2 Corinthians 13: 5 Put yourselves to the
test and judge yourselves, to find out whether you are living in faith. Surely
you know that Christ Jesus is in you?—unless you have completely failed. 6 I trust you will know that
we are not failures. 7 We pray to God that you will do no
wrong—not in order to show that we are a success, but so that you may do what
is right, even though we may seem to be failures. 8 For we cannot do a thing
against the truth, but only for it. 9 We are glad when we are weak but you are
strong. And so we also pray that you will become perfect. 10 That is why I write this
while I am away from you; it is so that when I arrive I will not have to deal
harshly with you in using the authority that the Lord has given me—authority to
build you up, not to tear you down.
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“Here, take a pair
of shoes” a friend said to me once. “Do you want a ride?” another friend said
to me on another occasion. “You can do anything you put your mind to” were the
words of inspiration from a mentor. All were blessings to me.
- I had nothing to give back to those who gave to me.
- I was in need and was not looking for a blessing, yet I received one.
- I was built up on a rare occasion while others tried to tear me down.
Paul is about to
conclude his letter. He had addressed some difficult behaviors that were not of
CHRIST. He let everyone know that each person must have their own relationship
with CHRIST. The actions Paul did were not to get credit, but that each
recipient would walk in CHRIST’s perfection.
My Observations
- JESUS is inside me and I am inside of HIM.
- I am prayed for by many and GOD sees all of those prayers.
- GOD has given me the authority to build you up, not to tear you down.
Frustration yields
words that tear people down. I mean, name calling, sarcastic words, murmurs and
negative conversations all find their way on our tongues. BUT GOD despises
every negative word spoken. What is the remedy? Build people up.
But what if “that”
person has done me wrong? Build “that” person up. Placing “that” person up higher
so GOD will see him or her places HIS vengeance or blessing on them. I strongly
believe that what I wish would happen to “that” person will happen to me, so I better
wish “that” person will receive huge blessings in spite of their sin. I am glad
GOD gives me HIS authority.
Challenge
- What “success” is the writer speaking of?
- What does upholding the “truth” mean?
- Will you accept the authority to build people up, not to tear people down so GOD may do with him or her has HE pleases?
