Well, I am back after 3 days of inactivity due to several factors.
- I was sick as a dog with the Flu (Not COVID)
- What waking hours I was spending out of bed I was spending with my family to celebrate this wonderful time of year where we remember the Birth and arrival of our New Forever King.
I have missed my time in God’s Word, but I have been in plenty of prayer and that has not been more intense than tonight. We had some startling revelations within our immediate family tonight that pushed this post late and I would just ask anyone reading this to pray that the Lord would give us wisdom, understanding, and patience as we walk the road set before us. God is so good, and He knew that we would be right here right now. I am sure that if I stop and look (applying recent Quiet Time takeaways) I will find God’s hand already moving within this trial. I would also see this is an opportunity that God once again, is going to show me His providence and sovereignty in all of my circumstances.
2 Corinthians 2:5-11 [ESV]
Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
When I came in and sat down in bed to dive into God’s Word for help and Truth, this was the passage today. This was right after I had stepped away from a continuing conversation on the ‘revelations’ mentioned above. I needed a way forward, not a solution (although that would be awesome), just some next steps that would be God honoring as I try comes terms with what I was hearing.
CONTEXT OF THE PASSAGE: This is super important as I don’t want it to seem as though I am manipulating God’s word to suit my circumstance and thus offer an answer that isn’t really there. Paul is talking about someone (the ‘anyone’ mentioned here) that has sinned against the church and under fairly strong church discipline. Paul is both relieved and concerned. Relieved that the Church of Corinth is applying necessary church discipline and concerned that satan might gain the advantage if the offender were to be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow; so, he urged his readers to turn to and reaffirm their love for the offender.
It seems most likely that what Paul has in mind in this verse is the possibility that Satan might take advantage of the situation and defraud the congregation of one of its members permanently. So, being not ignorant of his designs, Paul urges the Corinthians to reaffirm their love for the offender to avoid such a possibility. Later in this book we will see that Paul recognizes an active role on the part of Satan to undermine the faith, devotion and good order of the church. I personally believe satan is also active working to do this same undermining in Christian families, so I see the application well suited.
Application:
So, God has provided me right here, the necessary steps I need to do in the situation I am in. Thank you, Lord Jesus for your Living Word that is alive, and working in those who follow You.