And now here I am, ready to come to you for the third time, and I still refuse to be a burden to you. For what I really want is your hearts, not your money. After all, children should not have to accumulate resources for their parents, but parents do this for their children. And as a spiritual father to you, I will gladly spend all that I have and all that I am for you! If I love you more, will you respond by loving me less? Be that as it may, I haven’t been a burden to you at all, yet you say of me, “He’s a scoundrel and a trickster!” But let me ask you this. Did I somehow cheat or trick you through any of the men I sent your way? I was the one who insisted that Titus and our brother come and help you. Did Titus take advantage of you? Didn’t we all come to you in the same spirit, following in the ways of integrity? I hope that you don’t assume that all this time we have simply been justifying ourselves in your eyes? Beloved ones, we have been speaking to you in the sight of God as those joined to Christ, and everything we do is meant to build you up and make you stronger in your faith. Now I’m afraid that when I come to you I may find you different than I desire you to be, and you may find me different than you would like me to be. I don’t want to find you in disunity, with jealousy and angry outbursts, with selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance, and turmoil. I’m actually afraid that on my next visit my God will humble me in front of you as I shed tears over those who keep sinning without repenting of their impurity, sexual immorality, and perversion.
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Compare All Versions: 2 Corinthians 12:14-21
7 Days
"This is not what I signed on for!" Being a parent can be a lot harder than we thought it would be. What does the Bible say about raising our children the way God desires?
Corrie came from a Bible-believing family. The Bible had a central place in their lives. The Living Word of God: the Lord Jesus Christ, spoke to them through the written Word of God. They read the Bible on a daily basis and knew many Bible verses by heart. These devotionals may help you to see the significance and application of these verses in your own life as well.
13 Days
In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul encourages believers to live in the identity Christ has provided for them. Although as fragile and mundane as jars of clay, God’s people hold the inestimable treasure of the gospel in their lives (2 Corinthians 4:7). 2 Corinthians reminds us that we are ambassadors for Christ, tasked with showing and sharing God’s good news of reconciliation for all who believe (2 Corinthians 5:20).
19 Days
“It’s complicated”—that is probably an apt way to describe the relationship between Paul and the church in Corinth. His first letter was met with resistance: some rejected his criticism and even questioned his authority. Paul traveled to Corinth in person—a painful visit. After he returned, he wrote a severe letter in tears. The church responded: many repented. Paul heard about this from Titus and wrote again—our Second Letter to the Corinthians. It is a testimony to genuine reconciliation, to love that has been hurt, and to the divine power that can heal even broken relationships, even today.
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