2 Corinthians 3:5-8 Letters
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 18, 2020 2 Corinthians 3:5-8
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.
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?
(Understanding the Text) It is important to follow Paul’s train of thought. Two ideas gave rise to his words here. First, he has claimed that the Corinthians were his letter of recommendation to the world because he brought the gospel to them. Now, Paul hastens to say that the transformation of the Corinthians was not from him, but from God. The second thing to remember is that Paul was comparing a letter of recommendation written on a clay tablet to that written on a heart. This sparked a connection in Paul’s mind to the law written on stones and the law written on the heart.
(Revelation of God) Paul says that although he can show the world his worth by showing them the Corinthian believers, he himself is not the source of the believers’ new life. He only went to the Corinthians and worked with them through the Spirit which does not just impose rules from the outside, but instead, writes those rules on the hearts of the Corinthian believers.
(Revelation of God / Application) When I am feeling inadequate for the job God gives me, I need to remember that Paul also felt inadequate. This is good because it keeps us from being self-reliant and overconfident. We know that God values us and has commissioned us to do His work, but we also know that the success of failure of that work comes from God. I work for God. He does not work for me. He works through me. I do not save others. I can only be the fragrance of His love. I don’t change lives, but because I stay faithful to Jesus, He can change lives through me.
(Revelation of God / Understanding the Text) Paul says that the letter kills but the Spirit gives life. He is saying that knowledge of the law condemns us because we have broken it. The law is not bad. It is holy and good. It is God’s character in written form. Paul’s logic is still within the context of having written a letter beforehand that condemned the actions of the Corinthians and now sending a letter of approval (partially). The first letter reflected the law. It gave the standards that were being broken, and showed the Corinthians that that they were far from Jesus’ law of love. The second letter commended the Corinthians for their repentance. The Spirit is living inside of them convicting them and bringing them back to God. It brings life.
When we are condemned, we feel unable to meet the eyes of the one judging us. When we are hugged and forgiven, we can hold our heads up again. The law was given to uphold the high standard that we need to live by, but that so often we don’t. The Spirit is in us enabling us to live by that high standard. The law imposed order from the outside. That order is good, but unable to change us lawbreakers to become law-abiding citizens. However, the Spirit works differently. He still imposes God’s high standards upon us, but He does it from the inside changing us from our attitudes to our dependencies to our behavior to our emotions. The Spirit doesn’t TELL us what we should be. Instead, He creates in us a new heart and TRANSFORMS us to what we should be.
(Application / Prayer) My application to myself is that I want to become who I should be. I want to always reflect You to those around me so that they will know the beauty of Your love also. Thank you for living in me and loving me and bringing out the best in me. I pray to submit to Your beauty spreading throughout me.