In II Corinthians 2:16, the Apostle Paul, speaking of his ministry to the Corinthians and others, exclaimed: “And who is adequate for these things?” The answer, of course, is that none of us are. We must depend upon God to do for and through us what we cannot do for ourselves. (See devotion on that verse here).
But we CAN find in The Lord an adequacy for all that He entrusts to us. In fact, in the very next chapter Paul addresses that: Continue reading
“For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.” (II Corinthians 2:17)
How did the Apostle Paul keep from corrupting the word of God (which should be one of our greatest concerns)? We see two key things in this verse: Continue reading
Several years ago I read the testimony of a Hollywood celebrity who had struggled for years with drinking. But they kept denying that they really had a problem. They said the breakthrough came when they got to their lowest point, and finally dropped their pride, and uttered what they said were “the three most important words I ever said: ‘I NEED HELP’.”
“I need help.” Those may indeed be the single most important words anyone can say. They are what every child learns to say: “Mom, I need your help.” “Dad, I need your help.” Our little grand daughter Abigail was over the other day, and she would occasionally look at Cheryl or me and say “hep?” A child knows they need our help, and they aren’t afraid to ask for it. Jesus said that if we want to enter the Kingdom of God, then we need to become like little children — and this is exactly what He meant. If we are going to get into the kingdom, and advance and grow in the Kingdom, then we must be willing to say to God: “I need Your help!”
Last Sunday we introduced our study of Matthew 5:3-12, a passage often referred to as “The Beatitudes.” But we saw that these Beatitudes are not merely 8 random character qualities which God has decided to bless, but rather these are 8 qualities which picture for us the character of Jesus Christ which it is God’s goal to work into our lives. In fact, when Romans 8:28 says that God causes all things to work together for good — Romans 8:29 immediately follows that up by saying that He is causing everything to work together to conform us to the image of His Son. We don’t have to wonder what the “good” is that God is working things together for. He is working things together to make us like Jesus in our character. And Matthew 5:3-12 is where God has strategically placed the description of that character: in the first words of the first sermon of Jesus in the first book of the New Testament. In this prominent place, He has put His goal for every one of our lives: He wants to build these qualities into our character.
This morning, we are going to look at the first character quality, found in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” This is THE most important quality that can be built into you life, because it is foundational for all the rest of them, and all of the others build on this one. What it teaches us is the importance of “spiritual dependence” — depending on God and asking Him for help. Continue reading
“Do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (II Corinthians 3:1b-3)
Many of us in Christian ministry have been asked for, or have sent, resumes and letters of recommendation. It is a pretty common aspect of ministry: we present our ministry experience, credentials, and accomplishments — or commend those things in others. But the words of the Apostle Paul in this passage might lead us to re-think the process some — or at least cause us to re-evaluate what we consider our “accomplishments” in ministry in light of them. Continue reading
What attitude should we demonstrate towards those with whom we serve in God’s Kingdom work? Paul gives us a brief outline of his perspective in II Corinthians 1:24: “Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm.” Paul’s outlook towards others in ministry is summarized here with one positive and one negative: Continue reading
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me … He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted …”. (Isaiah 61:1)
The Lord Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1 in Luke 4:18 regarding His own ministry. He fulfilled its prophecy Himself when He came. But what does this phrase “bind up the brokenhearted” really mean? Continue reading
“… so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” (II Corinthians 2:11)
Although many are reluctant to talk about “the devil” in our “modern” days, The Bible tells us that we are to be on the alert for the schemes of our spiritual enemy. Ephesians 6:11 commands us to “put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” And II Corinthians 2:11 tells us that “we are not ignorant of his schemes.” Our ancient enemy is working against us, and we are to stand against what he is attempting. But Paul also indicates in this verse that we are not “left in the dark” about what he is trying to do. And in fact, the larger passage around this verse tells us what one of his biggest schemes against us involves: Continue reading
Francis Chan wrote in his book, Crazy Love: “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.”
That quote is worth pondering as we begin this new year. Many of us have undoubtedly set goals for ourselves this year, consisting of various things like: how many miles we want to run, or how many pounds we want to lose, or like my son David, how many books he wants to read this year. And those things can be good; do not get me wrong.
But did you know that GOD has a goal for your life? And He has one goal for you this year that is more important than any other. In fact, it is your life goal. Continue reading
“and who is adequate for these things?” (II Corinthians 2:16)
Anyone who has ever taken their Christian ministry seriously can identify with the words of the Apostle Paul in this verse. Here Paul just exclaims about the gravity of the ministry he is involved in. He has just written that he and his fellow workers are “an aroma from death to death” and “life to life” among the people to whom they ministered. He knew that eternity was on the line with each conversation, each contact with people he encountered.
He did not take this lightly. So here he sighs: “Who is adequate for these things?” Continue reading
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” (II Corinthians 2:14)
Scientists tells us that just as each person has an individual fingerprint, we also each have a particular scent. Some people cover or enhance that scent by using a fair amount of cologne or perfume, and sometimes you can “follow the scent” that a person leaves behind after they have been around.
Paul wrote here that the “scent” that he and his associates left behind was “the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him” (Christ). Continue reading
I'm a retired Southern Baptist pastor of almost 40 years. My wife Cheryl & I moved to Norman, OK in March of 2025. I share a weekly overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, as well as texts of my sermons and other articles.
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