Scripture

For God says, “At just the right time I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Today is the day of salvation.

Observation

Paul begs them to not ignore the gift of God’s salvation. Now is the hour to be saved.

Paul lives in such a way as to confirm the message. He shows in everything he does that he is a true minister of God. He has been beaten and thrown into prison, but he proves himself with a pure life, with understanding, and with love.

Paul serves God whether the people honour him or despise him, whether they slander him or praise him. He is poor but has spiritual riches; he owns nothing but has everything.

Application

The right time to be saved is now.

Many people put off a response to the gospel until “later”. But later is like tomorrow – it never comes.

Some want to have fun while they are young without the inconvenience of worrying about God’s opinion about their lifestyle.

Some put the message away, thinking they will consider it later, but they forget about it. An encounter with God fades and is soon forgotten.

Paul says that right now is the time to make a decision. We may we may not get another chance, for who can say when we will die?

If you are reading this and have not turned away from your selfish lifestyle then do not delay. Now is the time of salvation. Now is the time to repent.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for dying to rescue me. I give my life over to you now and trust you to raise me to eternal life. Amen.

Scripture

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them.

Observation

God knows that Paul is sincere in what he does. He is not commending himself, but giving them a reason to answer those who brag about spectacular ministry but lack a clean heart.

We believe that Christ died for all, so we have died to our old life. Christ died so that those who receive His new life no longer live for themselves but for Christ.

Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The old life has gone, the new has come. This is a gift from God who was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. He gives us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

Application

The gift of salvation is available to everyone who will receive it. God is reconciling the world to Himself.

God’s grace is so huge that, even though He knew who would receive him and who would not, the offer of salvation is made to everyone. Many choose to exclude themselves, but that is there choice not God’s rejection.

He no longer counts our sins against us, as long as we are “in Christ.” If we accept fellowship with Christ, our sins are forgiven and our guilt is removed. But if we are not “in Christ”, then our guilt remains.

God has declared an amnesty on sin to all who will receive it. You have to be in the program, so to speak, but your sin will be removed, your record purged.

Best of all is that this is not merely a legal reckoning. God brings us back into friendship with him.

We were once far away from God, separated by a wall called sin. Now we are invited into the throne room to dine with the King.

Prayer

Hallelujah! What an awesome saviour you are! Bless the Lord! Amen.

Scripture

God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

Observation

Our bodies are tents that will be taken down when we die. Instead, we will receive an eternal body made by God Himself.

We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our new bodies. God has prepared us for this, and has given us the Holy Spirit as the guarantee.

We can be confident, because we live by faith and not by what we see. We know that we will go to be at home with the Lord.

Whether in the present body or the future body, we must aim to please the Lord. We will all stand before Christ to be judged by Him according to our deeds.

Application

God has prepared us for the transition to eternal life. We will be raised with a new body to live with God forever. This body will be made directly by God and not by human activity, and so it will be perfect and not subject to death, sickness, or decay.

The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of eternity. God has placed Himself within the spirit of every believer to testify to us that we are born again and will live for ever.

Whenever I pray in tongues or listen to the still small voice of His Spirit, it is a reminder to me that I am destined for eternity.

God has prepared us to pass from this world to the next. We live in a culture that actively avoids the reality of death, but God has a transition plan that He has hard wired into the spirit of every person when they are saved.

We know that this planet is not our home, and this body is not our final body. So we have hope when our bodies age, or we get sick, or a pandemic threatens our health. We do not pan like those who have no hope

Prayer

Thank you Father for your grand plan that will see me gain a new and perfect body in your Kingdom. Amen.

Scripture

So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things unseen. For the things we we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever

Observation

Paul is pressed on every side by troubles, but he is not crushed. He is knocked down, but not destroyed. The suffering of his body is a sharing in the death and the life of Jesus. He lives in the face of death, but he knows that this results in eternal life for others.

Paul continues to preach because he knows that as God’s grace reaches more people, God receives more glory. He never gives up gives up because these present troubles are small compared to the glory to come.

Application

Many people believe and act as if the material world is more important than the spiritual world. The Bible says the opposite is true.

The spirit world is more important because it is eternal, while the physical creation will eventually pass away.

Even if this were not true, it would still make more sense to invest ourselves in eternal values because that is where our home will be forever. Jesus told a parable about a rich man who died even while he was planning new store houses and ways to increase his financial wealth, but he had given no thought to eternity. God describes him as a fool. ( Luke 12:16-21)

Paul looked at the hardships he endured in this life as an investment in heaven. He rejoiced that God was being glorified as more people received the good news. His suffering was short and inconsequential compared to the joy and eternal life coming to himself and to his converts.

We must learn to see things from God’s perspective and to invest in what will last forever.

Prayer

Thank you Father for the privilege of eternal life with you. Please help me to invest with you in things that will yield an eternal reward. Amen.

Scripture

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God

Observation

God has given us this new way so that we should reject reject all shameful deeds such as distorting the word of God.

The Good News is hidden from those who are perishing because satan has blinded their minds. They cannot see the glory and and do not understand the message about Christ.

The same God who created light to shine in the darkness put the light into into our hearts so we can see the glory of God. We have the light in our hearts, but we ourselves are like jars of clay that contain a great treasure.

Application

We must never forget that satan is the god of this world. Those who choose to follow the world rather than follow Jesus are therefore following Satan, the father of lies.

This means that most of what the world says is good is in fact bad, and vice versa. It is the highest folly for individuals or churches to listen to what the world is saying.

Satan is a liar, but Jesus is the Truth. Everything must be tested against what Jesus teaches. Scripture is truth, and wherever it conflicts with the world, we must choose Scripture.

We are seeing an acceleration of the promotion of lies in the world. sexual deviancy, abortion, self-centeredness, communism, and many other false doctrines are being promoted by the self-styled elites who deny and mock the Father of Truth.

Into the darkness, every christian must shine the light of the glory of Christ. We must do this faithfully and repeatedly. Those who choose to walk in the darkness may take some time before they are able to see the light. We must persist.

Prayer

Thank you Father for saving me. Thank you for the Good News. Amen.

Scripture

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Observation

This new covenant gives us confidence. Moses used to put a veil over his face so the people of Israel could not see the shining glory of God. But now the veil covers the mind of people so that they cannot understand the truth. This veil only be removed by believing in Christ.

When we turn to the Lord, the veil is removed. We receive the freedom of the Spirit so that we can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. The Spirit makes us more like Him as we are changed from glory to glory.

Application

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. This verse is often interpreted by people to mean that where the Spirit of the Lord is, I can do whatever I want.

Freedom in the scriptures is not freedom from restraint. It is freedom to do what the Lord wants us to do. It is not freedom to sin, but freedom from sin.

Paul here is talking about the blindness that people have without Christ to understand God’s will. When we come to Christ, the veil is removed and we can read the scriptures and understand who God is.

The Spirit of the Lord gives us freedom to live a holy life.

The Spirit also gives us freedom to worship God. We start to see and reflect the glory of the Lord. We can see the Lord for who he is, and all of our false ideas are taken away. As we catch the glimpse of God’s glory, we worship him in Spirit and in truth. We are free to express our love for the Lord as our hearts are transformed by the Spirit.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you that you have removed the veil from my mind. Please help me to worship you and to live a life of holiness. Amen.

Scripture

This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death, but under the new Covenant, the Spirit gives life.

Observation

Other apostles need letters of recommendation, but Paul does not need such things. The lives of people transformed by the gospel are the only recommendations that Paul needs.

It is God who has qualified Paul for ministry. He is a minister of the new covenant. The old covenant, with its written laws, brought death, but the new covenant brings life.

The old covenant started with such glory that the people of Israel could not look at Moses’ face when it shone from being in the presence of God. If the old way was so glorious, shouldn’t we expect even more from the new covenant which remains forever!

Application

The old covenant consisted of laws that were to help people know how to live in a way that honours God. But in the end, the old covenant brought death rather than life. People worshipped worshipped the rules rather than the God who gave the rules.

The old covenant was intended to bring people into the presence of the Lord, in the same way Moses entered the entered the presence of God. Instead, people put their trust in their ability tolive by the commandments.

There is no there is no written law as such in the new covenant. Yes, there is a code of conduct, so to speak. There are ways of living that honour God, and christians, especially those who claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit, will honour God with words, their deeds, and their attitudes.

As we deepen our relationship with God through the Holy Spirit, we experience abundant life. Our joy in the Lord is not restricted to church to meetings and religious activities. No, joy should fill every part of our lives as the Spirit brings us to life

Prayer

Thank you Father for the covenant that brings life. Thank you that my joy is in you and not in obedience to dead letters. Amen.

Scripture

To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are life giving perfume.

Observation

When Paul went to Troas, the Lord opened up a ministry opportunity for him. He was worried about Titus so he went in search of him.

God has made us His captives. He leads us in Christ’s victory parade. To those who are born again, the ministry of believers is a life-giving perfume. Bu to those who are perishing,t it is like the smell of death because it reminds them of their fate without Christ.

The analogy here is a Roman military procession. The prisoners of war were led through the streets. Incense was burnt along the way that was a sweet incense to the victors, but an awful reminder of their impending death for the captives.

Application

To those of us who are saved, the gospel is Good News. We remind ourselves regularly that Christ died for us and we will be raised to eternal life with God. Thos who refuse the offer of salvation will go to hell.

On the surface, it seems odd that people on the so called “progressive” side of politics often hate Christians but support Muslims. Often the Muslims they support have opposing, even extreme, views, on many issues such as LGBT for example. These people hate Christians because to them they are the stench of death; they remind them of the punishment awaiting them.

Of course, Christ’s gift is available to all people. How quickly the stench of death can be turned into life giving perfume.

Prayer

Thank you Jesus for dying and paying the price for me. You are the sweet perfume of life. Amen.

Scripture

When I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. We are familiar with his evil schemes.

Observation

Paul decided not to visit the Corinthians because he did not want to cause them more grief.

Instead, he wrote them a letter (which we no longer have). He wants to bring joy to them when he does get to Corinth. The letter was written in great anguish and with tears. He wanted them to know how much love he had for them.

There was a man in the church who caused them great trouble. The majority of the church opposed him. Paul tells them that it is now time to forgive him and show him love. Paul says that when they forgive him, he will too.

Satan can use this situation for evil if they are not careful. This brother may become discouraged and give Satan a victory.

Application

There is a place for discipline in the church, but we do need to be careful. In this case, Paul is discussing a brother who had been disruptive and had been rebuked. Paul urges them to forgive him and bring him back into fellowship.

Our culture tells us that individual freedom is the highest virtue. But for the church, we must be submitted to one another and to the Lord. That is the very opposite of what the world tells us.

When we have a church member who sins publicly or otherwise crosses the boundaries of proper behaviour in the church, we must confront that and say that it is wrong. We may even need to suspend them from some activities in the fellowship for a time.

But love and grace must be at the forefront. When a brother repents, we forgive, just as Christ forgives us when we repent.

There is a fine line between too much and two little discipline. Discipline can become controlling. Satan is always looking for opportunities to exploit gaps in the armour of the church. So we must always be led by the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

Lord please help me to be subject to your ways at all times. Let my words and my actions glorify you, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen.

Scripture

For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes”. Through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “yes”) ascends for his glory.

Observation

Paul planned to give the Corinthians a double blessing by visiting them on his way to Macedonia and again on his way back.

Paul did not change his plans because made his plans carelessly or because he is like the people of the world who say “Yes” when they mean “No”. Paul’s word does not waver between yes and no. Christ is God’s ultimate “Yes” to us, and this is who Paul preaches and serves.

All of God’s promises are fulfilled with “Yes” in Christ. When we say“Amen” to Christ, it rises to God for His glory.

God enables us to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us and has given us the Holy Spirit as a deposit.

Application

All of God’s promises are “Yes” in Christ.

Paul makes the point here that God does not waver between “Yes”and “No” in terms of His promises. When Jesus died on the cross, that was the ultimate sign of His commitment to us. Having given His all to us, He is not going to back off now, or alternate between opinions about us and our worthiness to receive His promises.

In Christ, all of God’s promises are“Yes”. He invites us to reach out in faith and take hold of His promises to us. These are promises to save us, to heal us, to provide what we need, and more.

God has even given us the Holy Spirit in us as a sign of His trustworthiness. The Holy Spirit is a deposit, a down payment that guarantees the payment of the full amount.

If you are born again, you the Holy Spirit. If you have the Holy Spirit, you have the sign that every promise of God will be released to you.

This is not an automatic process like a vending machine. It is based on a relationship as we walk with God each day.

Prayer

Lord, all of your promises are “Yes” in Christ. Thank you so much for this assurance. Help me to walk confidently and faithfully with you each day. Amen.