2 Corinthians 10:8-18 Strong Letters, Weak Presence
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: May 11, 2020 2 Corinthians 10:8-18
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 even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
(Understanding the Text) Paul is hung up on this word “boast”. I think maybe it is a word that the Corinthians had used, so he uses it again and again for effect to show them the error of their reasoning. Evidently, he had been accused of boasting in letters but being weak in person. Some have taken this to mean that Paul’s presence and speech were not very charismatic. They think that maybe Paul had some kind of speech issue like a stutter. I don’t think it is that so much because in his younger days, Paul was thought of as Hermes because he was the spokesperson on the mission trip with Barnabas. Paul always depended on his voice and arguments to change people. He always thought that if he could just talk to someone, they would come around. His appearance might not have been much since he was no longer young anymore. I think that after Athens, Paul was determined not to use high-sounding logic and instead only spoke of Jesus. This choice may have been what the Corinthians were criticizing. They were ready enough to accept Paul’s words when he first brought the message of Jesus, so I’m not sure what changed in their thinking, except that they had been exposed to Apollos as the better polished orator, and some false apostles had come in and criticized Paul to them so that they started looking at him in a different light.
Paul makes two points in the first part of this section. First, he does have authority to speak to the Corinthians in the way that he has. His authority comes from God and is because he is the one who brought them to Jesus. He was the one who nurtured their first Christian steps. He has been their mentor in the past, and as such, can continue in that capacity. He was sent by the Holy Spirit to teach them, so he still has a responsibility for them. The second point is that he is not two-faced. He is the same in-person or in his letters. He does not change. If he condemns something in a letter, he condemns it in person.
Paul must have been very gentle with people for the Corinthians to interpret his mannerisms when in person as weakness. He must have spoken truth directly but also helped them to battle their addictions to sex and money and drugs (alcohol for sure and maybe other substances) with understanding and tenderness. Because of that patience and gentleness when people were battling to stop their sinful behaviors, the Corinthians must have assumed a certain weakness in Paul, just like we sometimes do with Jesus–mild and meek. When Paul strongly condemned them in 1 Corinthians, it may have come as a shock to some. Paul’s tolerance as they were striving to get rid of their old lifestyle may have made them think that he would not condemn unrepentant sinful lifestyles. Thus, they accused him of having a double standard.
Next, Paul makes the point that he is not boasting about being the one who brought the gospel to the Corinthians. He says that he does not boast in others’ labors. He does not take credit for someone else’s work. In fact, he makes the point that the Corinthians need to grow up so that the work can extend even farther. I think that maybe he is implying that if he didn’t have to keep dealing with their issues of immaturity, he would be able to open up new fields of work and reach more people with the gospel. I think maybe he is reminding them that they should be working on outreach rather than quarreling among themselves and rejecting his counsel to love each other.
(Revelation of God) Paul says that he doesn’t want to push himself forward. He wants to hold Jesus up to others, not himself. Evidently, the ones who were speaking against Paul were not only trying to tear Paul down, they were also trying to build themselves up by bragging about how their accomplishments surpassed Paul’s. Paul says that the only words of commendation that count are not the ones that we say of ourselves or the ones that others say about us. The only commendation that counts is the one that Jesus says to us.
(Application / Prayer) My application to myself is that I need to worry about pleasing You rather than other people. I pray to serve You well. I’m not very good at it or talented, and I have a problem with attitude and arrogance. I pray that the Holy Spirit will take my limited talents and use them for You.