2 Corinthians 13:11
I slipped and felt the burning, searing pain run through my leg. What do you do when you look at your leg that is ripped wide open and bleeding? In my case I had to jump in the truck and drive an hour to get a number of stitches to close the wound. We have lived in places where there were no emergency services, no fire trucks, no ambulances and no 911 phone calls. It is now a joy for us to be close to a fire house, near a hospital and have the 911 emergency number that actually works. The emergency services exist to bring us as people back to a safe and stable life. In this verse, Paul is closing his second letter to the Corinthian church and he challenges them with five things that will bring stability to their lives and the life of their church. These five are still valuable and needed for us today. If we want to experience the love and peace of God we need to be people of God who first of all are filled with joy that comes from God. This joy finds it roots in a deep satisfying relationship with God that is not shaken by the circumstances of life. Paul desires that they be people that are filled with joy because they know how God has saved them and and are confident in what He continues to do. Secondly, we need to be spiritual growing to be made complete in God. The Corinthians had been corrected by Paul so they could understand and live in a way that pleased God. Third, Paul wanted them to be encouraged by his words. The word encouraged here literally means to call alongside. We can encourage others as we come alongside them by lifting them up with our positive words and the use of Scripture. Next, Paul wants them to be like minded and agree with each other. This is not just being nice to get along. Paul’s desire is that his readers will be united on the truth of God and the practice of His word in their daily lives. This leads us to the fifth and final point of living in peace. His point is to be a peace loving person not a problem making person. The practice of these five things in our relationship with God and our relationships with others will lead us to experiencing the blessing of love and peace from God. To put it simply Paul is saying that if you want to have a life of stability you first must have an intimate fellowship with God and allow that relationship to impact your conduct. Paul had provided some spiritual stitches that he hoped would hold and bring stability to their lives and their church. The same can be true for us today.
I slipped and felt the burning, searing pain run through my leg. What do you do when you look at your leg that is ripped wide open and bleeding? In my case I had to jump in the truck and drive an hour to get a number of stitches to close the wound. We have lived in places where there were no emergency services, no fire trucks, no ambulances and no 911 phone calls. It is now a joy for us to be close to a fire house, near a hospital and have the 911 emergency number that actually works. The emergency services exist to bring us as people back to a safe and stable life. In this verse, Paul is closing his second letter to the Corinthian church and he challenges them with five things that will bring stability to their lives and the life of their church. These five are still valuable and needed for us today. If we want to experience the love and peace of God we need to be people of God who first of all are filled with joy that comes from God. This joy finds it roots in a deep satisfying relationship with God that is not shaken by the circumstances of life. Paul desires that they be people that are filled with joy because they know how God has saved them and and are confident in what He continues to do. Secondly, we need to be spiritual growing to be made complete in God. The Corinthians had been corrected by Paul so they could understand and live in a way that pleased God. Third, Paul wanted them to be encouraged by his words. The word encouraged here literally means to call alongside. We can encourage others as we come alongside them by lifting them up with our positive words and the use of Scripture. Next, Paul wants them to be like minded and agree with each other. This is not just being nice to get along. Paul’s desire is that his readers will be united on the truth of God and the practice of His word in their daily lives. This leads us to the fifth and final point of living in peace. His point is to be a peace loving person not a problem making person. The practice of these five things in our relationship with God and our relationships with others will lead us to experiencing the blessing of love and peace from God. To put it simply Paul is saying that if you want to have a life of stability you first must have an intimate fellowship with God and allow that relationship to impact your conduct. Paul had provided some spiritual stitches that he hoped would hold and bring stability to their lives and their church. The same can be true for us today.
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