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.