I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 9-13

Paul gives us two lessons about giving in today’s passage. The first, and the reason he wrote about it, is actually twofold.  People often say they will make donations with the full intent of doing so, then get distracted by other events and forget to do so.  Which means that we need to follow Paul’s example and remind people of the promises they have made.  Perhaps just as important, we should not wait until our promises come due to begin the process of fulfilling them.  The other point which Paul makes is that we should give cheerfully, not out of a sense of obligation or duty.  God will bless those who give purely out of their own desire to help those in need. Closely related to that is the idea that there is no formula about how much one should give.  Each person must determine how much they feel inspired to give.

Starting in Chapter 10, Paul makes the case for why the Corinthian Church should accept his guidance and teaching as opposed to that of those who were counseling them to disregard what he wrote.  I want to focus on what he writes about how he addresses false arguments and human reasoning which is contrary to God’s.  He does not attempt to counter the arguments with further human reasoning.  Instead, he uses the weapons and arguments which God gives him.  He captures his every thought and makes it obedient to Christ.  He counsels us against judging teachers and teachings by appearances.  Instead he advises us to judge them by their results.  When someone has authority over others, do they use it to build them up? Or, to tear them down?  Those who are serving Christ do the former, those who do the latter are serving themselves.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 5-8

Paul makes a point here that the physical bodies we will have in heaven will be different, and better, than the physical bodies which we have here on earth.  He makes the point that we should not fear death because it will only be after the death of our earthly body that we will be able to live in our heavenly bodies.  In fact, Paul was eager for death so as to leave his earthly body and enter into his heavenly body.  As we live in these earthly bodies we continuously experience death, but once we enter into the heavenly bodies which God will give us we will never experience death again.  However, Paul was content to continue to live because as long as he lived he could serve God.  As long as we live in these earthly bodies we must seek to live not for ourselves, but for Christ.  Let us seek to make every action we take, every word we speak, bring glory to God.

When I began the previous paragraph I had a clear idea of what I wanted to write, and I thought it would be utterly clear.  I sought to make the point that we should not fear death, instead we should eagerly look forward to it.  This does not mean that we should seek out death for death’s sake, but what awaits us on the other side of death is more desirable than anything we have here.  We should not seek out death because as long as we live we can further serve Christ, which will bring us joy.  The great thing about Paul’s message here is that it provides us with the basis to not fear the consequences of serving Christ.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 1-4

Early in this passage Paul writes that his letters are straightforward with nothing written between the lines.  Then later he refers to the veil which Jews wear (wore? I do not know if this tradition continues today)  when reading the Torah.  He explains that no such veil is needed by those who hear, read, or speak Christ’s teaching.  In fact, he makes clear that the only obstacle to knowing and understanding God’s commands through Christ is one’s unwillingness to accept it.  In all of this Paul makes the point that everyone is capable of understanding Christ’s commands.  There is no secret knowledge reserved for those who have been initiated into it.  There is no special education necessary to understand what God wants of us.  While I like to think that my daily writing about Scripture provides those who read it a unique insight into said Scripture, anyone who reads that Scripture can obtain a thorough understanding of it just by reading it and meditating on it.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote that those who preach the Gospel are entitled to receive payment from those to whom they preach.  However, here he distinguishes himself from those he calls hucksters, who preach solely for personal gain.  These two statements for not contradict each other, Paul is not saying that all of those who are paid to preach the Gospel are hucksters.  Rather, he is pointing out that some of those who are paid to preach the Gospel are hucksters, preaching what makes them the most money.  Further, since he does not accept payment for preaching the Gospel, he cannot be accused of being in it for the money (let alone of tailoring his message to make the most possible money).