2 Corinthians 13:1-10 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

¹ This is the third time I am coming to you. On the testimony of two or three witnesses every word will be confirmed. ² I gave warning, and I give warning —as when I was present the second time, so now while I am absent—to those who sinned before and to all the rest: if I come again, I will not be lenient, ³ since you seek proof of Christ speaking in me. He is not weak toward you, but powerful among you. ⁴ In fact, He was crucified in weakness, but He lives by God’s power. For we also are weak in Him, yet toward you we will live with Him by God’s power.    ⁵ Test yourselves [to see] if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you not recognize for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you fail the test. ⁶⁷ Now we pray to God that you do nothing wrong, not that we may appear to pass the test, but that you may do what is right, even though we [may appear] to fail. ⁸ For we are not able to do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹ In fact, we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. We also pray for this: your maturity. ¹⁰ This is why I am writing these things while absent, that when I am there I will not use severity, in keeping with the authority the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down. And I hope you will recognize that we are not failing the test.

In verse 9 Paul lets the Corinthians know the partial content of his prayer for them.  He prays for their maturity, completeness.  They need to be made complete.  The word used here is the same word used in Mark 1:19 when James and John are pictured mending their nets.  The word mend is here translated perfection.  It means to make perfect something that is not so now.  It is to put something in the appropriate condition.  There is inherent in the word and assumption of brokenness.  God would make us complete.  Realize, without God acting in your life you will never be complete/mature.  You cannot fill that void in your life until you give your life to Christ and then He becomes the holy filler.

Maturity/Completeness come about over a long time as we spend time with the Lord in His word, in prayer, in worship, in fellowship and in service to Him.  As we near the end of this month I pray that we are all closer to maturity now than we were when we started the month.  Moreso, I pray that disciplines are being established in us that will continue through the rest of our lives here on this earth.

2 Corinthians 12:1-10 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

¹ It is necessary to boast; it is not helpful, but I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord. ² I know a man in Christ who was caught up into the third heaven 14 years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don’t know; God knows. ³ I know that this man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— ⁴ was caught up into paradise. He heard inexpressible words, which a man is not allowed to speak. ⁵ I will boast about this person, but not about myself, except of my weaknesses. ⁶ For if I want to boast, I will not be a fool, because I will be telling the truth. But I will spare you, so that no one can credit me with something beyond what he sees in me or hears from me, ⁷ especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself. ⁸ Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. ⁹ But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. ¹⁰ So because of Christ, I am pleased in weaknesses, in insults, in catastrophes, in persecutions, and in pressures. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

There is so much in this passage that we should consider it carefully.  Take some extra time today to meditate on this passage.  I’ll try to clear up a couple of things and then leave the rest to God’s Spirit with you.

Exactly what that thorn was has been the subject of much speculation.  Some have postulated that Paul was going blind, or that he had some other type of handicap.  The specific problem is not named and it is not necessary for it to be done.  Whatever Paul’s thorn, we can all relate to it for we all have something in our lives that can keep us humble.  Whether it is a physical attribute, an emotional difficulty, or a spiritual hindrance, we each have our own thorn in the flesh.

Three times Paul prayed.  God always answers our prayers, this time he said “No!”  That is a difficult thing to take.  A hard word.  It is not easy for us to accept a “no” answer.  We much prefer “yes” and sometimes will settle for “wait.”  But “no” is much harder to take.  Sometimes we will even interpret “no” as “wait” so that we can continue to hope against hope that there will be a change.  But when God spoke here, the phrase Paul uses indicates a finality of speech,  that things were said and done as said.  There would be no change.

Paul may have prayed, “God, I want you to remove this thorn so I can proclaim Your grace.”  God responded,” I want the thorn to stay so that you can experience My grace.”  Paul wanted to be able to show others God’s sufficiency, God wanted Paul to live in his sufficiency.  Paul may have wanted God to remove the thorn so that he could be the example of God’s power over the thorn.  God left the thorn to show his power over the thorn.

God’s ways are not our ways.  We must learn to be content with His answers, His ways.  Don’t respond to His negative answer with bitterness.  He is good.  He is right.  Trust Him.

2 Corinthians 11:16-30 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

¹⁶ I repeat: no one should consider me a fool. But if [you do], at least accept me as a fool, so I too may boast a little. ¹⁷¹⁸ Since many boast from a human perspective, I will also boast. ¹⁹ For you gladly put up with fools since you are so smart! ²⁰ In fact, you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone devours you, if someone captures you, if someone dominates you, or if someone hits you in the face. ²¹ I say this to [our] shame: we have been weak. What I say in this matter of boasting, I don’t speak as the Lord would, but foolishly.

But in whatever anyone dares [to boast]—I am talking foolishly—I also dare:

²² Are they Hebrews? So am I.
Are they Israelites? So am I.
Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I.

²³ Are they servants of Christ?
I’m talking like a madman—I’m a better one:
with far more labors, many more imprisonments,
far worse beatings, near death many times.

²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews 40 lashes minus one.

²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods.
Once I was stoned.
Three times I was shipwrecked.
I have spent a night and a day in the depths of the sea.

²⁶ On frequent journeys, [I faced]
dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers,
dangers from my own people, dangers from the Gentiles,
dangers in the city, dangers in the open country,
dangers on the sea, and dangers among false brothers;

²⁷ labor and hardship,
many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst,
often without food, cold, and lacking clothing.

²⁸ Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my care for all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? ³⁰ If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weaknesses.³¹ The eternally blessed One, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus, knows I am not lying. ³² In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me, ³³ so I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

Here Paul revisits a familiar argument that he has used several times in this letter.  But here he brings is to a conclusion, stating it in full.  It goes something like this:  Those who have followed me have tried to distinguish themselves by their own credentials, listing for you the reasons why they are better than me.  If that is the measure, then let me tell you, I can name more reasons why you should believe in me because I have a better background, more experience now, have suffered more and have gone through more distress than all of them put together.  But all of those things are not reason for me to brag.  That is foolishness, to think that all of my accomplishments or difficulties qualify me more than another to preach, teach, live the Christian life.  Even with all that I have been through that is not what makes me who I am.

In the same way, today, we must not be fooled into thinking that we somehow deserve or earn either eternal life or eternal merit.  All that happens in our lives is not because of who we are but because of who God is.  It is foolish to think that you are your own person, or that you have greatness that meets the measure of God.

Paul is not telling them of his trials so that they may feel sorry for him but so that he may show them the folly of the entire exercise.  His position in Christ is not because of his actions, but because of what has happened in his life by Christ.

Do you ever fall into the trap of wanting to list for others, or even yourself, your Christian accomplishments?  Do you ever sit back to rest on your laurels, not going forward in your walk with Christ because you’ve already done so much?