Thursday 27 Jul 2023

July 27: 2 Corinthians 13:1-10

Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?

Devotion:
I’m not really sure what I would do if I got a letter from a church leader with these words in it! The church in Corinth must have been going through some tough times with people throwing doubt into the congregation and others questioning themselves just because they had been left to largely get on with things by themselves.

Sometimes we crave recognition as a church by wanting well known church leaders to visit us as if that is going to make some sort of difference to our belief or to our congregations. Yes, there are some people who follow the church leaders around and like to be seen with the leaders; but their want for recognition is not heavenly but of this earth. The only reward they will receive is from this earth.

We should be aiming at gaining Heavenly rewards from our God and Saviour. We should be praising God for all He has already done and standing firm on our faith in Him. When the people come to mock us because we believe in something which they cannot see, or because we are relying on something else instead of our own fortitude. What they do not see is we get our strength and fortitude from God because we have faith in Him.

The truth will always come out and we should be upholding the truth above all else. Don’t doubt yourself because other people say you should. Have faith in God because He alone has said we should – He made us a promise to be here for us at all times.

Points to Ponder:
How often do you look at the way you live?

How often do you think about how God wants you to live?