We Are Speaking In Christ Before God
The signs of a true apostle were
performed among you with utmost patience, signs and wonders and mighty works.
How have you been worse off than the other churches, except that I myself did
not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!
Here I am, ready to come to you this
third time. And I will not be a burden, because I do not want what is yours but
you; for children ought not to lay up for their parents, but parents for their
children. I will most gladly spend and be spent for you. If I love you more, am
I to be loved less? Let it be assumed that I did not burden you. Nevertheless
(you say) since I was crafty, I took you in by deceit. Did I take advantage of
you through any of those whom I sent to you? I urged Titus to go, and sent the
brother with him. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? Did we not
conduct ourselves with the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?
Have you been thinking all along that
we have been defending ourselves before you? We are speaking in Christ before
God. Everything we do, beloved, is for the sake of
building you up. For I fear that when I come, I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish; I fear that
there may perhaps be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip,
conceit, and disorder. I fear that when I come again, my God may humble me
before you, and that I may have to mourn over many who previously sinned and
have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and licentiousness that they
have practiced.
2 Corinthians 5:12-21
Our heavenly Father looks on us and
sees the voids and imperfections in our lives, yet lovingly and patiently does
His work in us to make us His masterpiece.
What a joy it is to have such a God,
who makes us new and never tires of investing His energy and effort into our
lives!
Only God can
transform a sin-stained soul into a masterpiece of grace.
Our Daily
Bread –