2 Corinthians 1:12-16 Don’t Be Suspicious
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: April 11, 2020 2 Corinthians 1:12-16
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand— just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you. Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea.
(Understanding the Text) Now, Paul explains why he altered his original plans to visit the Corinthians on his way to Macedonia to collect money for believers in Jerusalem. He starts out by discussing his actions and feelings for the Corinthians. He first proclaims his sincerity and his lack of sophistry towards the Corinthians. He says that he had not used earthly wisdom in dealing with the Corinthians. Instead, he related to them through the same unmerited favor of God that he had received. I think he is trying to say to them that they should not look for hidden motives behind his decision not to visit them. He is telling them that what they see is what they get when it comes to him. He doesn’t try to trick them or use subterfuge. He is what he is, and “what he is” is sincerely attached to the Corinthians with bonds of love and also attached through their joint reception of the grace of God through Jesus’ sacrifice.
Paul seems to be afraid that the Corinthians will look for hidden negative motives. Maybe, he has heard rumors of grumblings, or maybe he just knows them well. These are the people who had a problem with loving each other. Those kinds of people judge that others are similar to themselves, ready to stab a person in the back or turn on someone for selfish motives. Thus, they have a habit of protecting themselves from others by looking for the hidden agenda in another person’s actions. They can’t conceive of ungiving love, so they imagine alternative reasons for other people’s behaviors. Paul is telling them not to be suspicious. He is telling them to trust him.
(Revelation of God) This is part of our difficulty in trusting God. We are selfish humans with hidden motives. We do not love unselfishly. Our love is tainted with self-protection and grasping for our own desires. Thus, it is difficult for us to understand that Jesus loved us unconditionally and was willing to go through agony and humiliation for people who were unworthy. This is why Bible study is so important. The world shows us only self-centered love. It is only in the Bible that we see pure, deep, unselfish love, and then it is primarily only from God that we see this kind of love.
(Understanding the Text) Paul wants them to understand that the day will come when they understand each other’s motives clearly. In heaven, they will look at each other with love and want to tell everyone how much they benefitted from each other. Paul is saying that his absence from their presence was not because of any negative feelings on his part. Instead, he had really wanted to come to them because he wanted the mutual blessing that communion with beloved fellow believers would have provided. He knew that if he were with them, he would love it. His decision not to come was not because of any hard feelings.
(Application / Prayer) My application to myself is not to imagine and impute bad motives onto someone else. I need to wait for the facts and speak directly to the person to know the true state of affairs. Satan will accuse, and if he cannot get me to doubt my own motives, he will try to get me to doubt the motives of others. I need to trust in God to love me and take care of both me and the others, and then I need to think the best of the others. Give me the ability to trust others and especially, You.