A Cheerful Heart

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

A CHEERFUL HEART

2 Cor 9:6-8

6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

NIV

Paul is continuing with his comments about giving and he has come to the point of the work of God. Yes, we have the part of giving, but God has the part of rewarding the giving in accordance with the way in which we give. Paul uses the farmer as a metaphor to give us this picture. It would make perfect sense that if a farmer only put a few seeds in the ground his harvest would be sparse. However, if he put a large quantity of seed in the ground his harvest would be plentiful. But this is totally up to the farmer as to how much seed he puts in the ground. That is how we are to see our giving. If we only give a little, God will bless us a little, but if we give more, God will bless us more, for he only blesses what we give.  At least, that is the principle Paul is laying out here. It seems right, however, it also seems that we are limited God the limit of our giving. How does that work? Can we put limits on God’s blessings? Perhaps the idea here has more to do with the attitude of our giving rather than the amount. We certainly have the control as to how much we give and we should not feel as though we are forced to give, as may be the style of some of these false preachers. We have witnessed some of the most created methods to fleece the flock as much as possible. Certainly, the people did not decide in their hearts without compulsion. But here we are in the everyday church, and it is up to us as to how much we give, and it is all about our attitude. We should not think that our tithe is our duty, or is required of us, because we have become a member of a particular denominational church. Again, simply tithing is somewhat of giving within a limit, however, it is in line with giving in accordance with our income. If that is what we have decided to do, fine, that is what is in our heart, and we want to five that tithe, we enjoy giving it. Sheer mathematics should tell us that we can more than live comfortably on ninety percent of our income, but the fact is God can make that ninety or less be more than enough to live quite nicely, in fact, Paul says all grace will abound to us if we give with a cheerful heart. That is the central core issue, a cheerful heart. 

Reminders

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

REMINDERS

2 Cor 9:1-5

9:1 There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. 2 For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. 3 But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4 For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we — not to say anything about you — would be ashamed of having been so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.

NIV

We have to go all the back to the beginning of Paul's first letter to them to find that he had instructed them that on the first day of the week, they should give in accordance with their income and lay up those weekly gifts, like a tithe, so that when he or someone he sends can collect it all as a gift for the suffering saints in Judea. He is still speaking to them about this and how he had boasted to other churches about the Corinthian church's eagerness and readiness to send their collected gift. However, what appears by his language here is that he wants to make sure they have done what they said they would do so that he would not be ashamed of having confidence in them. What is seems like it that he does not have as much confidence in them as he says as he feels the need to remind them of the fact, they should have this gift already stored up and ready to be handed off to the men assigned to collect it as soon as they arrive. What this may tell us is that maybe it is not good to express any confidence in other people, or for them to express any confidence in us. The fact is we should not even have any confidence in ourselves because we would be relying on the flesh, which we know is weak. All our confidence and trust must be directed toward the Lord. Why would we even attempt to boast about others, or again, for that matter, boast about ourselves? Yet it seems at times that is exactly what we may be guilty of doing. We may not verbally express this self-boasting, or self-confidence, although we might, we could have it within, thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. We might think we have it all together, doing all the right things, doing good deeds, working, or serving in the church or some charitable organization. We might think well of ourselves because we study the scriptures and can quote many of them, or that we have some biblical degrees or for that matter one or more secular degrees, believing in the power of our education. The fact is we are flesh and blood and as such we are subject to the temptations of the flesh and because we are humans we fail, we falter, we sin, and therefore have no reason to boast in anyone other than the Lord. Just like the Corinthians, we need those reminders of what we should be doing, or should have done so that we stay the course. If we are not constantly reminded, which the scriptures as well as hearing the word, such as a Sunday sermon, serve to do, we could lose sight of the path we should be on. Yes, we have the Spirit within urging us on, giving us the strength, but it is also good to always get those reminders, to be given our daily bread. 

Being Sent

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

BEING SENT

2 Cor 8:22-24

22 In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. 24 Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.

NIV

Once again, a lot of personal notes from Paul regarding others that work alone side of him, and some are known in the Corinthian church and some are not, but they will meet them on their arrival. What we can pick up on is the testimony that Paul gives regarding these brothers. One, they are representatives of the churches. It would be more appropriate to translate this as messengers of the gospel or apostles as this is the Greek word that is used.  Two, whoever, these brothers, or brother is for it could be either as the Greek does not imply singular or plural, they are an honor to Christ. This is a testimony that would be good to be said about us. First, that we are a good representative of the church, that is we represent Christianity, thus Christ well. What would being an apostle or representative of the church look like? We always think that an apostle has to be one sent with others, some translations of the word apostle include being sent as a messenger of the gospel with miraculous powers. That would seem then it only applied to the twelve apostles. However, Jesus said that those who have faith in him will do what he has done and in fact will do even greater things, for he is going to the Father and if we ask anything in his name, he will do it. So then, it is possible to be a messenger of the gospel and the fact that we have been told to go into all the world, we have been sent with orders and we can, if we have faith, have miraculous powers. Granted, that would require living beyond mediocrity in our Christian walk. That would require a full-fledged, all-out commitment to being all that we can be and being a messenger, a representative. This would mean that we would have to represent the gospel, and that is not done by observation of rules, or even good works, for even the pagans, obey rules of conduct and do good works. When we think of what a representative in government is supposed to do, whether they do it or not, they are supposed to speak for the people who sent them. This is the same as being an ambassador, who only speaks for his sovereign. This means that if we are all in as being a representative of the church, of Christ, then we have to do more than good works, we have to speak up for the gospel, we have to use our words, demonstrating the power of God, both in our lives and through our lives, as we have been sent to honor Christ. 

Doing it Right

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

DOING IT RIGHT

2 Cor 8:16-21

16 I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. 17 For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. 18 And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel.   19 What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.

NIV

There is a right way and thus there must be a wrong way to administer the gifts of men. Paul is letting them know their gift is going to be used to honor God. But how do we relate to all this? We give, but our gifts are usually in the form of giving to the church by tithing. Occasionally there might be a special need and so a specific offering is taken, or there might be a pledge taken for giving so much each week for a particular need. This is usually something to do with the building, repairs or additions, or some other types of construction. Many churches usually have some group of people, whatever they call them, to serve as administrators of church funds. Is it their job to make sure all gifts are used in the right way in the eyes of God as well as in the eyes of men? That seems to be the criteria needed. But that is still concerning how the church handles the funds and that is usually in accordance with an established budget. But how do we personalize this? It would appear our responsibility is simply to give and believe those who administer the gifts of others correctly in the eyes of God and in the eyes of men. That is the church membership approves the way the funds are used. But what if we all are off track? What if we think it is right because it seems right in the eyes of men, but may not be right in the eyes of God and, in fact, does not honor God? Certainly, we are aware of some of those false preachers who take a liberal offering and misuse it for their own personal gain or abundant lifestyle.  Still, this seems not about us personally, but about those who handle the church funds. So, we have to believe, because we are a part of the church, that these people do what is right in the sight of God. 

Equality

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

EQUALITY

2 Cor 8:13-15

13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15 as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."  

NIV

Here is the idea of equality being expressed that we mentioned before. The Corinthians had taken up an offering to be sent to some other church in Macedonia that must have had some difficult times. We are not sure what exactly their situation was but they were in need of what must have been financial assistance. It would seem unlikely that Paul and one or two others could carry enough foodstuffs to make a difference. We are not sure how this equality fits into the church today. Paul is quoting from Exodus during the time God provided manna from heaven. What was said was that every man was to go out and gather what he needed according to the number of people in his tent. When it was all said and done and measured, those that gather much, because of the number of people in their tent was great, and they who gathered little because they had few people in their tent, everyone had just as they needed, not more or less then they needed, but just the right amount, or in some sense the same amount needed. But what does that have to do with the point that Paul is making? He is not talking about gathering what is needed, but rather some sharing from their plenty with others who have little. This almost sounds a little like sharing the wealth or spreading the wealth around, which is somewhat socialistic. But then who is to say who has plenty and who has little? Paul also makes the point that their plenty may only be a temporary situation from which they can give, and at some point, in time they may be a situation of little, and then others will give to their need. So, in some sense, it still boils down to equality. However, we are still a little confused as to how do we apply that to our lives today. Surely there is a disparity in income levels within any church. Does the equality that Paul speaks about apply to this situation so that those who have an abundance of income help those who have little income? In our economy today that seems somewhat unfair for those who work hard to support those who work little. We do not think this is what Paul is talking about at all, yet it is about reaching out from our plenty to those who are hurting for reasons beyond their control. One church coming together to help support another church, which is one group of people gathering an offering to send to another group of people who need help for a temporary situation, and in turn when their situation of need is over, they will be able to gather an offering and send it to those who may at one time had plenty but now are in a temporary place of need. Could it just be about sharing instead of storing?

 

Eager Willingness

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

EAGER WILLINGNESS

2 Cor 8:10-12

10 And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

NIV

Paul is going to be getting to the center of his idea, but as usual, it takes Paul a while as he develops his thoughts fully. We are still in this concept of giving, and he makes the point that this Corinthian Church had given last year and they did so because they desired to give. But now he is advising them what is best and that is to finish the work of giving. He tells them although they are eager and willing to give that they should match that eagerness and willingness by their completing the act of giving. This almost sounds as if giving is not a weekly thing, as we have turned it into, but that it is something that is done in response to a need of others when they are in need. In fact, what Paul says next gives us that very insight, but we will leave that for later. Nevertheless, the point we glean from this portion is the acceptability of their gift. The reason it is acceptable is because of their willingness to give. This is a key in all giving. We should not give out of duty or compulsion, but willingly, which implies wanting to give to meet the needs of others. Again, it seems we have turned this giving into a weekly concept, not to meet the needs of others, but for the continual, never-ending, expenses of our local church. It also may be true that somehow it has become more than simply our willingness to give to meet the needs of others. Our giving has become the tithe that we are expected to give when we become a member of a denomination. It does not appear in any way to what Paul is speaking about here, as later he mentions this equality matter. This indicates that some people who have more give to those who have less, and if when those who have less at some time have more, they will share with those who have less so that there is equality in the church. This is simply not the way we operate. However, we do give according to our means, which we usually translate as our paycheck. But Paul makes it sound as though giving is to be in accordance with what we have, and not according to what we don’t have. It seems that implies more than just a tithe of our paycheck, but how do we determine just what it means to willingly give according to what we have, and then to whom do we give. To answer that, we need more information and further research. For now, let us simply consider the idea of eager willingness. 

Poor and Rich

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

POOR AND RICH

2 Cor 8:8-9

8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

NIV

Although we are taking portions of this section that Paul is speaking to them about giving, which takes the whole chapter. Nevertheless, we want to take some little truths alone the way. Here Paul says that wants to test the sincerity of their love. It certainly appears he is comparing them to some other church and the diligence of that church. Although it must be implied, because it is not spelled out, this other church was diligent in giving. It is a little strange that he makes this statement about Jesus became poor so that through His poverty they might become rich. Because Paul is talking about giving and this refers to funds, it almost sounds like Jesus had a lot of money, being God, and he gave it all away, becoming poor so that we could become wealthy financially so we could give. But that is actually what Paul is saying. Christ, the creator of the universe, who all things belong to, who sat in the heavenly’s left it all and took the form of man, born a baby in a stable, lived his whole life, never owning any property, had no inheritance to leave at his death, except his peace. From the stable to the cross, Jesus owned nothing, but his life and death were a benefit to all mankind. The point Paul is making is that if God did this for our benefit, then how much more should we give for the benefit of others. Paul will also go on to talk about giving from that which we have and not from that which we don’t have. But we should not get ahead of ourselves, yet the point is that we can only give according to our means. We have turned this into the tithe as our way of giving according to our means. But again, this still is saying the rich here means financial gain. Of course, the world works on a gold standard or is based on money and how much can be accumulated. We all need to know we have some financial security to a point yet does that hinder our willingness to give other than our tithe, which as we already considered is not actually giving to the poor, but rather supporting the expenses of the church itself. Although our budget usually includes some missionary giving, or a portion to some local outside ministry, the bulk of our giving pays staff salaries and building expenses, plus setting as much aside for future needs of the church. Meanwhile, there are some smaller churches where the pastors must work outside the church to support themselves. There is such a disparage in what would be seen as rich in the sense of financial matters. However, this seems to be the central theme of this portion of the letter and we should not try too much to spiritualize Jesus becoming poor so we can become rich. There are many believers all throughout the world that would be considered poor by most standards, so then how can they be rich, if we don’t see this in some spiritual sense. There is also a great chasm between many believers, even in one local church where they are very wealthy individuals and others who are barely making ends meet. It would seem equality does not exist in money matters, so then maybe this truth of Jesus becoming poor, emptying himself so that we could become rich by inheriting eternal life and that is what we should be eager to share with others. There may be more to this than we can consider in this short time. Nevertheless, the truth is still that he become poor so we could become rich.

 

To Excel

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

TO EXCEL

2 Cor 8:4-7

  5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. 6 So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But just as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us-see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

NIV

As we continue with this long dissertation that takes up the whole of this chapter, or portion of this letter, we find another tidbit of truth that we can consider being something that should be part of our lives. First, we should note the giving of the Macedonians was considered by Paul as an act of grace. He is also urging the Corinthian church to act in the same manner by also giving graciously. However, he also makes sure to encourage them and, in some manner, praise them. He says they excel in everything, which is made up of faith, their speech, knowledge, complete earnestness, and love. It seems those four areas of their lives are everything, except the part of giving, which he says should be included in "the everything" they excel in. In looking at the four Greek words of these four areas, they fit nicely with this translation, so let’s explore how they should be part of our lives. First, we have faith. Do we excel in our faith? Do we excel in our moral conviction, in our believing and trusting in God, and do we live accordingly? That is how much of our life do we trust God for and how much of our life do we trust in ourselves for. Certainly, we trust or depend on God for our salvation, but do we work as though as if it depends on us. The second area of life we should find within is our speech. How do we talk and what do we talk about? What manner of words do we use and especially in our responses to others? We have to remember, Jesus said that it is what comes out of our mouth that defiles us, not what we eat or drink and that means our speech. Words are important and they define who we are. Sure, we talk about all sorts of subjects, sports, weather, travels, experiences, and many other things. That is just part of being human, but in our daily encounters, do we refrain from words that hurt, or impair a relationship with have with someone. Knowledge is another area that means we must always be in pursuit of learning more. When can we say that we know enough? How can we excel in knowledge if we are not becoming knowledgeable and that must be in the word of God? What good is worldly knowledge? It may provide, because of education, the knowledge that allows us to obtain some area of work to produce an income to live comfortably on. But all that will pass away, but the “word” will remain. We remember that Jesus said that apart from Him we can do nothing, so it is by the word of God, but our knowledge of the word of God that we truly learn and have life. This word earnestness is one that the Greek may lend more to being seen as diligent. That is we cannot be lazy in our living as Christian, or Christ-followers. We must be diligent in the way we live, active, pursuing living for Christ. This must mean that we simply cannot go through life doing that which life affords and Christianity only being part of our life. What seems right is that first and foremost we are believers, followers of Jesus, and that means we diligently follow and live accordingly with the guidance of the Spirit, which implies every aspect of our lives, where we live, work, worship, play, etc. That last is love. We need to excel in love and to explore that, we would need a book, not simply these short thoughts. Nevertheless, all the aspects of life need to be surrounded by love. First, for our love for God, and then for our love for others, and that we should excel in. 

Sharing

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

SHARING

2 Cor 8:1-4

8:1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.

NIV

This is just the beginning of a longer dissertation on giving and the equality of giving. However, there are truths within that we should stop and ponder on. What we should focus on is this Macedonian church in its giving. Paul says they gave entirely on their own. What does he mean by that? How did they know they needed to give? Paul had to have told them there was some need in another church otherwise they would have no need to give. The need had to have been known, but still, they were not coerced to give. They wanted to give, they pleaded with Paul to allow them to give to the need of others. This seems to be a far cry from how the modern church functions. Most of the giving is used to supply the needs of the individual church itself. Although within the guidelines of denominationalism local churches are mandated a percentage be sent to supply the needs of either the region or the national headquarters. However, even in this, most of the giving is spent on salaries and the expenses of the physical buildings. There is this item of a budget and that it is established, and the aim is to fulfill the budget based on the compulsion of giving. Many churches operate on the principle of tithing, while some denominations have dictated the amount each should give, at least in the past. But the case is there seems to be little or no equality in the purpose of giving. Paul makes that point later in this portion of this letter, but it is part of his point. Of course, there is some of the budget that is set to be given to outside the local church. Certain missionaries that have been approved receive some support from each local church within their denomination. There may be some local outreach ministries that receive a number of donations, but again nothing that matches anything like the local expenses of the church itself, even to the point of some churches being able to store up funds for some unexpected want or need. Then there are certain members who give but want that giving to be used for only one purpose, or what is referred to as designated giving. Whatever the reason or purpose of storing the funds seems not to be aligned with the scriptural principles that Paul mentions here. There is some mention of local churches storing up funds until someone came to gather them to take them to the place of need, but then all the funds were taken for the need. It appears we may have missed the mark on this giving issue, but then this is now and that was then. Maybe we need some newer principles because of the different way we conduct church then they did. We will have to see how this concept of sharing plays out. 

Refreshers

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

REFRESHERS

2 Cor 7:13-16

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 14 I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. 15 And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. 16 I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.

NIV

Do we refresh each other’s spirit? That is the truth in this comment by Paul regarding the visit of Titus in Corinth. Can we boast about our congregation to people, telling them that if they come to visit their spirit will be refreshed? Most often any boasting is usually about the pastor, saying how good he is, how his messages are so well done, or about his personality. But rarely have we heard anyone boast about their fellow believers in a church. Rarely have we heard anyone say how much confidence they have in their fellow church members that if someone came to visit, their spirit would certainly be refreshed. Why is that? Do we fail to refresh that visitor? Do we fail to refresh one another? Are we even aware that we should be refreshing each other? What is the purpose of our being in church in the first place? Of course, we are there to worship our Lord, that is the ultimate purpose, at least we think that should be. But do we actually worship in spirit and in truth, or do we simply go to church because that is what is expected, or that is our routine? Perhaps we go because we like the pastor and how he preaches, or we just want to be seen by the pastor, so he knows we were in church? The truth is that we ought to consider that idea that we do not go to church to be served or to be encouraged, or lifted up, but that we go to church to serve, to encourage, to build up, to lift up others, refreshing others so that it is so easy for all of us to receive a guest and they will feel so refreshed in their spirit they will feel right at home. Can we have that complete confidence in each other’s obedience in receiving a visitor that they will be glad, remembering all the affection that was shown to them? If we are failing in this, then we have to improve, and that improvement can only start with one, then two, and on and on affecting each other until we all have become refreshers.

Earnestness and Eagerness

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

EARNESTNESS AND EAGERNESS

2 Cor 7:8-13

8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it — I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. 13 By all this we are encouraged.

NIV

Although we could spend time on so much of what Paul says here there is a central point that he makes about the difference between worldly and Godly sorrow. When he says that worldly sorrow brings death it has to mean that without faith in Jesus Christ a person who comes to the realization of the wrong they have done has no course of help, but sinks into despair and perhaps depression so deep that death is the only escape. This kind of wrongdoing is filled with regret and is harmful to life. However, Paul makes it clear that Godly sorrow is far different for it brings repentance and that leads to salvation which leaves no regret and that brings life. Godly sorrow is part of this process of transformation. Paul says that it produced certain tracts within them which must have been missing prior to their experiencing this Godly sorrow. Earnestness is the first he mentions. This has to be the earnestness concerning their own lives, which means an honest look within and seeing the wrong and eagerly wanting to clear themselves, being indignant and alarmed and longing and ready to see justice done. Although Paul is speaking about either one or more individuals which did this wrong, which some scholars believe it involved some incestuous act, the point here is wrong requires justice. However, Jesus already paid that price, he paid the price for justice against sin. We are told that Jesus takes away the sin of the world, that is faith in Jesus relieves us from the penalty of death for sin. But at the same time, we should not be eager to sin, but rather be honest with ourselves and see the sin that is within us and always be repenting, having this Godly sorrow for our failures, our weakness for certain temptations. We are not to ignore or justify our attitudes or behaviors thus making provisions for the flesh. However, it is also true that we cannot attain perfection while in the body, still, we are not to accept that imperfection is acceptable. That is we should always be in a state of transformation, improving, as when we are aware of our weakness, as Paul said before, turn our eyes, in a manner of speaking. That is trying to resist those things which tempt us. Yield to the Spirit instead of the temptation, whether that be an attitude, emotion, or behavior. We have heard the teaching about behaviors often enough, and that has led over the years to those lists of don’ts. It also seems we have heard little taught about the attitudes of the heart, bitterness, unforgiveness, even some point revengeful, which manifests itself through slander, which is that fancy word for gossip. No, earnestness and eagerness are hand in hand in our introspective style of living under the influence of the Spirit. Earnest with ourselves, and eager to overcome our faults with the help of the Spirit. 

 

Comfort

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

COMFORT

2 Cor 7:5-7

5 For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn — conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

NIV

This is certainly a personal portion of this letter and maybe there is a reference to whatever person was causing disruption among the Corinthian church. What we have to observe here, is whether there is any application that we could make to current lives within today's church, which includes our lives. The one glaring truth is that God comforts the downcast and in the case of Paul it was by the arrival of Titus who was also a recipient of the comfort the church gave him. We also wonder if comfort has any relationship to compassion. Although we can think of comfort as traveling in comfort or having very comfortable accommodations, the meaning here is more of easing or alleviation of a person’s feelings of grief and distress.  So then is the comfort of God expressed through humans comforting someone? When we simply comfort a fellow believer, or for that matter, an unbeliever, is it an act of God? Are we capable of expressing comfort in the flesh alone? Might be the case, as it appears that unbelievers are able to exhibit comfort for someone in their hour of sorrow, such as the loss of a loved one. However, there has to be some difference between human and divine comfort, because Paul makes it clear that God comforts the downcast. He certainly can us a person to accomplish his comforting, and in the case with Paul, it was Titus. The point here is that we need to be open to the Spirit and be ready to express his comfort to those who are distressed, experiencing certain conflicts on the outside and fears within. On the other hand, we are grateful that when we are having difficult times God is there to comfort us, and perhaps through a fellow believer. God promised us that he would provide all our needs and comfort is one of them. In a world full of chaos and turmoil, if we pay too much attention to this chaos we can become overwhelmed and even distressed. However, when we turn our attention to God, we find comfort. It is interesting this Greek word translated as comfort is from the same root word used to describe the comforter, the Holy Spirit, the “paracleat”. Perhaps there is a real difference between what humans consider comfort, then when God comforts. When God comforts us there is a deep sense of calm that floods our soul, something that no human can cause, although they may try. The truth here is that when we are in need of some comfort, let us trust the Lord, for he has already sent us the comforter.

Living Together

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

LIVING TOGETHER

2 Cor 7:2-4

2 Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. 4 I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.

NIV

Having considered wronging no one and corrupting no one, we should also ponder on the concept of exploiting no one. The Greek word translated as exploited carries the meaning of taking advantage of someone. If Paul had exploited them, it would have been him gaining in some way by thanking advantage if their newness in Christ. This might relate in some way to those flamboyant false teacher/preacher types that exploit the gullible for their personal gain of living large. We have seen firsthand this manipulation of large crowds of unsuspecting believers to garner huge offerings meant as an offering to God but used for the personal lifestyle of the false preacher. We must ensure that we do not exploit anyone for our personal gain. It would seem this could not ever be possible as we would have to be in a position of some influence. Still, is it possible that we could take advantage of others in some way? In order to do this, we would have to be fairly self-centered, always thinking about how we can achieve our goals or ambitions and if need by using someone for that purpose. It would have to go against the idea of servicing one another for us to exploit others. We would have to think more highly of ourselves than we should, and in fact, think we are better than others in some way. Therefore, it would appear we are in no danger of exploiting anyone, for if anything we have somewhat of an inferiority complex, speaking in a personal way. Now as far as the rest of what Paul says it is clear as to the attitude, we are to have with each other. We cannot condemn anyone but always should have room in our hearts for everyone so that we would desire to either live or die with them. There is also this idea of having confidence in others, believing they will do the right thing, of course, that is not our right thing, but that which God desires them to do. The right thing is always obeying the word of the Lord. What having confidence in others accomplishes is eliminating judgment or being critical of them, and again, that comes from thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. If we are living in a manner that pleases God then we would take pride in the way others are living to please God, for if we are doing that which we should, such as building each other up until we all reach the unity in the faith, and encourage one another, admonishing each other, then we would be able to take pride in how the whole body of Christ is serving one another, each doing their part in the body, with Christ being our head. We can be encouraged by how others are living for Christ. All this comes down to how we see ourselves in relationship to the body of Christ, and understanding that we all live together. 

Living Considerately

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

LIVING CONSIDERATELY

2 Cor 7:2-4

2 Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. 4 I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.

NIV

Paul makes it clear how he feels about these people. He also wants them to know how sincere he is about them and his ministry among them. We must ask ourselves some of these questions. The first is whether we can say if we have wronged no one. To live a life without ever wronging another person would be difficult. Sometimes we make mistakes and maybe innocently wrong someone without knowing. Some people get their feelings hurt easily and it would not be too difficult to wrong them. There must have been some people like that in Corinth and yet Paul is confident that he never wronged any of them. This would take living intentionally, with a consistent awareness of our words and actions to have that same confidence that Paul had. He also makes sure that he did not corrupt anyone. The Greek word translated as corrupt has the direct meaning to shrivel, wither or spoil. In the context used it would carry the meaning to ruin by moral influences, to deprave. This would require living in such a manner that we are an example of Christ, as is, the morality of Christ, the goodness and love toward others, as he taught nothing but the truth of God. There is a whole lot of erroneous theology floating around within the world, as well as in the community of faith. There are several flamboyant personalities who have gathered a large crowd of followers, but their theology is flawed, and they have corrupted many. We have to live with the awareness of any influences we may have on others and insure what we say and do is consistent with the truth. Granted it would seem many people have their own view of what the truth is, which is evident in the fact there are so many denominations. Nevertheless, we cannot corrupt another soul and we must always be cognizant of our words and actions. This simply requires living being considerately.

Contaminates

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

CONTAMINATES

 

2 Cor 7:1

7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

NIV

These promises refer to the preceding two verses regarding God being our father, protector and we are being his sons and daughters. Because if these promises we need to do some of the work in the purification of ourselves. Of course, it is God and Him alone who can purify us, as we have no ability to make us pure. It is through our faith in Jesus Christ and having the Spirit dwell within us that causes us to be pure and to be declared holy and blameless in his sight. Yet, Paul makes it clear there is something which we can participate in which adds that process belonging to God. We can make every effort to avoid those things which contaminate our body and spirit. The beginning of contamination belongs to the eyes, in some sense. We could say that the eyes are the window to the soul. What we look at leads to what we think about and what we think about brings it into a desire and if it is of the nature opposite to God, it is a contaminate. The problem is that we live in this body with all of its senses.  But we can turn our eyes from that which can lead to contamination with the help of the Spirit. If left alone, without the Spirit, we would have no chance, or if we fail to yield to the urging of the Spirit, and listen to own our voice, our eyes will seek out that which would fulfill the desires of the flesh. This is not about those lists of do’s and Don’ts that are so easily used. That type of thinking is simply putting ourselves back in a type of bondage as did the Law, trying to keep rules is impossible for if we break just one, we break them all, and those are not God's rules, but belong to man. However, sin is still sin, and we should avoid willfully seeking out any type of sin by looking at that which would lead to sin. In this day and age, it is almost impossible to avoid looking at all that would lead to sin. The world is full of images and things that are always attempting to draw our attention. It might be better to be blind than to expose ourselves to all that is available to feast our eyes upon. Yet, that is our quest, to use our will to submit to the will of God and allow Him to purify our minds and spirit. We have the choice as to what we view, what we look at. We can turn our eyes, but that does not turn our desires or stems their power. We are so glad the Spirit is at work in us and helps us. It is a process, a continual transformation within us. We have not attained that perfection yet, and it is most likely we will never attain it while we are in this temporary tent, but perfection is coming when we will finally be transformed from this corruptible to the incorruptible, from perishable to the imperishable, the day we lay this body to rest and step into the presence of our Lord. Then and only then will we be completely pure. We are also glad our salvation does not depend on our purifying ourselves, but on the gracious act of God. Yet, there is work for us in the here and now. Let us live in a manner that pleases God, trying our best with the help of the Spirit to keep from those contaminates.

In Our Heart

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

IN THE HEART

2 Cor 6:17-18

17 "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." 18 "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."  

NIV

What is unclean? Of course, in those days and in regard to the Israelites, a whole list of animal types such as pigs, horses, and camels were unclean as well as many birds, such as the owl, hawk, raven, bats, and eagles were unclean. The list of unclean also included any fish without scales or fins, and thus included scrimp, clams, lobster, and crabs. However, we are past all those laws of the Old Testament and, in fact, Peter learned that lesson well when he saw that blanket full of animals and insisted that nothing unclean had touched his lips and the Lord told him that he should not call anything impure that God has declared clean. Then we also have the teaching of Jesus when he said that nothing that goes into our mouth makes us unclean, but rather it is what comes out of our mouth that makes us unclean, and we know that what comes out of our mouth is what resides in our heart. These words of Paul do start with therefore, which reference that whole idea of not being in any agreement with the unbelievers and not having anything in common with them, or not being yoked in any way with them. So, this is a continuation of that thought and Paul makes the point that we are not to even think or speak in the same manner as the unbeliever but to come out of the world and all its unclean ways of their hearts. This has nothing to do with food or drink, but all to do with the condition of our heart. God has made all food and drinks clean as he demonstrated to Peter, but the heart is a whole different matter. How we perceive life, how we approach life, our thoughts, and responses to life, what is in our heart is what either makes us clean or unclean.  We say that we have Jesus in our heart, or that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, but does our heart really reflect this truth is the question we must ask ourselves. What are the desires of our hearts? God says he will give us the desires of our heart, but the condition to that is that we delight ourselves in the Lord. It is interesting that Hebrew word translated as delight means to be pliable, soft. That is, then if we, if our heart is soft and pliable to God, he will give us the desires of our heart, which he has influenced, such as this word grace which his divine influence, on our pliable heart. So then, our desires will be His desires, as we have also been instructed to flee from our youthful desires. God also has told us that he would fulfill our desires of those who fear or revere Him. We cannot live the same way the unclean, or unbeliever and the main difference is in our hearts. 

Common Ground

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

COMMON GROUND

2 Cor 6:14-16

14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."  

NIV

So often we see this truth being misunderstood or rather used only in a few contexts. The first context is regarding marriage. This would be used in the sense that a believer should not marry an unbeliever. Although there are and will always be marriages composted of one becoming a believer while the spouse remains an unbeliever and the scripture speaks to that issue elsewhere. The second context is regarding certain practices, which have for some, gone away, while others still hold to some. These are the rules like, no drinking, dancing, smoking, along with some others that seem to be generally left behind. Still, the point is that these believers are of the belief that keeping from these practices or behaviors is what keeps us from being yoked with unbelievers. However, the term yoked means to be a team, or partners pulling in the same direction. This term refers to the yoke that is used to pair up two oxen or other draft-type animals, so they are locked together and must pull in unison. It is commonly known the team is only as strong as the weaker oxen, for the stronger does not make the weak strong, but the weaker will always hold back the stronger. This is the lesson of life. We are not to partner with any unbeliever for they are the weaker and would keep back. Now, here is where the rub comes in. What type of partnerships can be engaged in with unbelievers? What common interests could there be? What agreements could we have with the world? The largest and yet unspoken about is in the world of finance. If we share our money with them for the sake of mutual profit, such as investments in their company, we would be partners with them and thus be yoked with unbelievers. We know this is a fine line and it would seem that is just the way of the life, and we all need to secure our retirement somehow, but that is the way the world thinks, and have we adopted that view? Even retirement is the modern view of the world. We have searched the scriptures to find retirement as a Godly principle and have come up short. Is that just another agreement we have made with the world? We think we need to take a good look at just what it means to partner with an unbeliever or to have anything in common with the world. Our thought processes, our beliefs, our practices, our way of life, anything that would look like we are pulling in the same direction are all things we need to assess. What do we have in common? What if any common ground do we have? 

Open Hearts

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

OPEN HEARTS

2 Cor 6:11-13

11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. 12 We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. 13 As a fair exchange — I speak as to my children — open wide your hearts also.

NIV

Is there anything better than an honest and open relationship? Opening our hearts to one another is the way of the Christian life. But is that how we really live? Instead, it would seem that many believers live with somewhat of a guarded heart. Perhaps there is good reason to live with a closed or guarded heart. To be totally open and free with our emotions and words, exposing our true feelings for one another may not be difficult. This means we would have to trust each other completely. This means no judgment, no criticism, no hard feelings, or hurt feelings, or responses that would appear negative in any way. We knew a lady who never said an unkind word, but the look on her face told the whole story of how she felt about an issue. We would never dare to tell her anything personal. So much conflict would be resolved if open hearts prevailed. We have seen the pain caused due to closed hearts. Gossip would be put to death if open hearts existed. Envy, jealously, malice, slander, and a host of other inappropriate feelings would all be eliminated because of open hearts. To be able to express ourselves openly, fully, without reservations regarding our feelings without being ridiculed, judged, corrected, dismissed, or thought of poorly in any manner, would take open hearts all around. Can we do that, without withholding anything? The clue here is the word affections. Perhaps if we truly had affections for all others, then it would be easy to live with open hearts. The problem may be that we do not have affections for everyone else and there are others who may not have affections for us. But the point may be that someone must start this process of having an open heart. Paul says that he withheld nothing from them, but they withheld from him. So then it should not matter about what the others do, but that we should open our heart, living with an open heart for all to see and hope they see Jesus. 

The Right Path

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

THE RIGHT PATH

2 Cor 6:3-10

3 We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

NIV

Well, we have never experienced anything of this which Paul endured, and it is highly unlikely that we ever will. What then should we do with this one long sentence enumerating all his troubles? There seem to be two truths we can grasp onto that might well serve us as guides to our lives in Christ. These are his first and last words. The first is regarding not being a stumbling block in anyone’s path. Of course, it also matters regarding our ministry not being discredited. This would apply to both our relationships within the community of faith as well as our witness outside in the world. Although, we would hope, but not without some reservations, that all our fellow believers would never judge us, or think poorly of us because of our imperfection. Still, we should always be cognizant of our attitude, words, and behaviors so as not to cause anyone to stumble, which would include being critical, judgmental, jealous, envious, prideful, or think too poorly or too highly of themselves on account of us. The point is that we should not cause anyone to falter in their relationship with Christ. Then there is the world and as we know, even the unbelievers know enough to see that we are or are not behaving in a manner that is befitting our profession of being a Christ-follower. This then behooves us to be watchful of both our attitudes, words, and behavior so as not to cause any of them to think poorly of us and thus of Christ, mainly thinking of us as being hypocritical. Second, we have the last words here of Paul’s regarding having nothing, and yet possessing everything. It is interesting, at least in our culture, that we surround ourselves with so many creature comforts. There are many influences that are exerted upon us, striving to make us want more and never being content with what we have. In our current culture, there is far more emphasis placed on securing our future than it seems it was in our youth unless the various modes of media communications have made those voices more readily available. Nevertheless, the world is more about the physical pleasures of life than anything else, such as the accumulation of as many material goods as possible. The world would want us to always want more, bigger, or better than what we have. But the point is that having Christ, having salvation, having eternal life is having it all. Everything in this life, including our bodies, is temporary, but being in Christ is eternal. Yes, God supplies our every need, and we have needs in this life, but they are not our life, Christ is. So then because we have Christ, we have it all, and therefore we are on the right path. 

Now is Always the Right Time

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

NOW IS ALWAYS THE RIGHT TIME

2 Cor 6:1-2

6:1 As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 2 For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.

NIV

This is an interesting translation, although, in this quote from Isaiah, it appears not to be as forthright as it could be. In the Greek, it would read more like not receiving God’s grace, which is this word that is defined as God’s influence on our heart, rather than unmerited favor, for he says, “In the time I accepted you, I heard you, and I will help you in the day of salvation”. It could also be translated, as just at the right time I accepted you and I will also help you in the day of salvation. The point is slightly misleading in the NIV translation. The NASB translates this as:

2 Cor 6:2

"At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you";

NASB

The question is, what should we do with this? How do we act upon this information? What relevance does it have in our lives? First, we could say that we are urged not to receive the divine influence on our heart empty-handed, or without effect or fruitless as this is the meaning of this word translated as vain. When God exerts his influence upon our hearts, it should produce fruit, as it should have an effect on our hearts, and it should be filled with results.  For if we receive his grace, his influence, then we should allow it to have its influence upon us, rather than living as if it is not there. Second, when Paul quotes Isaiah, this quote, as it reads in Hebrew has a more direct meaning. In an acceptable time or at the right time I heard or listened to you. God always is listening for it is always the right or acceptable time to talk to him. Although it is said that God turned a deaf ear to the crying of the Israelites, it was because they rebelled against him and disobeyed him, and marched on the Amorites and were routed, or defeated by them, He still listens and at the right time, He is always there to aid us in our salvation. God hears our prayers, and He has already helped us in our salvation with the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, on that cross. The day of salvation is now for each person who wants it, God has helped them already. Today is also the right time to talk to God, for he hears us, He listens to us, and he wants us to listen to Him. He wants to influence our hearts, but we must be willing to accept His grace and not be like those Israelites who refused to listen, to submit their hearts to His voice. It is a mutual agreement between God and us. He talks and we listen, we talk, and He listens. He does the influencing, and we accept and react to His influence. Now is always the right time. 

Being Righteousness

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

BEING RIGHTEOUSNESS

2 Cor 5:20-21

20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

NIV

Although we spent time considering the preceding verses and even pondered on being an ambassador of Christ, it might be good for us to take one more look at us being reconciled to God. We certainly understand that He reconciled us, or as we considered being changed or exchanged from the old to the new. But Paul also tells us that on Christ’s behalf, we should be reconciled to God. God has certainly done all that he can do as far as making all the conditions right for our reconciliation. He has done a change in us in that he made it possible to change us from the old to the new through our faith in Jesus Christ. But now there is work we must do, in reconciling ourselves to God. There is a change within us that we must do. First, we must accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, but there is a process that we might forget. We also need to repent of our sin, give up our sin, exchange a life of pleasing self for a life of pleasing God. We must give up any opposition to God and fully submit his terms of mercy. We must lay aside any hostility and surrender completely to his Lordship in our lives. There is no question that we are not saved by works, so none of us could boast, but that we are saved by faith and faith alone. But that salvation does have terms. We can no longer live as we once did, we must make changes in our life. We no longer can give in to every temptation simply because we want to, but we should resist the devil and because of our resistance, he will flee from us. This does not mean we will never sin, for that would be blasphemous to say we are sinless, at least if we reside in this tent. However, Jesus was sinless as he dwelt in the form of man, yet he became sin for us, or as some manuscripts say, he became a sin offering for us. He who was without sin became sin and paid the price, death so that we would not have to. Because of what Jesus did for us, we now can become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. If we are in Christ, we stand as the righteousness of God, being declared holy and blameless in his sight. What a blessing to be the righteousness of God.

 

 

From Old to New

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

FROM OLD TO NEW

2 Cor 5:16-21

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

NIV

Everything in this explanation is based on the word reconciliation. The Greek word here means to exchange, such as taking some foreign coins and exchanging them for US currency of equal value thus reconciling them. In the same way, we have been changed from the old self or old creation to a new creation. God has changed us, he has done it all, reconciling us to him. Once all our sins were counted against us, but that is no longer the case, at least for us who are in Christ. He has changed us from the currency that was foreign to him and exchanged us into His currency. Granted, we are the same person, we have the same personality, the same appearance, and maybe even the same general temperament, but that old self which was completely focused only on its own pleasures is gone. We have a new direction in life, and it is focused on Christ. Although we have not totally given up wanting certain things in life, both the tangible and the intangible, we are not completely consumed by them. We want to please the Lord and do that which he has called us to. Each of us has an assignment in this new creation life. None of us are useless and should think we are simply to sit around just being content to be saved or be saved and then move along life in the same direction we have been, doing that which gains our goals, our desires, and our security in retirement. Being reconciled to God, being changed from the old into the new must mean something other than simply getting saved from death and given eternal life. Paul says that he was made an ambassador of Christ as though God was making his appeal through him. Are we not also ambassadors? Do we not also represent Christ to the world? If they know that we are a Christian, or maybe if that know we are simply a religious person, not knowing what it means to be born again or saved, or any other of our Christiane’s terms, they watch us. They observe how we act, how we work, how we treat people, and how we treat them. We are Christ’s ambassadors, whether we want to be or not. However, the duty of an ambassador, or the role, is to speak for their sovereign, that is not their own ideas or thoughts, but what does our sovereign want to be said to the foreign county in which we have been sent to live in. Therefore, as His ambassador, we are to go into the world and tell the story of reconciliation, the gospel message. We must remember that we have been reconciled, we have been exchanged from that old into the new. We need to live as being new. 

Out of our Mind and In Our Right Mind

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

OUT OF OUR MIND, AND IN OUR RIGHT MIND

2 Cor 5:11-15

11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

NIV

This is a little confusing. What are we going to do with this? How do we make sense of it? First, the Greek word Paul used here translated as fear, is exactly that, to be put in fear, to be alarmed. This is not the word that can be used as reverence which is also translated as to fear the Lord. This is to fear him, to be afraid of his wrath,  and to know that awesome power that he can pour forth upon mankind. When we think about that and know that we are not hidden from God in any way, that he knows our heart and mind and we are fully exposed to him. Paul says what we are is plain to God. Why would we not be alarmed? Although we might look good on the outside, and present a nice looking, Christian, image to our fellow humans, the total sum of all we are on the inside, our inner man that other men cannot see, is completely exposed to God. We know what it is to fear him, although we have no reason to now, for we are in Christ, and through him, we are declared holy and blameless in His sight. But the point is that we know what is it to fear God, and because we know we should be trying to persuade others so they will not experience his wrath, but rather his grace, as we do now. Paul is also making the point that what we are, should be a witness to those who judge things by what is seen rather than what is in the heart. Most of the world cannot see into our heart, they cannot tell our inner man’s love for God, but only see the condition of our outer man and its movements, or actions, and its expression, or spoken words. It might seem that when we are alone, that we are a bit crazy in our expression toward God. That is we worship Him with all our heart, mind, spirit and, strength, and it could look somewhat strange to an outsider. Although we must admit, some churches we have been in we see some standing as if they were a statue, perhaps appealing more to those who take pride in the seen than what is in the heart. But when we worship, we ought to appear out of our mind, because it is for the sake of God. But when we speak or interact with others, for either the purpose to witness, in order to bring the good news to them, or for the purpose of teaching or encouraging others in their faith, we need to be in our right mind. The question we must ask ourselves is if we too are compelled. Are we compelled by the love of Christ to no longer live for ourselves, but to live for Christ? Are we so convinced of this truth that we are compelled to tell others, to help them escape the death that awaits them so that they too can live as we do because of Christ? So at times, we are out of our mind for the sake of God, and in our right minds for the sake of people. 

The Good and The Bad

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

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 have arrived at a very theological moment that has had some interesting perspectives from various scholars. First, we should deal with the idea of either being at home in the body or away from it and at home with the Lord. Paul makes it very clear there is no intermediate place, we are either here or there. It is also right to expect that the moment we leave this body, that is our soul, who we are, this inner man, that we leave it behind and at once enter the presence of our Lord. There is the thought that when we die, we sleep, we remain asleep until the resurrection. But that is just not possible as this temporary tent is subject to decay and at some point, in that decay, it would in essence turn to dust. Where oh where would our soul be, left floating around asleep in the coffin waiting for the resurrection? This is not the theology of Paul, nor of the Spirit who inspired his words. The moment this body is finished, we leave it and step into the presence of our Lord. Now, because we are going to be in the presence of the Lord, we will also stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Here again, there is mixed theology regarding what happens as we appear before Christ and are judged for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. This has been portrayed by Hollywood in various ways, such as the Albert Brooks movie, “Defending your life”, where he dies and must endure being judged as they watch a video of the bad moments of his life, shown by the prosecution. This type of theology has also spawned the idea that there is punishment in heaven for every sin we have committed as well as a reward for every “good deed” that we have committed. So, then we must live a very pure life if we are to escape the judgment for the bad things we have done in the body. This is an impossible task that we will never be able to accomplish. Besides, that kind of thinking is inconsistent with the rest of the scripture. We know from the revelation that was given to John that at the judgment seat of Christ the scene is going to be a separation of the sheep from the goats. What this means is that all mankind is going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and the good and bad that we are judged for is whether we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and became sheep, or whether we rejected Christ and stayed goats. The good is accepting Jesus, the bad is rejecting Jesus. Because we are the sheep and He is the Great Shephard we will hear those words, “Enter into my rest” The others will hear something like, “Away from me, you evildoers” Therefore, while we are in the body, we make it our goal to remain in Christ, for He is our salvation. He has cleansed us from all our sin and declared us holy and blameless in His sight. Therefore it is not about how much good or bad each one of us does, but about who did the good, and who did the bad. 

The Guarantee

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

THE GUARANTEE 

 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

There are several thoughts concerning this idea of the earthy tent we live in and that it will be destroyed by death. Again, as Paul has continually pointed to this idea of the outer man and the inner man, we are not this body but a soul who dwells in this temporary tent that someday we will be freed from through the death of the body. As far as what Paul refers to as an eternal house in heaven is a little difficult to understand his meaning. We know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We also know there is a resurrection of the body at some time in the future. So, while we lay to rest this temporary tent and leave it we, our soul, travels into the presence of our Lord. As to what that looks like exactly is not clear. However, while we are dwelling in this tent, we groan and are burdened. That is our bodies are subject to the aches and pains, infirmities, and simple the aging process and all that happens to us. But we know this is just temporary and we do not live for the body, but the body is for us to live until we receive our heavenly dwelling. What happens to those who are not going to receive their heavenly dwelling is too harsh to comprehend fully, but we know that whatever perish means, that will be their fate, for they shall remain unclothed. We will not have to worry about being found naked, for this mortal may be clothed with immortality in our heavenly dwelling. Although this body dies, we will live. We know this is true as we have been given the Spirit, and we sense the Spirit within, dwelling within, giving us that hope, that confidence of what is to come. He is, in fact, a guarantee from God as to what is to become of us as we leave this body. The kind of celestial being we will be until the resurrection of our bodies has not been described for us, but we know it will be wonderful and glorious as we will be in the presence of our Lord and God. However, we also know that someday we will live in the new city of Jerusalem on a new earth in a physically resurrected form living in that place that Jesus has prepared for us. But, for now, we live in this temporary dwelling yearning to be in our eternal home with our Lord. This is our guarantee. 

The Temporary and The Eternal

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

THE TEMPORARY AND THE ETERNAL

 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

Everything Paul has been saying comes to this point, this statement. There is no question this body of ours is wasting away. It is getting older by the moment and is getting all the aches and pains that accompany age. It no longer looks young. The years have taken a toll on it. Wasting away fits the description well. Although through the marvels of medicine our eyes have not been dimmed, although some people even medicine cannot help them with sight. Age has weakened our muscles somewhat. On and on we can enumerate the problems with our outward self, but there is this inward self and is the one who in the grand scheme of things is who we are. Each day we are renewed. Every morning is a new day, and we are in the process of being transformed into the likeness of Jesus. This should mean that we should see some change within us, some transformation, even if it is a very small amount. The Greek word translated as renewed is a form of the word that means to be renovated. This is why we see this renewing as transforming because just as if we were in a constant state of renovating our home, making changes, updating it on a day-by-day basis, this is how our inner self is being renovated, renewed, transformed. Updated from what it once was to what it is today and tomorrow it will be renovated some more, and each day after that. So then, no matter what is going on with our outward man, our inward man is better than it has ever been and that outweighs all the afflictions that affect the outward self. Therefore, we do not pay attention to what we see in the mirror, for that is the seen and temporary. But we fix our eyes in our inward self, the unseen, and what is eternal. This is the same as the world we live in that is seen and temporary, but we fix our eyes on Jesus who at this moment is unseen and eternal, except, of course, seen in us as we reflect Him to the world. Nevertheless, it is all about the seen and the unseen, the temporary and the eternal. 

Overflowing Glory

 

DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

OVERFLOWING GLORY

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

Paul is quoting the words of the psalmist in his 116^th song. Although the circumstances are many years apart, they are somewhat the same. The psalmist was in distress and so has been Paul. The truth of this can apply to our lives at times. Although in general, we are not in distress in the manner of the psalmist nor Paul. The idea is that because we believe we have the confidence to speak to God and to pray when we have a situation that is beyond our ability to cope with, which is most of life. The problem comes when we think that we can handle everything that comes our way and that we can fix it, we can solve the problem. When we think that we are strong, we are in deep trouble. Yes, God has given us a mind and with it, we can learn many things. But the greatest thing we can learn is that we can rely on God. What is the sense in believing if we live our life in accordance with our own abilities, knowledge, or strength? Do we just believe so that we can escape death? Is salvation the only thing we believe in God for? Paul does make that point in some sense when he says, that because he knows that God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, that he will also raise us with Jesus and present us in his presence. That is a great reason to believe, and of our belief, we may share this great story, this gospel message so that more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. That is what we should be doing as well, living in such a manner, living with thanksgiving not just in our quite times alone, but living life out loud, thanking God for everything in our lives, all the time so that our life overflows with thanksgiving, bringing all the glory to God. This goes right along with not working for the praise of men, but for the praise of God, except that we need it insist that when we are praised, which happens, as it seems the normal thing most people do, we transfer that praise to God. This is more than believing to be saved but speaking because we believe. Speaking to God about everything and giving God all the credit for everything in our lives. When God’s grace, His divine influence upon our hearts, is reflected in our lives, it causes us to overflow with the glory of God. How can we remain silent when we have the Spirit of God dwelling within and giving us the confidence to speak of His glory? 

Jars of Clay

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

JARS 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

First, we need to see that jars of clay are more actually translated as earthen vessels. The idea is the same in that a jar of clay would be some form of pottery. This gives us the idea of the frailty of our bodies and how they are easily broken. Of course, there are also some differences with earthen vessels in that they can be plain unfired clay or that which has been fired in a kiln. The unfired clay is easily reshaped if it begins to decay its shape. However, the fired clay if broken would remain in pieces unless it could be glued, but then it would never be the same. What all this reminds us of is that we are the clay and God is the potter who forms us into the vessel of his choice. The purpose of being an earthen vessel formed by God is for His purpose of putting His gospel within us. It is the treasure that God has put within this frail shell He formed from clay and breathed His breath of life within. Paul also makes the point that although we may face all sorts of adversities and that we live in a mortal form that carries death within it, as Jesus died while in the flesh, we also carry life. The treasure of the gospel, the treasure of life through Jesus Christ can be revealed in our bodies. The point that we are a frail earthen vessel also means that we have not strength, no abilities, no greatness within ourselves. We are but the vessel and a clay one at that, nothing special to look at, we have no beauty or special ornamentation, but just a common clay vessel, so that the treasure is the greatness that we have within us. Our common appearance is so that the glory of Christ may be seen in us. At the wedding in Cana when the bridegroom was out of wine, and Jesus had the servants fill jars of clay with water, just simple common jars of clay, nothing special about them for they were used to carry water, and he turned that water into the best wine of all. It was in some sense the treasure of the feast yet served from jars of common clay. This is our story, being common jars of clay, we carry the treasure of God within us, Jesus Christ, and the purpose is to be used to serve this treasure to all, so Jesus is revealed in us.