“For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you,
with many tears, not that you should be grieved,
but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you”
– 2 Corinthians 2:4 –
In 2 Corinthians 2 we find precious teachings in the life and ministry of the apostle Paul.
- While working for souls, we should do it with genuine love (v. 4), the kind of love that moves the heart of God.
- There have been many moments in our lives when we have been forgiven, encouraged, and rescued by God. That is why it is necessary that we manifest the same spirit toward others (vv. 5-11).
- Thanks be to God that Christ always leads us to triumph, and through us, manifests the sweet fragrance of His knowledge in all places (vv.14-16).
- We should never lose our sense of respect for the Person of Christ and His Word (v. 12).
- We should never handle spiritual things as a merchandise, selling the message for a profit (v. 17).
- It is love toward God and people which leads us to a consistent life. If we love God, we must love our neighbor; if not, there is no coherence (vv. 10, 17).
Coherence is defined as a logical relationship between two things or parts, in such a manner that there is no contradiction or opposition between them. A speech is coherent if its parts are in harmony; a life is coherent if practice coincides with discourse.
It is quite common, even in the lives of religious people, to find obvious contradictions which manifest inconsistency. A coherent person acts according to the ideas they express.
“The identity of a man consists in the consistency
of what he does and thinks”
(Charles Sanders).
A coherent person does not kick a hive if what he wants is honey. A coherent person does not try to put out a blaze with fire or resolve a flood with water. When someone does not live out what they believe, they end up believeing what they live. What sets the tone for coherence is the Word of God, not the inconsistent behavior of society.
Paul seemed coherent when he wanted to persecute and kill Christians; at least his convictions were in harmony with his actions. He was sincerely wrong… until he gave his life to the will of God.
Alignment is the process by which the tires of a vehicle are adjusted so they face forward, in other words, the tires should be parallel to each other and perpendicular to the road.
If we want to travel safely on the road of life,
we must align our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions
using the love and Word of God as our ultimate reference.
May you be blessed today…