2 Corinthians 2: March 17, 2011

Keep up with devotions, guys! Kevin'll stress this a lot more than I will.

Taking a break from reading French... but getting used to the new frames are a little tricky! So, my eyes feel a little tired... anyway, let's go on to today's topic.

Verse 5 was very interesting, at least to my ears. 'If anyone has caused pain, he has not caused pain to me, but in some degree - not to exaggerate - to all of you.' Whatever that happens in society, whether or not we know the person, affects that society... even if it's totally unrelated. We could say that maybe a mass murder in Japan would have no effect on us, but it really does cause pain to us. And especially in Israel's case, doing something immoral - whether it'd be sexual, murder-related, or otherwise seen as disgust was actually so harmful to the rest of society... but forgiveness is something we should be willing to show as well.

If people would like a world where God would strike lightning on every sin that would occur, I think we'd all hate that type of society. And that'd obviously be absurd... people would then try to be less sinful not out of love... but rather out of saving their own lives. But God gives us that forgiveness - that choice to repent - in that it's done out of God's love... just as verse 11 says - 'So that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his intentions.'

Verse 15 is something I'll be praying about... deeply. Every person that calls themselves a Christian is a true representative of God. When people wear fragrances, it's as if the fragrances calls out to us - it's what attracts people or what KILLS people. As it goes on in verse 16, either we call people to die or to live... depending on what our actions are - and how we're truly representative of our fruit. If our fruit is just distasteful, we definitely lead people into going into hell. That's just something that's scaring me... but it's something that I KNOW should be followed.

Peace to all, hope practice goes well. Be safe and have an amazing night!

- Jules.

Sorry i didnt do yesterdays i didnt realize we were doing 2 Corinthians but i did devos on my own.

2 Corinthians 2
7-9
Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that the will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand and test and be obedient in everything.

In the before verses, it states a sin that a sinner did and through these verses, it means that to forgive no matter wahat happens. In verse 9 it says that it is a "test". I think this means that in order for God to forgive you, then YOU have to forgive others and to reaffirm your love for that person. Then you will truly be accpeted and be an angel in Gods eyes.

im confuseeedd
i didnt reeally get this passage... o.O
maybe ill learn something from reading you guys' devos!
i bought two skirts today hehe im so happy

Sorry I couldn't post my devo's lately. Yes I missed yesterday; I apologize for that, but besides that I had fun at a cabin in Muskoka.

I found this passage somewhat hard to understand, in any version of the bible. It's message overall is to forgive and not to keep grudges. I was reminded of the verse in 1 Corinthians about love and how it forgives and doesn't keep grudges. Paul is repeating lots of the same messages over and over throughout the letters he sent to the church.

What the majority of you agreed to as punishment is punishment enough. Now is the time to forgive this man and help him back on his feet.

We all know that revenge is a natural feeling. When something bad is done to us, we naturally want to do something bad back. It states here that punishment is punishment, and the line between justice and revenge should never be blurred. In the old testament, laws asked the people to take an eye for an eye. What God's intention in saying that was that we need to be just. Those who have done wrong must be punished in a just manner. Being the people we are, we misinterpreted as permission to take revenge. Jesus cleared those misconceptions and then Paul took it to another level. Not only should we be just in the way we judge a wrongdoer, or turn the other cheek, but now Paul is saying to help him back up. What Paul has asked us to do is nearly impossible as a human, but I think that was the key. When Paul urged us to do something impossible by man, I think that he was also urging us to call upon God to help us forgive. I think Paul was also implying that God has given of the gift of forgiveness. We have naturally sinful natures and forgiveness is something opposite of it. I think that when God gives us a gift, it is good to use it. If God has given us this ability to forgive, and then go as far as to tell us how to use it through the bible, and then guide us to be able to forgive, I think that it is a gift God meant for us to use. I think that we should always forgive others and to give up grudges. I'm sure that as a praise team, a closely knit group of individuals, our differences will show, but whatever gets in the way should never interfere with us and we can make sure it won't through forgiveness.

Whew.... Good Night.

this passage said a lot about forgivness.
i didnt get anything from specific verses, but we need to remember that its important to be forgiving.
In the bible it says to love your neighbors.
It also says that you should forgive others, as God forgives you for any mistakes.
We're human, we're not perfect, we sin and we make mistakes.. but we need to remember to be forgiving even if it can be hard.
Forgivness comes out from love