2 Corinthians 7:1-16
It is a blessing to know that God is aware of our needs and that He provides for us in accordance with those needs. There are times when we need to be cheered up and He gives us joy. There are times when we need to be corrected and He brings discipline. We can rest assured that God knows what we need and when we need it far more accurately than we are aware of our own needs. In light of this truth, God calls us to trust and praise Him no matter what our circumstances might be.
GOD GIVES COMFORT IN TIMES OF DEPRESSION: It may come as a surprise to us when we read that Paul admits that he and his ministry team were depressed. They had sacrificed and suffered greatly to advance the cause of Christ but they were not seeing fruit for their labor. Instead, they were being falsely accused and threatened. The external conflicts and the internal fears were taking their toll on the ministry team. In the midst of this turmoil, God sends them comfort in the form of good news about the spiritual progress and the love of the Corinthian church. I don't believe this was coincidental. Paul and his team need comfort and God gave them comfort. I am sure that Paul was being plagued with thoughts that his first letter to the church in Corinth might have been ignored or furthers strained his relationship with them. He must have been wondering if all the time and trials invested in Corinth had been in vain. These thoughts along with his present difficulties would easily bring about depression. At just the right time God provides the comfort that Paul needed in the form of good news from Corinth. God knows what we can handle and He will meet, even our emotional needs, according to His grace and wisdom. We must be careful not to wallow in unpleasant circumstances or allow negative speculations shackle our hearts to the weight of depression. But it is sure nice to know that God is faithful to encourage and comfort us if we allow this to happen. We must rest and rejoice in this truth.
GOD SENDS CONFRONTATION IN TIMES OF DISOBEDIENCE: There are times when our sadness comes as a result of our sin and disobedience. When this happens, God desires that we feel sorrow that will lead us to repentance. God corrects us when we are wrong using adverse circumstances as well as other members of the body of Christ who are faithful the perform the difficult ministry of confrontation. Most of us do not like conflict and we shy away from confronting sins that we see in the lives of other brothers in Christ. This is a very unfortunate tendency that has led to the decay of the spiritual well being of the body of Christ is many places. As believers we are called upon by God to confront, admonish, and discipline one another when we see sin in each others lives. God uses this to promote the purity of the church as a whole and believers individually. Disobedience cannot be left unchecked and God is faithful to confront us when that is what we need. The reality is that there are times that we might think that we are in need of comfort but God knows that we are in need of correction. This is what trusting God is all about. If God is sending confrontation and correction it is our duty as believers to examine our hearts and repent. When we do so, God is faithful to provide the comfort, refreshment and restoration that we need.
GOD GIVES COMFORT IN TIMES OF DEPRESSION: It may come as a surprise to us when we read that Paul admits that he and his ministry team were depressed. They had sacrificed and suffered greatly to advance the cause of Christ but they were not seeing fruit for their labor. Instead, they were being falsely accused and threatened. The external conflicts and the internal fears were taking their toll on the ministry team. In the midst of this turmoil, God sends them comfort in the form of good news about the spiritual progress and the love of the Corinthian church. I don't believe this was coincidental. Paul and his team need comfort and God gave them comfort. I am sure that Paul was being plagued with thoughts that his first letter to the church in Corinth might have been ignored or furthers strained his relationship with them. He must have been wondering if all the time and trials invested in Corinth had been in vain. These thoughts along with his present difficulties would easily bring about depression. At just the right time God provides the comfort that Paul needed in the form of good news from Corinth. God knows what we can handle and He will meet, even our emotional needs, according to His grace and wisdom. We must be careful not to wallow in unpleasant circumstances or allow negative speculations shackle our hearts to the weight of depression. But it is sure nice to know that God is faithful to encourage and comfort us if we allow this to happen. We must rest and rejoice in this truth.
GOD SENDS CONFRONTATION IN TIMES OF DISOBEDIENCE: There are times when our sadness comes as a result of our sin and disobedience. When this happens, God desires that we feel sorrow that will lead us to repentance. God corrects us when we are wrong using adverse circumstances as well as other members of the body of Christ who are faithful the perform the difficult ministry of confrontation. Most of us do not like conflict and we shy away from confronting sins that we see in the lives of other brothers in Christ. This is a very unfortunate tendency that has led to the decay of the spiritual well being of the body of Christ is many places. As believers we are called upon by God to confront, admonish, and discipline one another when we see sin in each others lives. God uses this to promote the purity of the church as a whole and believers individually. Disobedience cannot be left unchecked and God is faithful to confront us when that is what we need. The reality is that there are times that we might think that we are in need of comfort but God knows that we are in need of correction. This is what trusting God is all about. If God is sending confrontation and correction it is our duty as believers to examine our hearts and repent. When we do so, God is faithful to provide the comfort, refreshment and restoration that we need.
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