2 Corinthians – Chapter 11

Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge? 2 Corinthians 11:7 – Paul, in his efforts to serve the church in Corinth without hindering them, decided to not take any support money from the Corinthians but instead used money from other churches to support his ministry while in Corinth. Yet how did the Corinthians take Paul not accepting their money? They began to believe Paul was a poor speaker, communicating worthless words, for only people unskilled in public speaking don’t take money for their speaking. Other communicators sharing different “gospels” were taking the Corinthian’s money, and instead of being appreciative of Paul’s sacrifice, they discounted him as a teacher not worth following or listening to. Hence why Paul later in this chapter had to “boast” about his credentials, proving he truly was an apostle of the Lord. Where the Corinthians failed was using worldly standards as means of evaluating someone’s call. If they can’t speak well then they can’t be called by the Lord…tell that to Moses. If they don’t match and understand the cultural norms then that can’t be used by God…tell that to John the Baptist. If they don’t tolerate some sins then they can’t ever be effective for the Lord…tell that to Jesus. Sadly in the church we can allow the world’s filters to be how we see each other’s calling. If they look a certain way, if they have a certain life story, if they don’t have certain degrees or experience…then the Lord can’t use them. As the Lord said to Samuel, God doesn’t look at people the way man sees people, and nor should we. God can use all types of people for His work. Instead of judging other people’s qualifications in being used by the Lord, let’s take a good look at our story and thank the Lord once again that He allows someone like us to be used for His work. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3134

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. 2 Corinthians 11:3 – At the heart of the passage, we see the real reason why we are tempted by our enemy. We see why those struggles of our past reignite out of no where. We see why that anger we try to control gets fuel dumped on it. We see why those thoughts of depression are so heavy to step out of. Our enemy doesn’t want us having a clear focus on Jesus. Whatever tools the enemy uses is designed to take your devotion and focus off of Jesus. For when we are devoted and focused on Jesus, our enemy has no power over us. Yet if he can distract us a little, he can set a little hook to lead us astray. That’s why in Eph. 4:27 it says do not give the devil a foothold. Just be aware that this is our enemy’s motives. It’s not just to trick you again, it’s not just to get you angry again, and it not just to make you feel guilty again. All of that is just the distraction to get your eyes off of Jesus and onto him. Don’t fall for it. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac

And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 – Just remember that not all Christians leaders are like this. Now I figure if you’re reading this you probably don’t see it this way, but I know many do. Many see church leaders as sneaky, deceitful, and selfish people only wanting to fill their pockets. Sadly, as we see in this passage, there are some just like that. Not all though are that way, in fact the majority aren’t. Today I’m not here trying to stand up for my fellow church leaders, I’m just reminding you that most likely your church leader does love you and wants what’s best for your life spiritually. Be open to listening and trusting them. Pray for them so they have the clarity to lead well. Don’t let the few bad examples you’ve seen ruin the positive help a good pastor can bring. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 729

For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 2 Corinthians 11:4 – Apparently in the church Paul was writing to there had been false teachers coming in preaching a different message than Paul’s. Paul’s desire was that the church would be aware of the falseness of these teaching and turn aside from them quickly, yet instead they listened and leaned into what these false teachers spoke. Know God’s heart for you today is to listen to the truth that is spoken in scripture. Sadly there are those out there whose desire is to take the message of scripture, distort it to mean something they want it to mean, and then they share that distorted message. How are you to be able to discern what’s correct and what’s distorted? Seek out the truth for yourself in God’s word and seek help from those you trust who know scripture better than you do. Also be sure your heart isn’t only seeking scriptures and teachers that affirm what you want the Bible to say. Often the Bible will oppose what we want and we have to not only be okay with that but willing to change our ways to what scripture teaches is true. Yes, the Bible can be challenging sometimes to accept the teaching of, but the words come from a loving God that only wants the best for you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2071