Twin Peaks

The scripture for today is 2 Corinthians 7:16

2 Corinthians 7:16 Therefore I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle was loving, but stern, with them and reprimanded them for their tolerance of factions and sinful practices. They seem to have been a church that was moving in the wrong direction and there was cause for alarm. The apostle’s letter to them was a letter of correction and he was direct in admonishing them to get their house in order.

The response of the Corinthians was immediate and with godly zeal. They did not reject the counsel of the apostle; they embraced it as it was, a word from God. The acceptance of correction led to the removal of the obstacles that had hindered the church in their growth into the stature of the fullness of Christ.

This example should give us hope for the church in these last days. The devil never ceases in his efforts to make inroads into God’s church and, when successful, like at Corinth, he brings in sin, compromise, and causes confusion. The church today needs men and women with a heart like the apostle Paul, those who will not be afraid to call sin by its proper name, those who will not tolerate the intrusion of division and doctrines that contradict the word of God, men and women who will stand in the face of opposition and, with conviction, declare allegiance to Christ Jesus and follow in His steps. We need those who will not compromise with the world in the name of trying to win the world. We need men and women who will hold up the banner of “holiness unto the Lord,” those who will lay down their lives for His sake and live for His honor.

May God do such a work in us as was done in the church at Corinth. May we reject the intrusion of sin among us and may we lay aside the works of the flesh and embrace the righteousness that is by faith in Christ. May we live holy lives, reject the world as our standard and not love the things that are in it. May God be pleased with us as the apostle was pleased with the Corinthians. May we overcome every crisis that comes among us and hear the words, “I have confidence in you in everything.”

God bless you as you continue in His service.

Tim