2 Corinthians 10:1-18 How would you feel if someone said you were gentle and meek? Paul uses these descriptions of himself with Jesus being the ultimate model of these characteristics. The world may not value these attributes, but we need to be more concerned with what God thinks than what the world does. It is so easy to think like the world without even realizing it. Paul was concerned that many...

2 Corinthians 9:1-15 Generosity. Most of us would probably claim that we are generous, I mean, who wants to acknowledge that they are tight-fisted and selfish. But are we generous in the way God calls us to be?As Paul highlights the value of generosity, he gives us several principles that should be evident in the way we give. First, we should be eager to give (v.2). The abundance of what God has g...

2 Corinthians 8:16-24 When is the last time you got a heartfelt letter in the mail? It may have been a long time. Regardless, what is better than a letter, a FaceTime conversation, or a phone call, is an in person visit. It feels wonderful to receive the written correspondence, but it is even more amazing to meet with someone in person. As Paul writes the letter to the church in Corinth, he wants ...

2 Corinthians 8:1-15 Grace. Often, we relegate this word to simply God's forgiveness of our sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus, but it is a far bigger reality than that. Grace encompasses every good thing which God puts in our lives. So, it includes spiritual realities like forgiveness and salvation, but it also includes physical things like food, money, etc. Are you aware of the ful...

2 Corinthians 7:8-16 Truth can cut like a knife. When we speak hard truth into someone’s life, it may feel like we are wounding them. This feeling may then cause us to fail to speak when we should. Paul leads us in this discussion in 2 Corinthians 7:8-16. He wants us to know that we need to be people who speak truth into the lives of those who are lost, hurting, and wandering from God.The primary ...

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7 The Bible is filled with images that were relevant to the original audience but seem foreign to us. Paul (and Jesus and many in the Old Testament) use the image of being “yoked together” with others. Animals were yoked together to help a farmer plow his land. For this to work effectively, both animals had to be similar; thus, Deuteronomy commanded Israel to not yoke an oxen ...

2 Corinthians 6:1-13 Carpe Diem. If you know one Latin phrase this is probably it. Its meaning is to seize the day and is exemplified in 2 Corinthians 6. Twice Paul says that it is the “day of salvation.” That today is the day to decide for Christ. There is no room for putting him off or delaying our faith, instead we are to choose to live for him today.Paul’s life exemplified an urgency to make C...

2 Corinthians 5:11-21 It is an impressive honor to be chosen as an ambassador to another country. The truth in 2 Corinthians 5 is that all Christians are ambassadors. We all represent one kingdom in the territory of another. We are to represent God as citizens of his kingdom but do it in the kingdom of this world. There may be times where this creates a tension in our lives, but our ultimate ident...

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10 Where is your home? If you were asked this question, you might give your address, the city, the state or potentially just the country you live in, depending upon who is asking. Paul wants to give us the ultimate answer to this question in our reading today. He wants us to see that our final, eternal residence is to live with Christ in glorified bodies. We will live on Earth...

2 Corinthians 4:1-12 Commercials try to show off the best of a product. They don’t describe how it will soon be obsolete, how it will break after a few uses, or how it is simply a mediocre product. They try to hide reality to sell a product. Paul wants us to make sure that we do not present Jesus like these lying commercials.This passage calls us to present Jesus accurately and completely and not ...

2 Corinthians 3:1-18 Throughout history God has revealed himself in clearer ways over time. This concept is called progressive revelation. God never contradicts what came before, but especially through Jesus, God revealed himself in a fuller, more complete way than he had previously done. This means if we have Jesus there is nothing else we need to look for or pursue. In 2 Corinthians 3 Paul contr...

2 Corinthians 2:12-17 Are you smelly? No, I am not talking about needing to take a shower, but rather our need to smell like Jesus. When people get a whiff of us are they repulsed, or do they smell the fragrance of Christ. Paul stated that during his travels, he was used by God to "spread the aroma of the knowledge of him (Jesus) everywhere" (2 Cor. 2:14). Wherever Paul went, people could smell Je...

2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11 How dependable are you? Are you the type of person that makes plans but does not follow through? Do you find yourself saying, “Yes, yes” and “No, no” in the same breath? Or are you the kind of person who reflects the character of God in being faithful, consistent, and trustworthy?As God’s children we represent Christ through our words and our actions. Paul understood that t...

2 Corinthians 1:1-11 No one likes a ball hog. These people keep the ball to themselves in team sports and fail to share with others. I have watched enough basketball games to know these ball hogs just slow down the game and no one wants to play with them. Sadly, in the same way we can potentially be spiritual ball hogs. We can keep all of God’s gifts to ourselves and inevitably no one will want to...

1 Corinthians 16:1-24 People who have experienced the generosity of God should be generous people. When we recognize all the good gifts which God has bestowed upon us, how can we not extend those gifts to others? Paul ends his letter by pointing the church and us to the reality of generous living.One aspect of generosity is our finances. Paul had previously called the church in Galatia and now the...

1 Corinthians 15:29-58 Does Jesus’ resurrection ever seem like a fantasy? Does it seem too good to be true? Even more so does the idea that you will one day be resurrected and glorified seem too fantastic to embrace? As Paul continues speaking of the resurrection of Jesus, he wants us to understand that it is both true and beautiful. It is the bedrock of our faith, and if it did not happen, then i...

1 Corinthians 15:1-28 Since our mission is to be disciples who make disciples, it is critical that we know how to engage in spiritual conversations. As we move discussions from unimportant things to issues of the heart and then ultimately turn the conversations to things of eternal significance, we need to know what we are trying to tell people. Paul helps us understand in 1 Corinthians 15 what is...

1 Corinthians 14:18-40 In 1 Corinthians 14 Paul wants us to think rightly about what is happening when the church meets together for corporate worship. When the church gathers, it is not meant to be a spectator sport, but one where every person is an active participant. When we watch the band play on Sunday mornings, we should not think of it as a concert where we watch them perform some of our fa...

1 Corinthians 14:1-17 God’s calling on our lives is not only to become more like Christ but to help others mature as well. We are to “excel in gifts that build up the church.” Is this your mentality? Are you seeking to help others grow or largely focused on yourself?The focus of Paul’s discussion on helping others centers around two gifts which seem impressive, speaking in tongues and prophecy. Th...

1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13 Gong! Clang! Is that our sound of love? According to I Corinthians 13:1 if we do not love others, we put out an obnoxious sound. Generally, we consider ourselves as loving people. After all, we probably have not heard gongs or clanging cymbals recently. But looking at Paul’s list of what love really is, do we really love?Paul wants to show us the “most excellent way” to n...