2 Corinthians 7:1 - Having such great promises
as these, dear friends, let us turn away from everything wrong, whether of body
or spirit, and purify ourselves, living in the wholesome fear of God, giving
ourselves to him alone.
Paul longed to be with these Corinth Christians and praise
them in person for the way they handled a problem that could have destroyed the
faith of the whole church. His words are deeply personal and remind them that
all confrontation should cause us to reflect personally on the right or wrong
of what we are doing.
Confrontation has a way of causing us to go on the defensive….finding
ways in our heart to support the actions that brought the words of
conflict. We build an argument that
justifies our behavior in our mind…even thinking of scripture that may support
what we have done that others are questioning. The only problem with that is it
only looks at one side of the issue.
Paul is telling us to make sure that the confrontation brings
about a total reflection of the right or wrong. In seeking God’s viewpoint on
the issue…we must compile a list of scripture that might support both sides…..then
ask God to reveal the weaker side…the side that might be tricking us into sin.
2 Timothy 3:16 says …. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
Father….thank you for the reminder that your word is
comprehensive…and has all the answers I need to live a pure holy life…. if I
always let you help me focus on the part that will help me identify sin in my
life. Forgive me for the times that I
have used your word in a one sided fashion….finding scripture that supports my
choice…instead of letting it lead me to a conviction of my sin. Help me to
always look at the full picture of my actions….seeking your guidance from a thorough
search of everything you left in your word to help me make the right decision.
Amen.
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