June 27 - 2 Corinthians 7:2-16
Dear Father, we come before You in praise and with thanksgiving for You give us our ‘But God’ moments. You orchestrate our lives for Your glory. May we in our quiet time recognize You for who You are: our Lord God, the God of Israel.
First, do your own quiet time and 4R journaling. When you are completed, come back here for the lesson.
Request God's help
Read 2 Corinthians 7:2-16
Record a verse that stands out to you
Respond to God
But God comforts the downcast.
God is the God of comfort and often times He uses those in His flock to do the comforting. Romans 12:16 says to live in harmony and to associate with those whom society deems lowly and to be wise. These characteristics themselves bring comfort.
So, what is going on in this passage? Earlier, Titus had delivered a letter penned by Paul. It was a pretty severe letter; Paul said he wrote it out of much affliction and anguish of heart. He let them know it was written with great love and not to cause pain. Paul was so anxious about how the church of Corinth took the letter that he could not minister where he was at. Then, he sought out Titus and guess what?! Titus told him that the church had in fact repented (verse 7)! So, he wrote this second letter, 2 Corinthians, to express his great joy at their renewing of hearts through repentance. And then he continues to encourage them along the way!
This one man, Titus, was to be the deliverer of the letter, and also the bearer of their response. It could have gone all kinds of wrong, but it didn’t! When we are corrected by a fellow believer, our response should be one of humility and repentance. And even if it isn’t, we should still treat the bearer of the correction with respect and honor for what a weighty responsibility it is to bring such correction to others. Paul showed great worry over the church, and the baby like Christians being new in faith, could have taken the news so badly. But God is so good, and He had it all under control!
But God honored Paul’s prayers.
But God opened the church’s heart eyes.
But God lead them to repentance.
But God used Titus to bring comfort to Paul.
But God brought comfort to the repentant church.
No matter how wrong we are or how far we went off course, no matter how unfaithful we were, when we repent God comforts us. God doesn’t want us to wallow in our downcast-ness and humiliation. He wants us to be free in His forgiveness.
But God comforts those who are downcast.
“Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10
(Further Reading: Romans 12:9-12; 1 Thessalonians 3:6-7)
Dear Lord, we praise You for You are holy, for You are creator, You are the master planner. We thank You for all You have done, we thank You for our lives!
What’s next?
As the Spirit leads, in the comment section below, share what He has laid on your heart.
Then join us again tomorrow for the next commentary.
My Verse: 2 Corinthians 7:6, “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,”
