Wake-up Call
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (II Cor. 11:3)
II Cor. 11:1-7; Ps. 119:130, 131:1; Eph. 6:10-12; II Cor. 2:4, 4:5-12, 6:3-20; II Cor. 11:23-28
What Is God Saying?
The second letter of Paul to the Corinthians is a source of spiritual insight and abounds with substantial help. A good exercise would be to go through this letter as if for the first time and underline the verses meant to bolster our faith and help us through trials. Yet it comes right out of the fire of Paul's suffering. He is dealing with a hostile minority who said he was a brave letter-writer, but when, bodily present, he was, in fact, a coward (II Cor. 10:1, 9, 10). Paul refers to his accusers, with a touch of irony, as superlative apostles (II Cor. 11:5 and 12:11). If these superlative apostles succeeded in calling Paul's message and conduct into question and dulling the impact of his Gospel, the body of Christians in Corinth would be exposed to the ‘cunning of the serpent who deceived Eve, and be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.’ That was his genuine concern. It was his love that gave them, as it were, a wake-up call. Don't let the enemy catch you off base. At all costs, maintain a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
How Does This Apply To Us?
Life is a perpetual battle. We must be on guard when things seem to move without conflict, and the recipe for contentment is to rest undisturbed. Rest is good, and in the crush of our hectic times, it is necessary. The Good Shepherd gives us a great blessing when He makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside still waters. It is one of the ways He restores our souls. But, Paul had obstacles to hurdle and enemies to face (11:23-28). He spells out the challenges he faced while doing good work for Christ. Throughout his testing (4:5-12, 6:3-10), he rested in the all-sufficient grace of Christ. The power of Christ (12:9) rested on him so that he could rest in Christ. That is the real secret of staying spiritually healthy. Paul, who suffered for Christ and rested in Christ, wanted the new Christians in Corinth to avoid the cunning of Satan by keeping their thoughts on Christ.
Pray With Me
O Lord, guard my thoughts. They function in secret, away from the sight of others. They work in silence where no one can hear. Yet, these very thoughts are the source of all life and action. They lead to joy or sorrow. They create peace or turmoil. They can dwell on the best or sink to the lowest. Our thoughts can get out of control. They can destroy our moral equilibrium. Our thoughts rule and fool us and pave the way to hell unless our sincere and pure devotion to Christ remains intact. Then all the right thoughts will be nourished and all the wrong ones starved, good thoughts will prosper and all evil ones perish. So, dear Lord, fill my heart with Your righteousness. Possess my mind with Your peace. Let me know the exquisite joy of loving You. Let thoughts of Your love for me become vessels of Your love for others.
In pure devotion to Him whose love for me has no flaw. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
Let us bring to prayer a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. Let us look for peace in the right place, and contentment will follow. Let us hunger and thirst for God, and satisfaction will come. Let us take our problems to face them with God and leave them with God. Sincere and pure devotion to Christ is the door that leads to peace amid strife, joy in the wake of sorrow, and hope in the face of crushing disappointment. That is the kindly light that leads us through the encircling gloom.
