Category Archives: 2 Corinthians

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A Lopsided Transaction

Read II Corinthians 5

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in
him we might become the righteousness of God.”
(II Corinthians 5:21)

Thoughts… What an amazing exchange that took place when Jesus hung on the cross as the sacrifice for sin!

Jesus became sin so that I could become saved.
Jesus was abandoned and I was embraced.
Jesus received God’s wrath and I received God’s righteousness.
Jesus got what he didn’t deserve and I got what I didn’t deserve.
Jesus didn’t get what he deserved and I didn’t get what I deserved.
Jesus got what I deserved and I got what Jesus deserved.
Jesus went through hell so that I could go to heaven.
Jesus endured hatred and I was showered with love.
Jesus died so that I could live.

Redemption is such a lopsided transaction, but such is the love of God. I got the far better deal in this exchange, and for that I will never cease to be grateful.

Prayer… Lord Jesus, all I can say in response is “thank you!” And all I can do to pay you back is to offer the rest of my life as one big thank you—and that I will gladly do.

One More Thing… “At the heart of the story stands the cross of Christ where evil did its worst and met its match.” —John W. Wenham

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Gettin’ Chiseled

Read II Corinthians 4

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting
away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our
light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an
eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 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.”
(II Corinthians 4:16-18)

Thoughts… One of Satan’s chief tools is to discourage us by making our lives difficult. Through trying times, the Enemy tempts us to doubt God’s goodness and sufficiency. When we are hurting, it is not uncommon for us to wonder if God really loves us at all. And unfortunately, as we have all witnessed, discouragement has led some to even abandon their trust in God.

Since discouragement is common to all believers, has God provided a way to break free from its powerful currents? How do you pull out of the whirlpool of doubt? Paul gives the key in these verses. He says it is to live with what I would call an eternal perspective.

You have to develop an eternal perspective. You have to exercise the spiritual discipline of seeing life through God’s eyes, of filtering everything through the lens of Scripture. The only real answer to discouragement and doubt is to penetrate the fog of your present circumstances with spiritual vision that focuses clearly and steadfastly into the unfailing character and covenant faithfulness of God.

God has promised that your troubles here in this world are only momentary. Furthermore, they are not only ephemeral, they are purposeful—they are achieving in you something eternal. And in the light of eternity, your troubles now are nothing compared to the glory you will experience then. Your present troubles are the raw material for future glory. Therefore, Paul says, fix your gaze on the glory.

Now I don’t mean to minimize the pain that we have to endure in this life. It is never fun, and I wouldn’t wish pain on you or me for all the tea in China, even knowing the eternal glory that it is achieving. Yet Paul’s advice remains the same: Keep your eye on the prize, because if you endure, glory awaits. Just remember, what Satan means for harm, God uses for good. In fact, let’s not forget that God uses problems and pain in our lives to do some of his best work, not just for the life to come, but for the here and now. James 1:2-4 says,

“Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”

In your light and momentary afflictions, God is producing good for now and glory for later! That truth reminds me of a story I came across several years ago of a man who lost his job, a sizable fortune, and his beautiful home. To add to his sorrow, his wife died. Yet he tenaciously held on to his faith, the only thing he had left.

One day when he was out walking in search of a job, he stopped to watch some men who were doing stonework on a large church. One of them was chiseling a triangular piece of rock. So he asked, “Where are you going to put that?”

The workman said, “Do you see that little opening up there near the spire? Well, I’m shaping this stone down here so that it will fit up there.”

Tears filled the man’s eyes as he walked away because the lesson was suddenly clear: God was chiseling his life down here so it would fit up there.

If you are going through the chiseling of a “light and momentary affliction”, hang in there! God is getting you ready for some eternal glory. And “up there,” it is going to be a great fit!

Prayer… Father, it is an awesome thing to be under your expert care. No matter what I am going through here and now, you are chiseling me for glory there and then. Help me to keep that perspective in every circumstance. Help me to remember at all times that my pain is nothing compared to the gain of being the object of your eternal love.

One More Thing… “Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties.” —Charles Spurgeon

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Credibility or Incredulity?

Read II Corinthians 3

“Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking
at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God’s
living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into
human lives—and we publish it.”
(II Corinthians 3:3)

Thoughts… Having a great job or getting into an upper tier college in America these days requires having an impressive resume. You will also need a list of personal references who will stand up for you and your abilities with letters of recommendation that make you look like a cross between Albert Einstein and Mother Teresa. People want proof that you are who you claim to be and that you can do what you say you can do.

Did you realize that you, yourself, are somebody’s resume? That’s what Paul says here in II Corinthians 3. When so many other ministers were bragging about themselves and getting letters of reference sent on their behalf, all Paul had to do was point to the people he was shepherding and say, “Take a look at their lives. They’ll tell you a lot about the depth of my character and the quality of my ministry.”

What was true for Paul is true for your shepherd, or your spiritual mentor, or the person who led you to Christ so many years ago. Now if that is the case, what does their resume look like? What kind of letter of recommendation do you provide for them? If they were applying for a job based on the spiritual fruit in your life, would they be hired?

Every Christian is a living resume for a spiritual leader. We just cannot escape that fact. We give the ministry under which we are shepherded credibility—or not. We are a walking advertisement for the fellowship to which we belong—for good or for bad. Most importantly, we are a living resume for our loving Redeemer—making Jesus attractive or repulsive.

May we so live our lives each and every day that others will want to follow Christ because they see the real deal in us! Jesus said it like this in Matthew 5:16,

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your
good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

So let your little light shine, friend!

Prayer… Father, my greatest desire is to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ appealing by my spiritual fruit. Help me this day, and every day, to be your living letter, drawing people to you by the compelling story told by my life.

One More Thing… “Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.” —Oswald Chambers

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What’s That Smell?

Read II Corinthians 2

“We are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being
saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the
smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.”
(II Corinthians 2:15-16)

Thoughts… Smell, like all of the senses, is quite mysterious really.  What may be a pleasing aroma to me may stink to you, to put it bluntly. You may enjoy Aqua Velva; I prefer Burberry Brit.  You may enjoy the fragrance of a freshly cut rose, but the smell I enjoy more than anything is fragrance of cedar.  Weird, huh!  You may find the smell of popcorn cooking in the microwave oven mouthwatering; I can’t stand it.  It causes my throat to close up.  So if you invite me over to your house for movies, ditch the popcorn and let’s have some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies—which I’m convinced is the modern day equivalent of Old Testament manna.

The Bible reminds us that as Christians, we, too, have a smell.  We carry around the fragrance of Christ.  We can’t help it; it just naturally exudes from our being—or at least it should.  Paul tells us that the fragrance of Christ upon us rises up to God as a sweet scent—he just loves the smell. And to others who also wear the Christ-fragrance, it is an aroma redolent with life.

But to those who have rejected Christ, frankly, we stink.  I don’t know how to put it more graciously than that.  When they smell Christ on us, it reminds them of something bad.  It reminds them of the guilt they carry around from being hostile toward God.  It reminds them of the way of death by which the Bible says they travel.  It reminds them of the foolishness of the cross and the sheer lunacy of salvation by grace apart from works.  It reminds them of the boatload of spiritual truth they find unbelievable, narrow, unsophisticated and offensive.  And because of the aroma of Christ on you they may not want you in their presence.

Don’t let it shock you if people have to hold their nose around you every once in a while. And when that happens, just remember: You smell real good to God.

So wear the fragrance of Christ boldly and proudly—you’re wearing the most expensive perfume known to God.

Prayer… Father, thank you for bathing me in the aroma of Christ. What a privilege for me to carry that fragrance upon my being. I wear it humbly yet proudly. May it rise up to you again today as a sweet smelling offering, and may it be a fragrance redolent with life to others.

One More Thing… “How was it that, even in the common tasks of an ordinary life, Jesus drew the praise of heaven? At the core of His being, He only did those things which pleased the Father. In everything, He stayed true, heartbeat to heartbeat, with the Father’s desires. Jesus lived for God alone; God was enough for Him. Thus, even in its simplicity and moment-to-moment faithfulness, Christ’s life was an unending fragrance, a perfect offering of incomparable love to God.” —Francis Frangipane

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Painful Pearls

II Corinthians 1

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who
comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can
comfort those in any trouble with the comfort
we ourselves have received from God.”
(II Corinthians 1:3-4)

Thoughts… Why do we suffer? The easy, theological answer is that we live in a world broken by sin, and the sad fruit of sin is suffering. However, suffering was not a part of God’s original plan for human beings, nor will it be permitted in the glorious age to come. But in the meantime, since sin entered the human race through Adam’s sin, suffering will be a part of the human story until the Day of Redemption ushers in that eternal age.

At a personal level, however, quick and easy answers do not salve the pain of suffering. When pain hits close to home, all of those nice, neatly packaged theological explanations go out the window. For sure, they are still true, but they don’t take away our heartache. When there is a tragic death, or a disheartening diagnosis, or a rebellious child, or the unexpected loss of a job and our heart cries out, “Why God? Where are you in all of this?” the last thing we need to hear is, “Well, because Adam sinned, sin entered the human race and now suffering is just the natural part of being human…blah, blah, blah.” We hurt, and at that moment, life stinks!

Yet in hindsight, our experience of suffering reminds us that a depth of character and a quality of life have been produced in us that would not have been otherwise possible. Through our disappointment and pain, we have gained some priceless treasures. One of those priceless treasures that Paul speaks of in these verses is the discovery of a wonderful dimension of God that cannot be experienced apart from pain: “the God of all comfort.” How would we know what his comfort is unless we really needed his comforting?

That has certainly been true for me. My deepest trials have produced my deepest experiences in God. I have learned more about God when slogging through the valley than singing on the mountaintops. I prefer the peaks, mind you, but in hindsight, I would not trade the “valley of the shadow of death” for anything in the world. It is there that I have found “the God of all comfort who comforts me in all my troubles.”

Another of these priceless treasures that Paul mentions here is a greater understanding and empathy for fellow sufferers. The ministry of care and counsel to which each of us has been called is incomplete until we ourselves have found God in our grief.

As I have discovered deeper dimensions of God in painful times, there has also been the forging of a greater ability to understand the pain of others who are going through their own valley. Out of my pain and suffering, I am now able to come alongside them, not as a theologian, but as an empathetic friend and fellow sufferer. I am able to give counsel, comfort and encouragement not from what I learned in a seminary textbook, but from the school of hard knocks. I am able to give aid and comfort with “the same comfort I myself have received from God.”

Why do I suffer? That is not really the best question, is it? The better question is, “how can I find purpose in my suffering?” For the child of God, at the heart of every pain is a purpose. Finding that redemptive purpose requires that I trust him patiently and cooperate with his plan completely. When I find God’s purpose in my pain, I have found a pearl of great price.

Did you know that a beautiful pearl is formed when a grain of sand embeds itself in the wall of an oyster? In its pain and suffering, the oyster secretes a milky substance that coats the grain of sand and makes it bearable. The substance then hardens and there you have a beautiful pearl. You might say that at the heart of every pearl is a pain.

At the heart of your suffering is a pearl of invaluable worth. It is painful to get there, but allow your trust in God and your patience with his sovereign plan to make it bearable, and one day you’ll be truly able to thank God for your suffering.

Prayer… Dear Father, thank you for working everything out for my good and for your glory. I don’t like everything that I go through, but I like what you are producing in me. I’d rather have your perfect plan fulfilled in my life than avoiding the pain that is sometimes a part of that plan. So I will embrace my suffering and lean into you as you develop yet another pearl of great price in my life.

One More Thing… “No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.” —William Penn

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Loving Correction

“We pray to God that you will not do what is wrong by refusing our correction.” (II Corinthians 13:7)

Thoughts… I want you to think of the word “loving” in the title of this blog both as an adjective and as a verb. Both are essential to a healthy Christian life. Correction administered in love is absolutely vital to our spiritual growth. Likewise, an attitude that gratefully and willingly embraces discipline is absolutely vital to our spiritual growth. As authentic Christ followers, we need loving discipline and we need to love discipline.

Think back to the discipline that was administered in your life. If you came from a healthy family, you will have to admit that though unpleasant at the time, and perhaps even administered in less that perfect ways, it was good for you in the long run.

I received a lot of discipline when I was growing up—100% of it more than deserved. I can’t tell you how many times my father said before he corrected me, “Son, this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.” I never bought that line, until I became a parent. Then I understood exactly what he meant.

A good and loving parent never enjoys administering discipline, but neither do they shy away from it because they know it is essential to the life, health, growth and success of their child. So as best they understand how it should be administered, they lovingly correct their child for their own good.

On the other end, the child certainly doesn’t enjoy discipline either. But hopefully at some point along the way, they begin to understand the parent is disciplining out of love and concern. A healthy and maturing child then, will lovingly and gratefully submit to the parent’s correction.

As it is in a human family, so it is in the family of God, the body of Christ. Spiritual leaders have a Biblical charge to discipline members of the flock when necessary. If a leader fails in this regard, they are not a good spiritual leader and they are derelict in their duty. Furthermore, a failure to discipline will result in a failure to thrive in the church; God’s people will never grow into maturity, unity and effectiveness.

I think you would agree that correction in God’s family is essential. So now the question is, how do you respond to it when it comes your way? I hope you are not like a lot of people who agree with and applaud tough truth, until it is applied to them.

I want to challenge you as Paul challenged the Corinthians: Don’t get caught up in wrong by refusing discipline! I’ll guarantee this, when your spiritual leader has to bring discipline into your life, it is born out of Biblical duty, it is carried forth in love, and it will hurt them every bit as much to administer it as it hurts to receive it. So don’t refuse it by getting mad, causing problems or running off to another church. That is far too common and far too easy…and it doesn’t bring growth to your life.

As strange as this may sound, develop a love for correction. Don’t go out of your way to become a candidate for it, but learn to embrace it. You won’t thrive without it.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid!
—Proverbs 12:1

Prayer… Lord, give me the wisdom and the courage to embrace correction from spiritual leaders not only in theory, but in the reality of my life. And give them the courage to administer it with wisdom, courage, and love.

One More Thing… “Life is tons of discipline.” — Robert Frost

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Motives

“What I want is not your possessions, but you.” (II Corinthians 12:14)

Thoughts… Why do pastors pastor, preachers preach and spiritual leaders lead? What is their motive? That’s a critical question congregations need to resolve as they think about their spiritual leadership. The health and effectiveness of the church hinges on the motive of the leader.

Unfortunately, the motive of some is to increase personal wealth, or to gain a greater reputation or to exercise authority and power over people—or all three. For an authentic leader, it to protect their flock from spiritual predators, form them into the likeness of Christ, teach them the way of God and leverage their collective energies to expand the Kingdom of God.

The motive of the leader means everything to the vitality of the church. Far too many spiritual leaders, not just in Paul’s day, but all the way down through church history clear into our day, have led with conflicted, if not outright impure motives. That’s why you can see more ministries today than you can shake a stick at that are more about the persona of the pastor than the health, happiness and effectiveness of the church.

Paul was being accused of having impure motives in the church that he had founded and fathered-the Corinthian church. Some were saying, among other things, that he had obviously prospered financially at their expense. Now Paul could have simply blown off this criticism and moved on to any of the other churches that he had founded, but he was their “father in the Lord” and he wasn’t going to leave them to be ravaged by these “super apostles” who were using the church for their benefit.

So Paul defends his spiritual authority, pointing out that he never profited financially from them. He never wanted their money, nor asked for it. If they were to examine the evidence, all Paul really ever wanted was their heart. He wanted to shape the heart of the church into greater submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, deeper love their Master, and wider influence in claiming their territory for the Kingdom of God.

That’s not a bad “to do” list for spiritual leaders. Is that what your spiritual leader is up to? It should be! If it’s not, lovingly encourage that person, pray for them, and give them whatever support it takes for hem to get with it. If that’s what they are already doing, then encourage them, pray for them and support them—get on board and help them to pull it off. And thank God for them, because you’ve got a great leader.

Prayer… Lord, thank you my spiritual leaders. They are not into their leadership for money, power or fame. They truly want to do your bidding and extend your fame throughout the earth. Bless them today, and make me, by my loving support, a joy for them to lead.

One More Thing… “The role of church leaders is to prepare God’s people for life with a faith that works.” — Mike Foss