Our Daily Scripture – 7/1/22

SCRIPTURE:  2 CORINTHIANS 10

BIBLE VERSES:

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.’ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

“ But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”  For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” (2 Corinthians 10:17-18)

PAUL’S DEFENSE OF HIS MINISTRY (vs. 1-18)

The enemies of Paul at Corinth had accused him of the following:

  1.  He was not a true apostles because he lacked credentials from Jerusalem church;
  2.  His motive was not sincere
  3.  He did not deserve respect
  4.  His letters were bold but his personality was weak
  5.  His promises were undependable.

Paul answered the accusation of his critics with the following defense:

  1.  I followed Christ’s example (v. 1) – Paul was not weak.  He was following the meekness and humility of Christ.
  2.  I used spiritual weapon (v. 4) – Since Paul did not display strong personality, the believers thought he was a weakling.  But Paul said he did not depend on fleshly wisdom, human abilities or physical powers.  The effective weapon he used was the Word of God and prayer.
  3.  I did not judge by appearances (v. 7) – The Corinthian believers discredited Paul because he lacked the physical stamina of Peter and the oratorical power of Apollos.  But Paul lived to please God and not to please man.
  4.  I let God do the commending (vs. 12,-18) – Paul was the one who started the church in Corinth.  But the Judaizers came along to boast about the work they did not accomplish.  Paul left the matter of commendation to the Lord.  He will wait for the day to hear God saying “Well done” to him.

THOUGHTS:

  1. Do not be influenced by physical matters in judging the servants of God.
  2. People use captivating prayers, promotional schemes, man honoring displays to build a crowd.  But Christians must use spiritual weapons of the Word of God and prayer to build a church.  Effects of the flesh may grab people’s attention but they will never receive the approval of God.
  3. Do not compare yourself with others.  Don’t be envious about other’s accomplishment.  Instead, measure yourself against God’s standard.
  4. Do not seek for recognition because it can lead to inflated pride.  If you receive praise, give the glory to God.
  5. Let God do the commending.  Your efforts may seem to be failure in man’s eyes, but God sees your life and your ministry.  He may consider your work as a great success for His glory.