Daily Bible Reading (Monday, July 31st)

2

2 Corinthians 2(ESV)

 

 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

Forgive the Sinner

Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Triumph in Christ

12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

2 Comments

It's amazing to see Paul's compassion at the beginning of the chapter, "For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you." He realizes that the people he's writing too are feeling pain, because of the pain Paul's in, and Paul is just reassuring and comforting them, I know that I definitely struggle with that. If I were Paul, I would have probably only cared about the pain I'm in, but Paul realizes the other's pain and comforts them.

I am to not hold grudges on that particular person who has sinned. But to forgive. Do not give Satan a way in to influence my mind otherwise. Verses 12-17 is a reminder that at lost opportunities, I am to remember that the Holy Spirit leads no matter what. "Divine appointments" as brother Donald Walton calls them when out witnessing and passing out tracts. I must rely on the Spirit of God when my soul is troubled or there is a lack of evangelistic fervor. It's all about Christ, may I speak on behalf of His ministry as commissioned by our Triune Lord.

Leave a Comment

Comments for this post have been disabled.