2 Corinthians 13:5 (Examine)

^"Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith."

When's the last time you had to get a physical examination at the doctor's office?  The purpose of these exams is to see how you're doing physically, right?  Similarly to a physical exam, Paul urges us to give ourselves a spiritual exam to see how we're doing.  To wrap up our study of 2 Corinthians (which I'm shocked to say we've been studying since Labor Day), we are given a final command and test.  

Do you ever wonder if God is really working in you, or if perhaps you've been making this up in your head and feeling "happy thoughts" that are all of your own creation?  I have.  

These questions are not something to be ashamed of; rather, they are the very essence of what makes this our faith.  There is a large element of the unknown -- I have had some very real and life-changing encounters with Jesus, but He has yet to physically join me for a cup of coffee on my living room couch.  This is our faith.  Yet, I can tell you that when you really take time to examine it, you will see the proof and presence of Jesus.

And this is exactly what Paul says in his final words to the Corinthians.  He tells them to examine themselves, to test themselves.  If you know that Jesus is in you (the Holy Spirit), then you have Him. The only way for us to get Him is to repent of our sins, believe that Jesus is God who died for our sins, and willingly ask Him to take control of our lives so that we are no longer in the driver's seat.  He will say yes!  If you have surrendered your life to Christ, then you have Him.  Period.

Now, ask any Christian if they have ups and downs in their faith, and they will say yes.  Some days I can feel God's presence in my life so strongly, and other days I wonder why He is not more apparent to me.  So how do we know if our faith is genuine?  Genuine faith is not satisfied with remaining where we are.

Genuine faith demonstrates a growing awareness of God's presence.  We may not always feel Him in every moment, but overall, do we continue to feel and be aware of Him more and more as we interact with people and the world around us?  Also, are we seeking to grow closer to God or are we lackadaisically slipping further away from Him -- it is either one or the other.  We must be seeking Him, and then we will be feeling Him.

Do you know that Jesus knows this challenge for us, and in fact He prays for you.  It's recorded in the Bible, which I had never seen until college!  Read John 17.  It will astound you that Jesus Himself is praying for YOU!  In the last verses, verse 25 and 26, here is what He says in prayer for you:

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they (the Christians) know that you have sent me.  I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Did you see what He said?  I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known... Jesus wants us to continue to grow closer to God, too!  He desires that when we examine ourselves that we will see we are growing closer to our Creator, and He is the one who is working to do this in our lives.  He wants us to understand God the Father through our relationship with Himself.

So this morning, I echo Paul's challenge to you: seek Him more.  Continue to move closer to Him.  If we aren't purposefully seeking a closer relationship and understanding of who He is, then we are moving away from Him.  Fill your mind with Scripture, songs, and articles that will be good for your heart, that teach you and challenge you.  Pray to Him -- nothing earth-shaking -- just a conversation.  And allow time for silence so that He may speak.  He wants to be found by you, dear one.  If you seek Him, you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).  



Molly Monroe

2 Corinthians 12:7-8 (Re-post: Given a Thorn)

A re-post from April 2011 that comes from 2 Corinthians 12.  Such a powerful verse to remember whenever we face trials that seem unbearable.

But before we get to that, may I just say thank you to you?  Thank you for digging deeper in the Word with me over these past (almost) two years.  Thank you for allowing me to share what God is doing in my life and for even considering that what God is doing in me might be worth reading for you.  Studying His word and getting to share it with you is truly one of the greatest joys in my life.  So, thank you.  Thank you.  Okay, now on to the good stuff...

***

"To keep me from becoming conceited...there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  2 Corinthians 12:7-8

Thorns hurt. They are alien, unnatural objects that when stuck in our flesh demand our attention until they are removed.  In the above verse, Paul is not referencing a thorn that comes from a plant, but rather the paralyzing, pummeling, and painful thorns we encounter in life -- crumbling marriages, chronic illness, financial devastation, anxiety, shame over past failures, persistent doubt, or grief that just won't fade.

Jesus also pleaded with His Father three times in the Garden that His thorn, His future suffering, would be taken from Him.  Sometime during that conversation with God, Jesus became content with the thorn the Father had given Him, because in John 18:11, Jesus says to a combative Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"

How was Jesus finally able to be content with what was about to happen?  Remember that the thorn itself does not come from God.  In the above verse, satan was the messenger and his purpose was to torment Paul.  However, nothing can happen to us without God knowing it, and "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" Romans 8:28).

Do you believe that, dear friends?  Whether your trial has come early in your life, late in your life, or will last the rest of your life, God is intending to use this trial in your life, or He would not have allowed it.  It will hurt.  But you will be changed by it, if you allow Him to walk beside you and make you more like Himself.  He wants us to rely on His grace and provision as we persevere.

He understands your thorns.  Remember His crown.

Lord, I present my thorn to You.  Thank you for walking beside me in this trial and promising that you always work for good.  Help me to trust You completely as You make me more like you.  Amen.


Molly Monroe

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (Follower)

¹³ These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵ So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

Have you ever believed someone, followed their thinking for a while thinking you had really found something true here, until you realized that you couldn't have been more wrong?

I'll be the first to raise my hand.

It's an embarrassing and somewhat shameful feeling to realize that you've been punked by an imposter, because you were just so sure that it was the Truth.  But instead you find that they were just a ruse -- disguised by smooth talking, bold confidence, and a following that made you sure they were really onto something. 

But just as Paul says, we are not to be surprised by this, which makes me think it must be somewhat common, that there must be many false teachers (or at least more than we think).

It says that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  I had to stop and think about that one for a moment...what exactly is an angel of light?  Well an angel is a messenger, and light often represents Truth.  So he disguises himself as a messenger of truth, when in fact he is the opposite: a ruler of darkness and a director of all deceit.

Satan and those who do not follow Christ can deceive us by appearing to be attractive, good, and moral.  Many unsuspecting people follow smooth-talking, Bible quoting leaders into cults that alienate them from their families and lead them into practices that go against the Bible.  Of course no one sets out to get involved in a cult, but our impressions of people alone should not be the only indicator against which to measure Truth and a true follower of Christ.

So how do we know if we are following Truth or not?  Three questions to ask:

1.  Does the teacher affirm and proclaim that Jesus Christ is God, who came into the world as a man to save people from their sins?  If the teacher is adding something new to the Gospel that you've never heard before, be suspicious.

2.  Is the teacher's life-style consistent with biblical morality, and do you see evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit in him?  Love.  Joy.  Peace, etc...these ARE the proof of the Spirit.

3.  Most importantly, as we search all of Scripture, do the teachings fall inline with the totality of the Bible?  Think about Acts 17:11, "And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message.  They searched the Scriptures days after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth."  

What a gift we have in this country to have such access to God's word!  Let us not be lazy about following what sounds good or what excites our emotions; but instead, may we ourselves be readers and studiers of the Word.  Never should we allow one passionate person to be our sole interpreter of Scripture!  But instead, may we search for ourselves, listen to other leaders, read books, and even allow our thinking to be challenged by the thoughts of those who have different interpretations of Scripture than us -- because I can tell you right now that what I believe today is not 100% accurate, I just don't know it yet.  

More and more, I agree with Aristotle who said, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."  May we not allow ourselves to get to focused on something that we're missing the big picture!

It's never too late to go a different direction, my friend.  Search the Scriptures and continue to encounter Jesus -- He is the only one worth following.  He is the only Truth.


Molly Monroe

2 Corinthians 11-13 (Paul's Heart and Passion)

Today, I'm doing something I've not done here before, and probably won't do often at all.  But as I was reading this morning, beginning in Chapter 11, Verse 1, I just couldn't stop reading.  These last three chapters MUST be read together.  It's very clear that these last three chapters are Paul's last-ditch effort to try to win over the hearts of the Corinthians to himself so that they will also be won over to Christ.

As I read, I could hear his passion over and over -- most importantly, his love for these people, his love and devotion to teaching of Christ, and his willingness to sacrifice himself for Christ and the people.  Many times he talks about sounding like a fool, as if at this part of the letter, he just sat down and let it all come out from the tip of his pen, and he knows how emotional it sounds and how some people might snicker and roll their eyes when they read it.  (Ever written something like that?)

His love and passion for them wreaks throughout this writing.  Surely, this is not from a man who is out to make it big or to be impressive.

The "super apostles" are charging tons of money to come speak to the people, they perform crazy signs and miracles, they use tootie-falootie  language since they were all educated in the highest Greek schools, and they aren't preaching a message about Jesus and the Holy Spirit but instead some other message that seems to always make the people "feel good."

But Paul comes for free because of the financial support he gets from other Christians; he's not trying to wow them with magic tricks, but he does share of some crazy things that have happened; he keeps his language very simple so that everyone can understand it -- even the uneducated; and he sticks to the plain message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Still, apparently, the people aren't accepting of him and the message of Christ because it's not "fancy" enough for them.

So, here he goes....

I encourage you to read through all of it.  It is so good for me to read more than just a few verses sometimes.  We'll be looking at a few particular parts over the next week, too.  But, today, why don't you make your own conclusions and observations?  I think by the end, he must be crying...

Paul and the False Apostles

 I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me. ² For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. ³ But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. ⁴ You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

⁵ But I don’t consider myself inferior in any way to these “super apostles” who teach such things. ⁶ I may be unskilled as a speaker, but I’m not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every possible way.
⁷ Was I wrong when I humbled myself and honored you by preaching God’s Good News to you without expecting anything in return? ⁸ I “robbed” other churches by accepting their contributions so I could serve you at no cost. ⁹ And when I was with you and didn’t have enough to live on, I did not become a financial burden to anyone. For the brothers who came from Macedonia brought me all that I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be. ¹⁰ As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, no one in all of Greece will ever stop me from boasting about this. ¹¹ Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows that I do.
¹² But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours. ¹³ These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵ So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

Paul’s Many Trials

¹⁶ Again I say, don’t think that I am a fool to talk like this. But even if you do, listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little. ¹⁷ Such boasting is not from the Lord, but I am acting like a fool. ¹⁸ And since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too. ¹⁹ After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools! ²⁰ You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face. ²¹ I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that!

But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too. ²² Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. ²³ Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. ²⁴ Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. ²⁶ I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. ²⁷ I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.
²⁸ Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?
³⁰ If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. ³¹ God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying. ³² When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me. ³³ I had to be lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape from him.

Paul’s Vision and His Thorn in the Flesh

12 This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. ² I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. ³ Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know ⁴ that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.

⁵ That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. ⁶ If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, ⁷ even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
⁸ Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. ⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. ¹⁰ That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians

¹¹ You have made me act like a fool—boasting like this. You ought to be writing commendations for me, for I am not at all inferior to these “super apostles,” even though I am nothing at all. ¹² When I was with you, I certainly gave you proof that I am an apostle. For I patiently did many signs and wonders and miracles among you. ¹³ The only thing I failed to do, which I do in the other churches, was to become a financial burden to you. Please forgive me for this wrong!

¹⁴ Now I am coming to you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you. I don’t want what you have—I want you. After all, children don’t provide for their parents. Rather, parents provide for their children. ¹⁵ I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me.
¹⁶ Some of you admit I was not a burden to you. But others still think I was sneaky and took advantage of you by trickery. ¹⁷ But how? Did any of the men I sent to you take advantage of you? ¹⁸ When I urged Titus to visit you and sent our other brother with him, did Titus take advantage of you? No! For we have the same spirit and walk in each other’s steps, doing things the same way.
¹⁹ Perhaps you think we’re saying these things just to defend ourselves. No, we tell you this as Christ’s servants, and with God as our witness. Everything we do, dear friends, is to strengthen you. ²⁰ For I am afraid that when I come I won’t like what I find, and you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly behavior. ²¹ Yes, I am afraid that when I come again, God will humble me in your presence. And I will be grieved because many of you have not given up your old sins. You have not repented of your impurity, sexual immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure.

Paul’s Final Advice

13 This is the third time I am coming to visit you (and as the Scriptures say, “The facts of every case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”). ² I have already warned those who had been sinning when I was there on my second visit. Now I again warn them and all others, just as I did before, that next time I will not spare them.

³ I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak when he deals with you; he is powerful among you. ⁴ Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God’s power.
⁵ Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. ⁶ As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority.
⁷ We pray to God that you will not do what is wrong by refusing our correction. I hope we won’t need to demonstrate our authority when we arrive. Do the right thing before we come—even if that makes it look like we have failed to demonstrate our authority. ⁸ For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. ⁹ We are glad to seem weak if it helps show that you are actually strong. We pray that you will become mature.
¹⁰ I am writing this to you before I come, hoping that I won’t need to deal severely with you when I do come. For I want to use the authority the Lord has given me to strengthen you, not to tear you down.

Paul’s Final Greetings

¹¹ Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

¹² Greet each other with Christian love. ¹³ All of God’s people here send you their greetings.
¹⁴ May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

(...and if you made it all the way down here, I applaud you.  Wasn't it good to read all of that as ONE chunk?  I just couldn't break it apart yet...)

We'll dig in next week, but until then, have a great weekend!


 Molly Monroe 

2 Corinthians 10:17-18 (Credit)

“If you want to claim credit, claim it for God.” What you say about yourself means nothing in God’s work. It’s what God says about you that makes the difference. (The Message)

My sisters and I have this horrible, um, we'll say habit, of hearing one another say something funny, and then turning to the people in the crowd who didn't hear the funny thing and re-stating it as if its our own creation.  They roll with laughter, and the sister who originally said it gives The Stealer a look like I heard you just steal my funny, and I won't throw you under the bus right now, but you and I both know that I said it first, missy.

Oh, sisterly competition.

Well, when your nickname in middle school is Foul-Ball Molly, you have to get positive laughs from somewhere.  And so it all began....

We all like to get credit though, don't we?  What is it about receiving credit that we work so hard, work so long, create and create, or steal the creations of others so that we can be the eyebrow-raiser? And if we don't get the credit for our creating, then something has gone horribly wrong in the world.

But here, Paul reminds us that WE should never worry about getting credit.  The credit belongs to God.

This made me think -- how good am I at giving God the credit for the things I think I do?  Wasn't it He who gave me the abilities, gifts, and talents to do anything I do in the first place?  (Except for games that have fouls, maybe.)  And couldn't He also take away what He has given?

Fun fact you never knew about me: In high school, I studied opera. I always thought I was an alto until I took a year of voice lessons and the teacher was amazed by how high I could sing.  So, I started singing up there more often.  I loved it!  The Italian arias (an expressive, self-contained piece for one singer) were just beautiful, and I felt such pleasure that God had given me the ability to sing that way and that I'd actually discovered this hidden gem.  

Until I got sick.  Right before a state competition in which I was to compete.  My voice was not what it "could be."  After taming the tears, I did fine, but not as well as I thought I could've.  Then, the next year at the same competition, I got sick right before it again!  What a cruel joke! 

I don't know all the reasons why that happened two years in a row, but God used those times to remind me that He was the one who had given me those gifts, and He could also take them away.  There was no reason to think my voice was anything I'd done -- even my ability to get better was a gift He'd given me -- and any day I could get sick and lose that gift.

It's the same with any gift He's given us -- athletic ability, academic ability, a great family, a positive marriage, a creative mind -- we could lose it any second.

The same is true with gifts we haven't been given.  He did not bless me with the natural ability to play sports that require hand-eye or hand-foot coordination; He did not bless me with the natural ability to figure numbers and math problems; He did not bless me with the natural ability to cook, garden, sew, or be crafty.  I could learn those things, sure, but they are not my "gifts".  And I'm perfectly okay with that now.  He's given me other things.

So, claiming credit?  I try so hard not to, because I see that any talents I have are exactly that -- gifts -- that were given to me by Someone because He loves me.  All credit belongs to the Lord, the Lord who gives and takes away.

And I don't need to be known as a good singer, a good writer, or a good teacher by people.

As I sit here and think about it, the only One I want to roll with laughter at my jokes, to give a nod to anything I do, to smile at me with His fatherly approval, or to hug me and tell me how proud He is of what I've done, is the One who sees my heart, not just my talents.

And more than anything, when I see Him face to face someday, and He bends toward me with His hands on my shoulders, our noses almost touching, and the gentlest of eyes seeing right into my soul,  the only words of acclaim that will matter are the words, "Well done, Molly, my good and faithful servant."

So if someone were to say to me, "That song was beautiful, Molly," I'd smile and say "thank you" to be polite.  But then, Lord, help me to remember in that moment to also whisper up to the heavens a grateful "thank you" to the One who gives good gifts to His children.

He is the source of all credit.



Molly Monroe

2 Corinthians 10:12 (Compare)

¹² We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.

Let me ask you, how do you compare?  When you think of yourself in any area, how do you rank?  If you're like me, you are probably tempted to compare yourself with the people around you...anything from weight, to hair, to athletic ability, to wealth, to debt, to possessions, to power, to righteousness.  Individually, we compare ourselves, do we not? 

Then, there's the group comparison.  A whole team can compare itself to another team, a political party compares itself to another political party, and a school compares itself to another school.

That's fine if God is not your standard.

But what about when a church compares itself to another church -- in giving, in attendance, in programs, or in the size of their buildings.  Or when a ministry compares itself to another ministry -- in volunteers or in production.

In this verse, written about 2,000 years ago, the comparisons are rampant.  Paul is still defending himself as an apostle because the "super apostles" are making sure that they always come out on top...but compared to what?  Compared to themselves.

That's like taking two ants living underground in an ant colony, and the largest one (by 0.11222 ounces) claims he is now officially the largest animal in the land!

As the verse above states, if we compare ourselves against ourselves, we are not wise.  

But we are like the ant when we compare ourselves to the people around us.  We don't even know what we are saying!   To us with such a greater perspective, the ant sounds absolutely foolish to make that claim!  And to God, with the greatest perspective, He says, "Oh, but dear one, you are completely missing the mark."

And so we are when we compare ourselves to anyone other than God who tells us to "be holy as I am holy."  HE is the standard.  No one else.

So then, that begs the question: How holy do you really want to be?

Because according to my unsaved friends, I might look pretty holy.  And I can feel really good and comfortable with that, all while I continue living in less-than-holy ways at times...because, I'm still better than so-and-so.

Holiness is not a check-list.  Holiness is an attitude of our hearts that says I am set apart for Your use, Lord, and I choose to stand apart from sin and evil so that I may be more like You.

If we're being different than or set apart from the world, we certainly can't compare ourselves with the world.  That would be unwise.

Wisdom comes from comparing ourselves to Jesus Christ.  He is our standard.  Period.

So, when I compare myself to Jesus Christ and to how He lived, well, then I suddenly don't feel like the largest animal in the land anymore.  Compared to Jesus, my pride falls away, I see how far I am from His standard, and I am overcome with my need for a Savior. 

And that's a good place to be.