourselves from the people of the world because they do things which God defines as sin. Are we really that free of sin that we dare not walk among them? And as we walk among them we cannot be without an odor. We must have a smell, either one of death or one of the fragrance of Christ. Therefore we cannot keep silent in our daily walk. We must speak up and speak out about the knowledge of Christ. Yes some are going to think we smell like death to them because they will reject this truth about Christ. They will be those who perish, but there are those who will get a whiff of the sweet aroma of Christ and be saved. So we cannot afford to make that choice for people by not speaking up, for in our silence we have chosen for all to perish for without the truth of Christ they have no choice. So we must smell. It is obvious from this passage there must have been men who peddled Jesus as a source of income, using Jesus for personal gain. But it is also clear that if we are sincere in our relationship with God, we will sense that we have been sent by him to be that aroma of Christ to the world, not for our own personal gain, but for the glory of the Kingdom of God. In fact, if we do spread the aroma of the knowledge of Christ, we might actually experience some personal loss, but that too would be to the glory of God. Just the fact that someone thinks we smell like death is a loss. They may no longer desire to be around us and shun us from their presence, or worse could happen. But we also get to experience with enormous joy someone coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. So we must smell.

Forgive, Comfort and Affirm love

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

FORGIVE, COMFORT AND AFFIRM LOVE

2 Cor 2:5-11

5 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent — not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9 The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven — if there was anything to forgive — I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

NIV

Not sure who Paul is referring to about causing everyone grief, but whoever it is, that person is the central message of this passage. We can be absolutely certain this is all about forgiveness and comfort and a reaffirmation of love toward anyone who offends us in anyway so that the person who offended us is not overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Sure it might be easier to carry hard feelings toward them. Yes it would be much easier to simply avoid them altogether and never speak to them again. It might even make us feel a little better if we would retaliate in some manner, not really harming them, but sort of getting even with them, a sort of tit for tat thing. But we simply cannot do that if we have any plans at all to be a follower of Christ. Of course it is a simple thing to forgive someone, but the problem is that we may never forget and then every time we are in their presence it floods our mind all over again about what they did, or said to us that caused us so much pain and grief. So that is why avoidance is so much better after forgiveness. But that does not work either if we are followers of Christ because not only should we forgive them but then we need to comfort them and if that isn't difficult enough we have to reaffirm our love for them. This is a real test of our faith in Christ. Sure we profess that we are believers and we live a life of obedience to God, but here we are perhaps in a grievous act of disobedience. Forgive, comfort and reaffirm love that is the plan of action toward anyone who offends us. Satan would love nothing more for us to be at some sort of odds with each other. That is Satan’s plan of attack, to divide us, for he knows a house divided cannot stand. If we allow any hard feelings to come between our love for each other, then we must make it right. Perhaps we are the one at fault in the first place. Perhaps we are starting the division unaware of our offense to a fellow believer and they have not come to this realization yet and thus get hurt, pull away from us and maybe even look for an opportunity to get even. Maybe we need to go to them and seek forgiveness starting the reconciliation process. It is quite possible we all offend without knowing it. We surely need the Holy Spirit to speak to our spirits and give us insight into our relationships with fellow believers. Forgive, comfort and affirm love. 

Do It In Love

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

DO IT IN LOVE

2 Cor 2:1-4

2:1 So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? 3 I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.

NIV

It is clear Paul is referring to all the rebuking and or correcting he gave them in his first letter. Perhaps he heard how they were not happy to get such correction. It is always somewhat painful to be told that we are wrong and need to change the way we are doing something. Even though it should not be, it is especially painful when our sin is pointed out to us. If we know the truth, but veer slightly off center, being influenced perhaps by a traditional view, we should welcome the insight inspired by the Holy Spirit of a fellow believer, who informs us of our wavering off center. But for the most part we might put up our defensive shield, denying the offense, claiming we are right and thinking they have no right to judge us. This would then fall into this category of what Paul calls being grieved. But there is another view here and that is  the one of Paul. What if we are the one who must speak or write to our fellow believer who has veered off center? How do we handle that situation? Do we feel a great distress and anguish of heart? Do our eyes fill with tears about having to say what we must? Are we motivated by self-righteousness or by such a great love for our fellow believer in the bringing of our words? It would appear we need to see both sides of this situation for at any moment in time we could be on either one, for who of us is perfect? Who of us knows deep within our heart that we are always walking the straight and narrow path? Who of us knows that we have not moved off center from time to time? Yet it seems this situation is regarding the whole of the church in Corinth. Should we consider if the whole of the church we are attending has veered off the center due to the influence of tradition, or of societal needs? Is the church we attend left the truth behind, or at least watered it down a bit, in order to be more popular among the world? Has our style of worship become all too similar to that of a pop concert rather than praise and worship of heart? Maybe we should go back and reread all those instructions, corrections again. Maybe we should understand that if we are corrected it is because God loves us so much and he desires us to enter into his joy. So if we are the corrected or the correcting we must do it in love. 

Firmness of Faith

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

FIRMNESS OF FAITH

2 Cor 1:23-24

23 I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.

NIV

Another section of what appears to be of a personal note, or of a personal nature yet it still holds a truth for us. Should any of us be so spiritual that we ever feel better than another? Should we ever consider lording it over others about how much of a better Christian we are then they? It would not be a very good attitude if we ever felt we were in any way better, more spiritual than any other. In fact, that would be prideful and that is sin, which puts us right at the same level of who we might be judging to be inferior to our great faith or obedience to God. It would seem right for us to know who we are, and that we are a part of the body of Christ and we should be working together with all the other parts for the greater good of all, so that all of us could experience the joy of the Lord together. It might be good for us to spend time rejoicing because of another’s faith in God and thier standing firm in their position, their convictions about God and their relationship to him. Instead of seeing their faults we should be seeing their faith. We should be rejoicing about their faith. In all reality we do not know all the temptations and trials they are experiencing. Although if we were really being the true body of Christ we most likely should know these things, yet in real life, we do not. We all tend to hold back our own personal problems and troubles and simply bring prayer requests for our uncle’s friend who has a nephew who lives next to a person who is having trouble. If we really were being who we should be, then we could share our needs, our own needs and we could rejoice with each other in our standing firm in the face of adversity. We may never get to that point, but we surely should, at least, not judge each other, and still rejoice because others are saved and trying their best to live a life pleasing to God. We all fail at that, but we are all standing firm in our faith. We all are trying to live with the sin that so easily beseechs us. We all are trying to overcome temptations, and to continue in our walk with God. We each face some of the same temptations and some face different ones, but we are not giving up on God, on our faith and just going back to a life of faithless, hopeless despair, living solely for self-satisfaction. So let rejoice together because of our firmness of faith.   

Anointed

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

ANOINTED

2 Cor 1:21-22

21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

NIV

It is an awesome thing to have been anointed by God with his Holy Spirit. If we were to picture a great throne room, covered with Gold, silver and other precious metals, with crystal chandeliers hanging from a crystal ceiling giving a heavenly illumination. There is even a golden floor with jewels such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires embedded in it. A large stairway at the end of this great hall is leading up to the throne of pure gold surrounded with angels and upon the throne God almighty sits in all his glory and splendor. He calls out our name and summons us to come up the stairs to kneel at his feet so that he might anoint us with his Spirit. He declares that we are one of his.  He declares that because we now belong to him his divine power is available to us. He declares that because we now belong to him, no one may ever bring harm upon us without incurring his wrath. As he anoints us he places his Spirit in our hearts and declares it to be his guarantee of what will now happen in our lives. He guarantees us that when we are finished with the body he gave us to live in this earth and place it to rest that he will resurrect it in a glorified state and that we will ascend into the place that Jesus has been preparing for us. God instructs us that this is his deposit on a future reward he has for us because we are his, he owns us. All of this would certainly imply that we do not own ourselves, that we are not our own, that we cannot simply “Do our own thing”. Why would anyone want to give back his guarantee? Why would anyone want to exchange his deposit on us, his divine anointing for self-satisfaction? Why would anyone ever give that up? We have something wonderful, actually beyond what our words can describe, which is going to happen. Our future is so incredible because we responded to his call and we knelt at his feet and received his anointing, accepting his seal, the Holy Spirit, upon our hearts. The glory of what is to come awaits us. We have been anointed. 

Yes

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

YES

2 Cor 1:18-20

18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.

NIV

It is always “yes” in Christ. There is no confusion with God. There is no I will if I feel like it with God. There is no maybe I will think about it with God. There is no “No” with God. It does not matter how rotten of a person we could have been, God has said “Yes” to redeem us through Christ Jesus. It does not matter how poorly we are able to living a life completely free of sin, God has said “Yes” to forgiving our sin through Christ Jesus. If we fail and ask for forgiveness, God says “Yes”. If we are in need of something and ask, God says “Yes”. The gospel message is a message of “Yes” not one of “No”. It is us who make the lists of do’s and don’ts that we think has some bearing on our relationship with God. True he does tell us there are attitudes and behaviors that we should discard, throw off and avoid. But he will always say “Yes” to us when we come to him and seek him. Our lists cannot do that. Our lists are simply lists and a series of check marks as if we are being graded, and that grading is not from God, but from either ourselves or other people. Sure, we need to pay attention to those areas of our life that do not please God, but he is not an angry vengeful God who looks for every opportunity to punish us and tell us “No” because we failed. He is a loving and caring Father looking for every opportunity to say “Yes” because we are his children and he desires the very best for us. That is why he sent Jesus to die for us, for our sin so that he would not have to say “No” you cannot enter my rest. Because of Jesus, God says “Yes” come and enter my rest, “Yes” come and be a part of my Heavenly Kingdom. God does not say “No” you cannot make it, you cannot do it. He says “Yes” you can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives you strength.  It is just a comfort to know we have a God of “Yes”.

By My Word

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

BY MY WORD

2 Cor 1:15-17

15 Because I was confident of this, I planned to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16 I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 When I planned this, did I do it lightly? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say, "Yes, yes" and "No, no"?

NIV

More of what seems a personal note or dialog about Paul’s plans to visit these Corinthians a second time. But within this statement, stands a truth about the human condition that we might benefit from. When we make plans we need to weight our plans carefully and with much thought so as not to change them if something better comes alone that would seem to suit our fancy much better. All too often people change they plans based on having the opportunity to engage in something better than the original plans would have afford. Perhaps this is what Paul was being accused of and he wanted to make sure they understand that he is not like other people. When he says he planned to visit them, he make those plans with great consideration of the cost and he was not going to forego those plans because of some personal comfort. Could we say the same thing about how we plan our visits, or times of getting together with friends? Does something always come up that we would rather do so we cancel our engagement? Maybe something comes up that we feel really deserves our attention so we cancel our first plans. Maybe something comes up that is really important. Maybe something comes up that gives us the opportunity to serve or be of a help to someone so we cancel. Maybe something comes up that simply means we have an excuse to cancel. It would appear when we make plans we should make sure those plans are actually what we want to do, then if so, make them and then stick to our plans. Make our yes, yes and our no, no. If we say we are going to do something, then do it. If we say we can’t do that, then don’t do it. But whatever we say we need to follow through. Sure there might be actually emergency times when we have to cancel, like if we are having a heart attack, or perhaps a family member has been injured or taken seriously ill very suddenly and we must rush to the bedside. But the point we might take away here is that we need to stand by our word. 

Checkup from the Neck Up

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

CHECKUP FROM THE NECKUP

2 Cor 1:12-14

2 Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God's grace. 13 For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14 as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.

NIV

Isn’t it clear that our lesson today is all about how we conduct ourselves in the world? Can we say that our relationship with others is in the holiness sincerity that is from God? It is also clear that we should not live or conduct our lives in the same manner as the world does, especially in our relationships with each other as well as and even more so with those who do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior. It would also appear that in our conversations with unbelievers we should not be using Christianese terms, but speak to them in terms that they can understand. It is not that unbelievers are stupid; in fact many are far more intelligent than we are, but we might use terms that are only familiar to those in the church than those out of the church and it may sound like we are talking about something strange. So we need to be aware of how we relate to others, and speak in terms that make sense to them. If we ever intent to establish a relationship in which we can boast about them and they about us, we need to be able to communicate at a level of mutual benefit. This, of course does not mean that we should live in the same manner as other may. This does not imply that we should have the same set of values as others. This does not infer that we should behave in any way that would compromise the Word of God. But we should be able to relate to anyone because there is no sin that is not common to all men. It would be good for us to do a check of not just how we relate but what is our attitude toward others. Is our conscience able to testify that we have conducted ourselves properly in the world? Sure we might put up a good front, but what is going on inside of us. How do we actually think? How do we actually consider those other people? Do we in any way think of ourselves as any better? To really live in the manner this passage implies we should start with a checkup from the neck up. Then look at the heart. 

Rely

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

RELY

2 Cor 1:8-11

8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

NIV

Sometimes hardships and trouble come our way just so we can remember that we need to rely or trust in God for every aspect of our life. That is the question we should be asking of ourselves every day. Do we actually rely on God for every area of our life? Sometimes it seems that there is so much of our life that we can do all by ourselves, after all look at all those people who are doing so well and they don’t even know God. Why can’t we just live in the same way they do, relying completely on their own abilities? Yet when those people encounter some sort of peril they have no one to rely on, but we often hear so many in those times ask why God allowed that disaster to happen, so many innocent lives were lost. But were they declared innocent by God? That is one thing we can rely on, is that we have been declared innocent by God, yet even in times of peril, we can rely on him. If we die in the peril we can rely on him to resurrect us into his presence. If we live through the peril than we, having relied on him, can give praise and honor and glory to his name. We can also be sure that many will give thanks to God for our enduring and making it through some sort of hardship, or perilous situation. Even though Paul says that he was so despondent that he wished he was thinking he would die in that perilous situation, we really need not worry for God is at our side. Whether we live or die, God will see us though. But the point here is that we should be relying on him for everything in our life, that way if or when hardship comes we will have been in practice of relying on him. It might be more difficult to rely on him if we have been relying on ourselves all along in the good times. 

Show Off

DEVOTION

2 CORINTHIANS

SHOW OFF

2 Cor 1:3-4

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. NIV

Who of us would refuse accepting compassion and comfort from God? Surely we might experience some troubles in this life, and it is in those times when we are in real need of the Father’s compassion and comfort. It may be necessary for us to actually look for that compassion and comfort instead of simply wallowing in self-pity over our troubles. Sometimes we might wonder if God is really showing us any compassion or comfort when we are going through those times of trouble. Maybe we think that if He was compassionate enough we would not have to experience those troubles. Why would he let us have to be exposed to those troubles? Why wouldn’t he just take them away, if he had enough compassion? But that is not the case, no He shows us compassion and comfort in the midst of those times, giving us the assurance we will get through and in fact be a better person on the other side. He has told us that tribulations works in us to produce patience. We are also told to even consider it pure joy when we experience trials. But the point here is in the fact that we, having experienced the compassion and comfort from God, can exhibit that same compassion and comfort to others when they are going through troubled times. Now we would think that they should just look to God for that compassion and comfort as we do, but maybe, just maybe those who we should show this compassion and comfort to are not believers.  Maybe this is the whole point of our knowing this compassion and comfort from God, so we can demonstrate his person to those who do not know him. We get a chance to show him off.