a triumphal procession

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post # 2156

2 Corinthians 2:12-16

2 Cor 2:12 Now I had previously gone to Troas for the purpose of spreading the gospel of Christ
and a door had been opened for me in the Lord,
2 Cor 2:13 but my spirit could not relax, because I did not find Titus my brother; instead, after getting away from them, I went on to Macedonia.
2 Cor 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in a triumphal procession in Christ, and manifests through us the smell of the knowledge of Him in every place.
2 Cor 2:15 Because we smell like Christ does to God among those who are being rescued and among those who are perishing;
2 Cor 2:16 to the one we are a dead smell which is leading to death, to the other we are a living smell which is leading to life.

a triumphal procession

Here’s the thing about triumphal processions: if you are being led in one, that means you are a captured prisoner, and just might be being led to your death. But Paul was okay with that analogy, because the purpose of a triumphal procession is to show respect to the conquering king. As a missionary, seeking to spread the gospel wherever he went, Paul knew what he smelled like. He smelled like Christ does to God. He might encounter those whom God is rescuing with that gospel, or he might encounter the spiritually dead. The difference was not him, but his audience. We do not know whether Paul found Titus in Macedonia, but maybe he found some people who were anxious to hear the gospel. That would be enough for him.

LORD, open our hearts to the Spirit’s leading, so that we can find those who are seeking Christ.

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forgive, or be exploited

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

 

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devotional post # 2155

2 Corinthians 2:8-11

2Co 2:8 So I am encouraging you to reaffirm your love for him.
2Co 2:9 Because this is why I had written, that I might test you and know whether you are being obedient in everything.
2Co 2:10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Actually, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been on behalf of you in the presence of Christ,
2Co 2:11 in order that we would not be exploited by Satan; because we are not ignorant of his designs.

forgive, or be exploited

The Corinthians had been wronged. One of their own number had betrayed them, and his sin was blatant. They had excommunicated him at Paul’s request. But now, Paul recognized that the time of his sentence was up, and it was time to restore him to the fellowship. Paul prayed for that person’s full forgiveness, and encouraged the Corinthians to trust in that forgiveness, and restore their brother to fellowship. If they did not, Satan would use the break in fellowship to exploit them all, and the end result would be worse than before.

LORD, teach us to listen to your voice, disciplining when it is necessary, and fully forgiving and reaffirming our love when we can.

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time to forgive

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post # 2154

2 Corinthians 2:5-7

2Co 2:5 But if someone has brought sorrow, he has brought it not to me, but to some extent — not to be too dramatic– to all of you.
2Co 2:6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority has lasted long enough,
2Co 2:7 so you should turn to forgive and comfort him instead, or else he may become overwhelmed by too much sorrow.

time to forgive

In his previous letter to the Corinthians, he had instructed one of the congregations to sanction one of their members because of a blatant sin. It appears that they have done that, and now there is some question as to whether they are willing to return that member to good standing. That is always a tricky subject, because we do not want to be associated with our past mistakes. Paul’s instruction in this case was that it was now time to forgive and restore. Failure to forgive can be just as disastrous for a church as failure to confront.

LORD, give us the courage to confront sin in our ranks, and the wisdom to know when it is time to forgive and put it past us.

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the distance prescription

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post # 2153

2 Corinthians 2:1-4

2Co 2:1 Because I made up my mind not to make another sorrowful visit to you.
2Co 2:2 Because if I cause you sorrow, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have made sorrowful?
2Co 2:3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer sorrow from those who should have made me rejoice, because I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all.
2Co 2:4 Because I wrote to you out of much suffering and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the love that I have for you even more.

the distance prescription

Paul decided that he would not make a quick visit to Corinth, even though he had a number of problems with the Corinthians that needed sorting out. Instead, he sent his responses to the list of problems by letter, and let time and distance start the healing process before he booked his tickets. The distance prescription is not always the best medicine. In fact, it appears that it did not work in this case. The Corinthians misunderstood Paul’s attempt to give them time to change as an insult.

LORD, give us the wisdom and the right words to confront our problems, not to wait until they get worse.

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validating seal

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

 

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devotional post # 2152

2 Corinthians 1:21-24

2 Cor 1:21 But God is the one who is validating us — along with you –in union with Christ, and has anointed us,
2 Cor 1:22 who also marked us with a seal, and put the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment, guaranteeing what will come later.
2 Cor 1:23 But I appeal to God for a witness on behalf of my soul, that it was in order to spare you I did not come to Corinth.
2 Cor 1:24 It is not that we have arbitrarily exercised dominion, knowing that you have confidence in us, but are fellow-workers for your joy, because you are standing firm in your confidence.

validating seal

Paul is still showing the Corinthians that his change in plans was not a judgment upon them. He points out that when he had previously worked among them, they had seen God’s validating mark on the ministry of his team. So this same validating mark in their memory should lead them to keep their confidence in the team, despite the unfortunate circumstance of their delay.

LORD, burn in our hearts the memory of your work among us, so that we stand firm in our confidence that your work will continue, no matter what.

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he keeps his promises

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post # 2151

2 Corinthians 1:19-20

2 Cor 1:19 Because the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed among you by us, namely by me and Silvanus and Timothy, was not “Yes and no,” on the contrary, with him it has always been “Yes.”
2 Cor 1:20 Because as many as the promises of God are, with him they are “Yes,” that is why it is through him we say “Amen!,” to the glory of God.

he keeps his promises

Paul reminds the Corinthian believers that when his team was preaching in Corinth, they did not contradict each other when they talked about the gospel and the promises of God. So, it appears that some are now saying that Paul cannot be trusted, because he cannot keep his promises. Paul’s point is that God’s promises are always kept.

LORD, thank you for being faithful to your word, no matter how much we fail.

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plans change, but God is faithful

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post # 2150

2 Corinthians 1:15-18

2 Cor 1:15 And this was why I was confident, I planned at first to come to you, so that you could have a second helping of grace,
2 Cor 1:16 and travel by means of you into Macedonia, and back again from Macedonia to come to you, and have you send me on my way to Judea.
2 Cor 1:17 Was I being careless when I planned to do this? Or the things that I plan, do I plan them according to the flesh, so that with me there will be “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time?
2 Cor 1:18 But God is faithful, that is why our word to you is not “Yes” and “No.”

plans change, but God is faithful

It sounds like some of the Achaian Christians may have resented it when they learned that Paul and his team had to change their original plans to visit them. But Paul even used that disappointment as a means of teaching the principle that plans often change, but God remains faithful. We should not be afraid to make promises, but we should not feel devastated if the circumstances of life prevent us from keeping those promises. In fact, we should expect that at some point, we may be hindered from doing what we fully intended to do. In his wisdom, God sometimes keeps us from being everyone’s savior all the time. That position is filled.

LORD, we will trust you, because you are faithful, even when our plans have to change.

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almost there

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post # 2149

2 Corinthians 1:12-14

2 Cor 1:12 Because what we are bragging about, what our conscience tells us, is this: that we behaved ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with dedication and integrity before God, not with fleshly wisdom, but with the grace of God.
2 Cor 1:13 Because we are not writing any other things to you than what you have read or still understand, and I hope you will understand it completely,
2 Cor 1:14 just as you have only understood us partly, so that we are your reason for rejoicing, just as you also are ours, on the Day that our Lord Jesus comes.

almost there

Paul is sure that the Corinthians partly understood his instructions and encouragements he wrote in his previous letter. They are almost there. He just needs to clarify a few things, because apparently some people are using his words against him, claiming that he was just giving worldly advice. It is very easy to misunderstand the instructions given in the epistles, and even easier to partly understand them.

LORD, give us the wisdom to search the scriptures diligently, and make sure we completely understand them.

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death sentence

Posted on September 23, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post # 2148

2 Corinthians 1:9-11

2 Cor 1:9 Yes, we ourselves were living with the verdict of a death sentence, with the result that we did not have confidence in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead,
2 Cor 1:10 who rescued us out of so great a death, and will rescue. We have set our confident expectation on him, that he will rescue us yet again,
2 Cor 1:11 you also helping together on our behalf by your prayers, so that thanks will be given by many people on our behalf for the gracious gift given to us by many people.

death sentence

Most of the time when I was living in the Philippines I did not fear action taken against me. But I can remember one sleepless night when I started thinking that I might not be as safe as I thought I was. I thought my family was a target of terrorists, and that this night might be our last. One of the things that helped me — even during that terrible night — was the fact that there were lots of people praying for us.

That is the kind of confidence Paul talks about here. He does not trust his own ability to survive the death sentence his team is under, but he does trust God, and the prayers of his saints.

LORD, keep us praying, and keep protecting your servants.

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shared encouragement

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post # 2147

2 Corinthians 1:6-8

2 Cor 1:6 But if we are suffering, it is for your encouragement and deliverance, or if we are encouraged, it is for your encouragement, which produces in you the patient enduring of the same misfortunes that we also experience.
2 Cor 1:7 And our expectation for you holds firm, knowing that, as you are sharers of the misfortunes, so also you are of the encouragement.
2 Cor 1:8 Because we do not want you to miss the fact, brothers, about the suffering that came to us in the province of Asia, the fact that we were weighed down extremely, beyond our power to endure, so that we thought we would even lose our lives.

shared encouragement

Paul and his missionary team experienced some terrible things. But Paul recognized that every one of those bad experiences led them closer to God, so that they could be encouraged by his presence. The Achaian believers were also in God’s plan, because they would be encouraged by the perseverance of Paul’s team, and would learn to persevere themselves. If we– as servants of God — endure no troubles, we cannot pass on the encouragement.

LORD, show us how to turn our troubles into testimony of your faithfulness.

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