Thursday – Letters

Reading – 2 Corinthians 11-13

Highlight Verse:

“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.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I admit that I was tempted to write about Paul’s thorn in the flesh – not for any deep spiritual truth but because of a meme I recently saw. Paul was writing about his thorn in the flesh while in a prison cell with a roommate; SpongeBob SquarePants.

That could be a far worse hardship than any of the others he endured.

In the end I decided it was the end that really mattered to me in today’s reading.

Paul, with all the authority he outlined in the previous two chapters, sums up what he wanted the Corinthians to take away from his teaching.

• “Be joyful” – could be considered a result of following the rest of his commands.
• “Grow to maturity” – Don’t dwell in the simple truths of mercy and repentance but move on to deepen and share your faith.
• “Encourage each other” – We’re not in this alone. Find and give strength in the body of Christ.
• And “Live in harmony and peace” – both with fellow believers to fulfill the previous command and with others that they may find salvation through your love.

What did you take away from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians?
How will you apply what you learned?