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(If you have missed any of the sermons on the book of 2 Corinthians you can find them on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.)
Paul writes this letter to the church in Corinth, making it clear that his ultimate goal is to be used up for the gospel. He doesn’t want anything left in the tank when He is at the end of this life. He has had to convince this church community that the authentic way of Jesus is hard, but it is worth it. In this chapter Paul and his missionary friends express feeling joy and comfort even though he tells them that they have struggled greatly on this latest missionary trip. “In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.” Vs. 4
This church in Corinth had been following some false teachers who had attacked Paul’s credentials as a leader of the church because sometimes he struggled in the ministry. But Paul had to remind them how God had used him as an instrument to bring them to faith. There were hard conversations dealing with these issues, but these talks ended with repentance which brought Paul great joy. “As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief so that you suffered no loss through us.” Vs. 9
Sometimes a parent needs to be sure that a child understands the result of their actions before they take the next steps to comfort the child. The church in Corinth had repented, and now Paul wanted them to know his great love towards them. During this chapter, Paul reveals he had sent his coworker Titus to them and they received him wonderfully. Titus had played a key role in bringing this message of correction to this church family but they did not reject him, they accepted him with love. Through this whole situation, their love has grown deeper and mutual trust more stable.
Maybe you have bought into the misconception that following Jesus was a life of ease. The last time you tried to surrender everything, things got hard and you gave up because you thought you weren’t doing it right. Perhaps, you were doing what God wanted you to, but the path just got hard. Is there a place you need to go back to? Is there a relationship you need to revisit? Is there a commitment you need to take back on? Maybe the struggle made you doubt your calling; perhaps that was in fake a confirmation of that very calling. Don’t lose heart. Following the authentic way of Jesus is hard, but it is worth it.