Friday, September 28, 2012

2 Corinthians 11 - (I am out of my mind to talk like this)

Verse one -- the first sentence of chapter 11 tells us where Paul is coming from here.  "I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that."  What is this foolishness Paul speaks of?  He continues his defense of his work with the Corinthians that began in chapter 10, and in chapter 11 gets a little more boastful.

"I do not think I am in the least inferior to those 'super-apostles'"
"I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge"
"I was not a burden to anyone"

Then in verse 21, he really turns it loose.  He equates his boasting with speaking as a fool, but he can't help himself.  From verse 22 through the end of the chapter, we read of Paul's qualifications, hardships, suffering, and other things endured for the purpose of sharing Christ with the world.  Referring to his list of boasts as foolish, we get a picture of Paul's humility, even in the midst of his boasting.  This comes together in verse 30, "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness."  God is the one who gets the credit and the glory.

Friday, September 21, 2012

2 Corinthians 10 -- Paul Gets Tough

Paul is talking about being bold toward people who are talking trash about him, waging war with weapons with divine power to demolish strongholds, and being ready to punish every act of disobedience.
He continues on, indicating he has no problem with being as forceful in person as he appears to be in his letters.

What makes all this talk meaningful is what we read in verses 15-16, as Paul reminds us what his purpose is in all he does.  "Our hope is that....our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you".  Paul is a man on a mission.  Every day.  All the time.


Friday, September 14, 2012

2 Corinthians 9 - More On Generosity

Chapter 9 continues the conversation about giving and generosity.  We see that those who sow sparingly will reap sparingly, and that when we give 'cheerfully' we are assured that we will have all our needs met (v. 7-9).    
You've probably heard somebody say something along the lines of, "if I want to know what's important to you I will look at your checkbook or credit card statement."  And it's true.  Jesus told us our hearts will be where our treasure is (Matthew 6), and it's really hard to argue with that.  My dollars and my time go to the people and things that I deem most important.

Isn't it encouraging to read the last paragraph of the chapter?  To know that our generosity will result in many expressions of thanks to God?  I can know that when I give, especially when I give sacrificially, that one of the products of that giving will be people praising and thanking God.  That's a powerful idea when you think about it.  God has given me the ability and opportunity to act in a way that directly causes His Name to be praised.  Good stuff.

Friday, September 7, 2012

2 Corinthians 8 - Give Generously

How about those Macedonians?  Their severe trials and extreme poverty (this sounds familiar, see 2 Cor. 4-7) welled up in rich generosity.  They gave sacrificially to churches in other cities, and begged for the privilege of doing so.  There was no command to do so, but they were responding with grace to the needs of others.  Paul encourages the Corinthians, and by extension, all of us, to do likewise.  How much is too much to give?  I have yet to meet the person who gave more than he/she thought was wise to God's work who lived to regret it.  I have seen that we can't outgive God.  I wish I had the courage to live more generously myself.