Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12: 7-9

Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, ⁷ or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 

Scripture Commentary: Don’t let conceit make you think it’s all about you.

When we are so conceited that we think we can do anything, we have just stepped into Satan’s trap. The apostle Paul may have been in a place in his ministry where it was going so well that he thought it was all about him. This, too, can happen to you and God will have to pull you back and let you see it is not about you.

Paul doesn’t say what his thorn was but in verses 9 and 10 these words appear: weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and finally, difficulties. Paul’s thorn could have been any one of these things; they cover personal, physical, health and mental issues.

The thorn that he had kept him humble and reminded him of his need for constant contact with God.

Paul’s thorn was for him.

Your thorn is for you and only you. My thorn is for me and only me. Although God did not remove Paul’s thorn, He promised to demonstrate His power through Paul.

Each of us has a thorn to bear and God, in using us to spread His gospel, is a reminder of His love for us.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

2 Corinthians Chapter 12

Read Other Commentary from the Book of 2 Corinthians:

Depend on God in Your Weakness

Do Not Despair; God Is With You

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13: 11-14

Finally, believers, rejoice! Be made complete [be what you should be], be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace [enjoy the spiritual well-being experienced by believers who walk closely with God]; and the God of love and peace [the source of lovingkindness] will be with you. ¹² Greet one another with a ^[a]holy kiss. ¹³ All ^[b]God’s people greet you. ¹⁴ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Scripture Commentary: Approach all with Christ-like lovingkindness.

Paul was dealing with an ongoing problem in the Corinthian church. He could have refused to communicate until they cleared up their situation. However, he reached out to them with Christ-like lovingkindness.

Love, however, means that sometimes we must confront those we care about. Both authority and personal concern are needed when dealing with people who are ruining their lives with sin. But there are several wrong approaches in confronting others. These approaches can further break relationships rather than heal them.

For instance, we can be legalistic and blast people away with the laws they should be obeying. Equally wrong, we can turn away from them because we don’t want to face the situation. Or we can isolate them by gossiping about their problem and turning others against them as well.

Or, like Paul, we can seek to build the relationship by taking a better approach of sharing, communicating, and caring. Although this approach can drain us emotionally, it is the best way for the other person. And it is the only Christ-like way to deal with other’s sin.

This is how Christ has dealt with each of us!

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

2 Corinthians Chapter 13

Read Other Commentary from Corinthians

God Has Prepared Great Things for You

God is Your Strength, Your Power, and Your Purpose

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13: 3-6

… since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. ⁴ For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak ^[d]in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you. ⁵ Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you ^[e]fail the test? ⁶ But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves ^[f]do not fail the test. 

Scripture Commentary: Examine yourself today to see if Jesus Christ is in you.

Do you examine your spiritual self? Do you ask yourself if you are truly living and working for Our Lord Jesus Christ? Have you asked if you trust all things in Him?

Is your way of living a true example of a loving, giving Christian?

At times we must stop and examine where we are in our life with God. We get so caught up in our everyday life that we oftentimes don’t look at our spiritual life.

Don’t become complacent about Christ.

Stop what you’re doing, get on your knees and talk to God. When you talk to Him, you’re touching the power He placed in you to overcome your weakness.

God would like to hear from you today.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

2 Corinthians Chapter 13

Read Other Commentary on 2 Corinthians:

God’s Grace Is Sufficient For Your Needs

Believers Spread the Aroma of the Knowledge of God

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2: 14-17

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.  For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.

Scripture Commentary

In a Roman triumphal procession, the Roman general would display his treasures and captives amidst a cloud of incense burned to the gods.  To the victors, the aroma was sweet, but to the captives, it was the smell of slavery and death.

When Christians preach the gospel, it is good news to some and repulsive news to others.  Believers recognize the life-giving fragrance of the message.  However, to non-believers it smells foul, like death.

Serving God requires that you focus on what He can do through you.

God has commissioned and sent us with the Holy Spirit, enabling us to speak with Christ’s power.  He keeps His eye on us, protecting us as we work for Him.  So, if we realize that God makes us competent and useful, we can overcome our feelings of inadequacy.  Serving Christ, therefore, requires that we focus on what He can do through us, not on what we can’t do by ourselves.

Some preachers peddle God’s word without understanding God’s message or caring about their listeners.  They aren’t concerned about furthering God’s kingdom; they just want money.

God’s word will set you free; the lie will send you to hell.

Read the Entire Chapter:
2 Corinthians Chapter 2

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4: 8-12

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

Scripture Commentary: God shows us again and again in the Bible not to despair

Paul reminds us that we often feel like we are losing the battle, living in despair, persecuted, abandoned, struck down, and destroyed.  But hope and faith in Jesus Christ redeems us. Our flesh is perishable; it is subject to sin and suffering. God never abandons us, and his love and support will never perish.

Christ defeated death and gives us eternal life. All of our obstacles, humiliations, and trials are opportunities for Christ to demonstrate his power and presence in our lives. Paul suffered as he preached the Good News, but he knew that one day his trials would end. He held onto the promise of God’s rest and rewards.

Trust God to lift you out of your despair; He will never fail you

We all face troubles. It is easy to focus on our pain and the things we hate about our day to day lives. We must push through the negative and concentrate on our ultimate goal.

Athletes push themselves to the finish line, even when they’re tired and sore. Push yourself toward Jesus Christ. Let your faith guide you. Let Christ strengthen you. Do not let fatigue, pain, or criticism stop you from reaching the end.

Don’t forsake your eternal life because of the intensity of today’s pain. Your very weakness allows the resurrection power of Christ to strengthen you moment by moment.

Read the Entire Chapter:
2 Corinthians Chapter 4

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12: 7-9

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Scripture Commentary: God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness when I depend on him

Do you let your thorns, your weakness, rest with the Lord? Or do you try to remove them yourself?

Paul tells us he asked our Lord to remove his, but God did not. God gave him the strength to do His works. God was showing Paul that with God by his side he could do all things.

We need this weakness in ourselves in order to feel the power of Christ at work inside of us. When we are strong in abilities and resources, we are tempted to do God’s work on our own. This leads to pride.

When we are weak we allow God to fill us with His power. We become stronger than we could ever be on our own. God doesn’t intend for us to seek weakness and ineffectiveness. Life provides enough obstacles without us creating them. He expects us to depend on him when those obstacles come into play.

Dependence on God lets us know He is the powerful one, not us.

Read the Entire Chapter:
2 Corinthians Chapter 12

Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly – and indeed you do bear with me. As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows! For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

2 Corinthians 11: 1, 10-14

Commentary:

First get your Bible and read chapter 11 entirely. In this chapter Paul felt foolish rehearsing his credentials as a preacher of the gospel. The Corinthians, like some of us today, fall for smooth talk and messages that sounded good and seemed to make sense. We have with us today great eloquent speakers with an authoritative sounding voice who contradict God’s word. Beware! Satan and his servants can deceive us by appearing to be attractive, good, and moral. Many unsuspecting people follow smooth talking, Bible quoting, leaders into false worship. Don’t be fooled by external appearances.

Our impressions alone are not an accurate indicator of who is or isn’t a true follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ask questions of yourself, like does the speaker confirm scripture or conform scripture? Does he or she proclaim that Jesus Christ Messiah came into the world to save us from sin, died on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God, His Father, and will come and judge us. A false teacher teaches for his own glory, not the glory of God.