2 If you judge someone else, you have no excuse for it. When you judge another person, you are judging yourself. You do the same things you blame others for doing. 2 We know that when God judges those who do evil things, he judges fairly. 3 Though you are only a human being, you judge others. But you yourself do the same things. So how do you think you will escape when God judges you? 4 Do you disrespect God’s great kindness and favor? Do you disrespect God when he is patient with you? Don’t you realize that God’s kindness is meant to turn you away from your sins? 5 But you are stubborn. In your heart you are not sorry for your sins. You are storing up anger against yourself. The day of God’s anger is coming. Then his way of judging fairly will be shown. 6 God “will pay back each person in keeping with what they have done.” (Psalm 62:12; Proverbs 24:12) 7 God will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good. They want glory, honor, and life that never ends. 8 But there are others who only look out for themselves. They don’t accept the truth. They go astray. God will pour out his great anger on them. 9 There will be trouble and suffering for everyone who does evil. That is meant first for the Jews. It is also meant for the Gentiles. 10 But there will be glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good. That is meant first for the Jews. It is also meant for the Gentiles. 11 God treats everyone the same.

This passage is straight to the point. It gives us a clear eternal perspective on salvation and the freedom and grace we have in Jesus. On the other hand, it is confronting and heart-breaking when we are reminded what will happen to those without faith in Him.

I am particularly drawn to vs 4 which says, “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant and patient God is with you?” I am so thankful that God is kind, tolerant and patient towards a sinner like myself, and am reminded to be the same towards those around me. Particularly those away from Christ. I don’t want the people I love to experience God’s anger and wrath for refusing to obey Him (vs 7). So in reading these verses I ask myself, “What am I doing right now to bring others closer to Christ?” This is the eternal perspective that I want to hold onto every day. This is what matters most.

God, thank You for saving me. Thank You that because of Jesus, I can turn from my sin and experience Your kindness and patience. Please help me to have an eternal perspective towards those around me and give me courage to do what You call me to. In Jesus’ name.

Written by Laura Samperi

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you. People all over the world are talking about your faith. 9 I serve God with my whole heart. I preach the good news about his Son. God knows that I always remember you 10 in my prayers. I pray that now at last it may be God’s plan to open the way for me to visit you. 11 I long to see you. I want to make you strong by giving you a gift from the Holy Spirit. 12 I want us to encourage one another in the faith we share. 13 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that I planned many times to visit you. But until now I have been kept from coming. My work has produced results among the other Gentiles. In the same way, I want to see results among you. 14 I have a duty both to Greeks and to non-Greeks. I have a duty both to wise people and to foolish people. 15 So I really want to preach the good news also to you who live in Rome.

Interestingly, in vs9 Paul says he serves God ‘with his spirit’. It is one thing for me to serve God practically by ‘doing’ something physically… it is quite another to submit my spirit.

The spirit can refer to the breath, the vital or essential part of a man or the soul. In other words, Paul serves God with his whole self, with the very core of what makes Paul, Paul. Paul withholds no part of himself from God.

Am I serving God with my whole self or am I roping off parts of me and saying God can’t have this? Do I trust God with the parts of me that make me, me? Do I trust that He won’t exploit me or destroy me? Do I trust that the one who made me and calls me His daughter, knows how to partner with me?

God, help me to serve you with all that I am, holding nothing back. Amen.

Written by Bethany Waugh

5 Take a good look at yourselves to see if you are really believers. Test yourselves. Don’t you realize that Christ Jesus is in you? Unless, of course, you fail the test! 6 I hope you will discover that I haven’t failed the test. 7 I pray to God that you won’t do anything wrong. I don’t pray so that people will see that I have passed the test. Instead, I pray this so that you will do what is right, even if it seems I have failed. 8 I can’t do anything to stop the truth. I can only work for the truth. 9 I’m glad when I am weak but you are strong. I pray that there will be no more problems among you. 10 That’s why I write these things before I come to you. Then when I do come, I won’t have to be hard on you when I use my authority. The Lord gave me the authority to build you up. He didn’t give it to me to tear you down. 11 Finally, brothers and sisters, be joyful! Work to make things right with one another. Help one another and agree with one another. Live in peace. And the God who gives love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All God’s people here send their greetings.

Nobody likes to be corrected and nobody likes having to correct other people but this is what Paul had to do with the Corinthian church.

This passage is the final words of several letters Paul wrote to the Corinthians regarding the unacceptable behaviour of some of its members. Paul loved the Corinthians and found it hard to bring harsh correction in person so he wrote to them beforehand hoping they would change their behaviour before seeing them.

In verse 5 Paul shares an important principle. ‘Examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith’. Possibly a simpler way of putting this would be ‘Examine your own behaviour to see if it is in line with what we believe’. The problem is, unless you practice it regularly self‑examination is not easy and sometimes quite painful.

So why is this important?

Because honest self‑examination is the first step to self-correction (repentance), but here is the interesting part. The love of God treats us in the same way as Paul did with the Corinthians, wanting us to sort out our own wrong doings in private long before any form of public correction is needed.

Dear God, today in my own private prayer space I ask you to bring to my awareness one thing I need to change and by your grace give me the power to change it. Amen.

Written by David Newton

11 I have made a fool of myself. But you made me do it. You should have praised me. Even though I am nothing, I am in no way less important than the “super-apostles.” 12 While I was with you, I kept on showing you the actions of a true apostle. These actions include signs, wonders and miracles. 13 How were you less important than the other churches? The only difference was that I didn’t cause you any expense. Forgive me for that wrong! 14 Now I am ready to visit you for the third time. I won’t cause you any expense. I don’t want what you have. What I really want is you. After all, children shouldn’t have to save up for their parents. Parents should save up for their children. 15 So I will be very happy to spend everything I have for you. I will even spend myself. If I love you more, will you love me less? 16 In any case, I haven’t caused you any expense. But I’m so tricky! I have caught you by tricking you! Or so you think! 17 Did I take advantage of you through any of the men I sent to you? 18 I asked Titus to go to you. And I sent our brother with him. Titus didn’t take advantage of you, did he? Didn’t we walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit? 19 All this time, have you been thinking that I’ve been speaking up for myself? No, I’ve been speaking with God as my witness. I’ve been speaking like a believer in Christ. Dear friends, everything I do is to help you become stronger. 20 I’m afraid that when I come I won’t find you as I want you to be. I’m afraid that you won’t find me as you want me to be. I’m afraid there will be arguing, jealousy and fits of anger. I’m afraid each of you will focus only on getting ahead. Then you will tell lies about each other. You will talk about each other. I’m afraid you will be proud and cause trouble. 21 I’m afraid that when I come again my God will put me to shame in front of you. Then I will be sad about many who sinned earlier and have not turned away from it. They have not turned away from uncleanness, sexual sins and wild living. They have done all those things.

My bible heads the passage with “Paul’s concern for the Corinthians.”

It could be headed “A Father’s Heart”.

Paul is at pains to defend himself against accusations of having no authority and taking financial advantage of the Corinthian Christians. Itinerant teachers and philosophers at the time relied on their followers for financial support. Paul however did not want to put a price on the gospel, which is a free message of life!

I love the way this passage reveals Paul’s true heart, the heart of a spiritual father to these new Christians (v14). He wants his “children” to grow stronger in their faith (v19), and this is his motivation, rather than his reputation, status or how much money he can make!

The heart of Paul is also full of care for his “dear friends”. Not a soppy kind of warm caring but a deep concern for them. Under everything Paul’s heart is for relationship – he looks forward to seeing them but fears the state in which he will find their relationships. This passage demonstrates the kind of relationship Paul prays for these Christians to pursue. His relationship with them is characterised by honesty, accountability, and he was prepared for it to be costly (v15).

I reflect on the relationships I have with others in church. God has placed me in community to struggle, repent, grow, to encourage and build up, to be encouraged and built up, together. Commitment to these relationships could be costly, I will be accountable. My “private” life (v20-21) – thoughts, behaviours, priorities – is not just a matter for me, but affects these relationships, so I cant be one thing in private and another in church.

Heavenly Father, I repent of the way I take my church community for granted. Thank you for the church, where you planned me to be. Amen.

Written by Claire Moore

16 I will say it again. Don’t let anyone think I’m a fool. But if you do, put up with me just as you would put up with a fool. Then I can do a little bragging. 17 When I brag about myself like this, I’m not talking the way the Lord would. I’m talking like a fool. 18 Many are bragging the way the people of the world do. So I will brag like that too. 19 You are so wise! You gladly put up with fools! 20 In fact, you even put up with anyone who makes you a slave or uses you. You put up with those who take advantage of you. You put up with those who claim to be better than you. You put up with those who slap you in the face. 21 I’m ashamed to have to say that I was too weak for that! Whatever anyone else dares to brag about, I also dare to brag about. I’m speaking like a fool! 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Do they belong to the people of Israel? So do I. Are they Abraham’s children? So am I. 23 Are they serving Christ? I am serving him even more. I’m out of my mind to talk like this! I have worked much harder. I have been in prison more often. I have suffered terrible beatings. Again and again I almost died. 24 Five times the Jews gave me 39 strokes with a whip. 25 Three times I was beaten with sticks. Once they tried to kill me by throwing stones at me. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. 26 I have had to keep on the move. I have been in danger from rivers. I have been in danger from robbers. I have been in danger from my fellow Jews and in danger from Gentiles. I have been in danger in the city, in the country, and at sea. I have been in danger from people who pretended they were believers. 27 I have worked very hard. Often I have gone without sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty. Often I have gone without food. I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, every day I am concerned about all the churches. It is a very heavy load. 29 If anyone is weak, I feel weak. If anyone is led into sin, I burn on the inside. 30 If I have to brag, I will brag about the things that show how weak I am. 31 I am not lying. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus knows this. May God be praised forever. 32 In Damascus the governor who served under King Aretas had their city guarded. He wanted to arrest me. 33 But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall. So I escaped from the governor.

What a list of sufferings! Paul was repeatedly treated as a vicious criminal: his crime, following and preaching Jesus Christ. How could he endure such suffering and the injustice of being persecuted for telling the truth?!

In vs 31 Paul indicates how he can persist amidst the hardships, ‘The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is praised forever, knows I am not lying.’ He knew the God whom he served was Lord and sovereign over all. He knew the Lord Jesus and His grace and mercy. Paul knew God is ‘forever’ and so he was living in light of eternity. He knew that God saw his life, knew the truth… and that was enough.

Is God’s sovereignty, grace, eternal nature, promise of eternal life, and clear view into my life enough for me to endure hardships? Do I have Paul’s perspective and acknowledge God is still in control, or am I focused on MY suffering?

God, please help me to rest in the knowledge that you know what I’m going through and you are still sovereign. Help me to be patient in the midst of discomfort. Amen.

Written by Bethany Waugh