| 2 Corinthians 13:10-11 This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority-- the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down. Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Paul gave the Corinthian church some words of encouragement, which are teachings for the Christian life. Firstly, he prayed that the brothers will be joyful. Do you have joy in your life? Some people say that joy is the barometer of spiritual life. When a person draws closer to God, there will be a glorious and unspeakable joy that flows out from his heart. Faith should bring about joy because if there is no joy what meaning is there to heaven? Some people may say that we need to learn the lesson of repentance first. Although that may be true, the book of Ecclesiastes tells us "there is a time to weep and a time to laugh". If we always have difficulties in our lives that cause us not to be joyful, there must be some bondage of fear and worry. We need to ask the Lord to release us from that bondage so we can experience true freedom in Christ. Next, aim for perfection. Perfection here refers to perfection in Christ. We need to learn to live under the covering of the blood of Christ. Each time when we wander away from the Lord, we can experience the covering of the precious blood of Christ and stand before God once again. Thirdly, be comforted. Sometimes our hearts are hardened and we refuse to be comforted. The hurts we experienced in the past, the wrongs we suffered, the things we have been through can cause us to hold on and not let go. As such the comfort of God cannot come. Fourthly, we need to be of one mind and live in peace. This is the most important thing in church. If a family is divided, how can it stand firm? Similarly, the church faces all kinds of spiritual battles and unity is even more important. Just as Jesus mentioned in a parable, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? In order for the church to move forward, it needs to ask the Lord to grant a humble heart so that everyone can work together to manifest the Lord's glory. When there is the spirit of unity, others can see that we belong to the Lord. This is the best method of spreading the gospel. When we do this, Paul gives us this promise: And the God of love and peace will be with you. Pray with Pastor Tong Liu 
Lord, I thank you because for your words of encouragement. May the Spirit of God touch us so that our spirit may once again be comforted, and be released from the shadows of darkness so that our lives can be surrendered to God. I thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen! |
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