2 Corinthians 1:12

2 Corinthians 1:12 Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God's grace.

This is something that I feel we need to all work towards. Namely, that we can say that we have acted in such a way towards all people in holiness and godly sincerity. That no one can say we have acted using the wisdom of this world but that we have lived our lives for God by his grace. So how do we compare to this verse? Is all our conduct done in holiness and sincerity? If not, we need to repent and ask for God’s grace in our lives so that we can be changed by the Holy Spirit into someone who can make this statement.

Hope in God

In 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, Paul shares about some of his struggles. He talks about how they were overwhelmed so that they despaired of life. They had come to the end of themselves and yet had to continue on. What strikes me is in verse 9 where he says, “we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;” This is very significant. God brought them to a place where they could not trust in themselves and more. They had the sentence of death within them. Yet it didn’t end there. They put their trust in God. Not in themselves, not in their skills or abilities but in God. Maybe it took this incident or trial that Paul talks about to really bring about full surrender in his life to God. But Paul put his hope in God and God delivered them from the peril of death and Paul continues in this hope by saying God will deliver us. Not only has God delivered Paul already but God will continue to deliver him.

This led me to think about circumstances in my life that feel like they take me beyond what I can bear. I need to put my hope in God, not in people, in my strengths or anything else. My hope, your hope needs to be in the God who raises from the dead. The one who gives us hope when it seems that all hope is lost. The God who has promised to deliver us.

Comfort of God

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

It is because of God’s grace and peace that the Apostle Paul can write this. God comforts us in all our troubles. He gives us his grace to continue on and his peace to know that he is in total control. Our faith in God stands on his word which says in Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Even our troubles and afflictions are worked to our good and even to the good of others. Paul states that God comforts us so that we can then comfort others who are going through the same things. Just as Christ suffered and that flows into our lives so does the comfort of Christ flow into our lives. This should lead us to bring praise to God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.