God Speaks
This is the third time I am coming to visit you. The Scriptures tell us that if two or three have seen a wrong, it must be punished. Well, this is my third warning as I come now for this visit. 2 I have already warned those who had been sinning when I was there last; now I warn them again and all others, just as I did then, that this time I come ready to punish severely and I will not spare them.
3 I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak in his dealings with you but is a mighty power within you. 4 His weak, human body died on the cross, but now he lives by the mighty power of God. We, too, are weak in our bodies, as he was, but now we live and are strong, as he is, and have all of God’s power to use in dealing with you.
5 Check up on yourselves. Are you really Christians? Do you pass the test? Do you feel Christ’s presence and power more and more within you? Or are you just pretending to be Christians when actually you aren’t at all? 6 I hope you can agree that I have stood that test and truly belong to the Lord.
7 I pray that you will live good lives, not because that will be a feather in our caps, proving that what we teach is right; no, for we want you to do right even if we ourselves are despised. 8 Our responsibility is to encourage the right at all times, not to hope for evil. 9 We are glad to be weak and despised if you are really strong. Our greatest wish and prayer is that you will become mature Christians.
10 I am writing this to you now in the hope that I won’t need to scold and punish when I come; for I want to use the Lord’s authority that he has given me, not to punish you but to make you strong.
11 I close my letter with these last words: Be happy. Grow in Christ. Pay attention to what I have said. Live in harmony and peace. And may the God of love and peace be with you.
12 Greet each other warmly in the Lord. 13 All the Christians here send you their best regards. 14 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. May God’s love and the Holy Spirit’s friendship be yours.
Paul
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: This is the conclusion of a letter full of admonitions and warnings. On what would be Paul’s third visit with them, he did not want to severely scold or punish the Corinthians, but he would do so if necessary. They were accusing him of being weak; however, Paul promised to show them how strong he was in the Lord if they didn’t deal with sinful behavior before he arrived. Since some were insisting on persisting in their sinful behavior, were they truly Christians (in Christ)? They should check themselves to be sure. Paul assured them that even though he appeared weak in his physical body, he had the power of Christ dwelling in him to deal with their misbehavior and disrespect. To show his true heart for them, Paul closed the letter by praying for them and urging them not to do wrong but to do the right things in God’s power.
Prayer: Dear gracious Father God who disciplines the children He loves, thank You for giving the Apostle Paul a heart to correct his spiritual children’s misbehavior. Give me that kind of love as well. Please give me the courage to confront misbehavior and the compassion to instruct my “spiritual children” in the God-empowered way to live. I know that You and I both want to see them maturing in Christ. That means turning from their old sinful ways, being joyful, growing in Christlikeness, encouraging each other, living in harmony and peace, and treating each other well. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest upon all who belong to You, LORD (whether they know it yet or not). AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will thank the Lord that although my body may be weak (for whatever reason), His Spirit within me will provide the strength to confront whatever problems I may face.
- I will ask the Lord to point out and help me overcome an old sinful way in my life. I will do whatever He says.
- I will write, call, or visit at least one of my “spiritual children” this week.
- I will seek to be joyful, grow in Christlikeness, live in harmony and peace with other people, treating them well and encouraging them to do the same.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________