Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / September 17 - 2 Corinthians 10

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September 17 - 2 Corinthians 10 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean. Here it is Tuesday.
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  It is the 17th of September and it is a new day.
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  Not sure what you are up to today, but whatever it is, I
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  hope that you have a day filled with the opportunities for you
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  to get to make a difference. Because that's what life's all
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  about, isn't it? It's a nice thing to lie in the
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  sunshine and relax, but ultimately you just, you just
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  can't do that all the time, right?
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  You just feel like, oh, I've got to get up and do something.
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  The thing that makes us feel most rewarded is when we get to
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  do something of value for others or our community.
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  So that is my wish for you today, that you can do something
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  with some meaning and some purpose for your community.
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  And that is what we are going to hear Paul talking about as he is
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  doing his best to encourage this community.
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  But people are still questioning who he is and why he's doing it
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  and if he has any right to speak into their lives the way he
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  does. So today he writes that it's
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  actually not about him, it's about God.
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  So join me friends, as we settle in and hear these words from
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  Paul reading together Second Corinthians chapter 10.
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  Now I, Paul, appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of
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  Christ, though I realise you think I am timid in person and
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  bold only when I write from far away.
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  Well, I'm begging you now so that when I come I won't have to
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  be bold with those who think we act from human motives.
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  We are human, but we don't wage war as humans do.
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  We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down
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  the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false
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  arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle
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  that keeps people from knowing God.
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  We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey
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  Christ. And after you have become fully
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  obedient, we will punish everyone who remains
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  disobedient. Look at the obvious facts.
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  Those who say they belong to Christ must recognise that we
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  belong to Christ as much as they do.
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  I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given
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  to us by the Lord, but our authority builds you up.
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  He doesn't tear you down. So I will not be ashamed of
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  using my authority. I'm not trying to frighten you
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  by my letters, for some say Paul's letters are demanding and
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  forceful, but in person he is weak and his speeches are
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  worthless. Those people should realise that
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  our actions when we arrive in person will be as forceful as
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  what we say in our letters from far away.
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  Oh, don't worry, we wouldn't dare say that we are as
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  wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are,
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  but they are only comparing themselves with each other,
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  using themselves as the standard of measurement.
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  How ignorant. We will not boast about things
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  done outside our area of authority.
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  We will boast only about what has happened within the
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  boundaries of the work God has given us, which includes our
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  working with you. We are not reaching beyond these
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  boundaries when we claim authority over you as if we had
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  never visited you, for we were the first to travel all the way
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  to Corinth with the good news of Christ.
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  Nor do we boast and claim credit for the work someone else has
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  done. Instead, we hope that your faith
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  will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be
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  extended. Then we will be able to go and
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  preach the good news in other places, far beyond you, where no
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  one else is working. Then there will be no question
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  of our boasting about work done in someone else's territory.
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  As the Scriptures say, if you want to boast, boast only about
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  the Lord. When people commend themselves,
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  it doesn't count for much. The important thing is for the
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  Lord to commend them. Our Lord Jesus, thank you that
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  you would choose to be active in our world, not just chilling on
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  your divine couch, streaming, whatever it is that could
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  entertain God. But no, you choose to be active,
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  coming here and spreading your good news of love and
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  forgiveness in the world. Thank You that you give us that
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  ability and that responsibility to let people know about how
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  good you are to us, to them, to all of us.
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  And Lord, I pray that you would inspire us to do that.
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  And as we do that, and as we see success in sharing your love,
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  that we would point all of the glory back to you and any
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  ministry that we may be involved in when things go well.
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  All praise to you, our loving, kind and saving God, in whose
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  name we pray today. I'm in.