The Second chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 2

The Second Chapter of the Second Letter

 of 

St. Paul to the Corinthians

1. So I made up my mind not to make you another painful visit. 2. For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained?

(The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 2 verses 1 to 2)

Oh God, my Father it is better for us to control ourselves and say nothing instead of telling somebody something by which we are going to hurt a person deeply especially if the issue and the person are very sensitive. If it is absolutely necessary for one to receive the message it is best to wait for the right time to deliver the message so as not to cause harm to the other Amen.



3. And I wrote as I did, so that when I came, I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice; for I am confident about all of you, that my joy would be the joy of all of you. 4. For I wrote you out of much distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.




(The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 2 verses 3 to 4)




Oh God, many times saying the truth hurts other people but it is better than giving others a misleading impression of the circumstances. The secret is how we pass on the message to others Amen.



5. But if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but to some extent not to exaggerate it to all of you.



(The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 2 verse 5)



Previously oh God my Father, I was very sensitive about the issue of hurts and pain, however, today You helped me realise that words are only words and that unless I give permission to those words to stick to me they have no meaning and can do me no harm. However, when somebody does harm to somebody in the Church or community such as defaming one's honour, the consequences of such a person may become widespread. Therefore when we are hurting others, without knowing, we are also hurting ourselves, because either the guilt or the consequences of such a negative action may bounce back on to us. Amen 




6. This punishment by the majority is enough by the majority for such a person; 7. so now instead you should forgive and console him, so that he may not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 



(The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 2 verses 6 to 7)




Oh God, my Father, as humans we have a strong tendency on passing judgement on others before one is judged by You at the appointed time. However what we may not consider is that although in time we may come to forgive others, such people may never come to terms with themselves, to forgive their own selves, therefore we are to think twice before passing judgement on others Amen.



8. So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9. I wrote for this reason; to test you and to know whether you are obedient in everything.


(The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 2 verses 8 to 9)



Oh God my Father as much as St. Paul wrote in order to test the obedience of the people of Corinth in order to see if they were still obeying the instructions given to them in order to live the faith, You also test us by means of situations for the same reasons. Any bad habit or compulsion or addiction is like, a test that we have to sit for. If we fail the test You will give us many opportunities for a resit until we get the grade. On the other hand, if we decide to quit and not sit for the test anymore the decision is ours and for that decision, we are liable to face the consequences on earth or in heaven or both as in hell. Therefore, brothers and sisters, it is best to face our tests by asking for the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit of God my Father than to quit altogether and remain stuck in our sins Amen. 


10 . Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ. 11. And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.



(The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 2 verses 10 to 11)



Oh God my Father forgiveness as You wanted it to be is an act that only You can make it possible to happen, for us humans if left to our own devices this is impossible to accomplish because this means going against our human nature, and this can only be done by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Oh God my Father as much as You exists, the forces of evil are constantly harassing us and trying to persuade us to do all that is contrary to Your will. I pray that in my current situation I listen and obey Your voice and not the schemes of the devil Amen. 



12. When I came to Troas to proclaim the good news of Christ, a door was opened for me in the Lord; 13. but my mind could not rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said farewell to them and went on to Macedonia.


(The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 2 verses 12 to 13)



Oh God, my Father, I pray that I will never lose out on the opportunities that You place before me as a consequence of worldly issues or circumstances. I pray that I be, always ready to do Your will and never turn down Your offer Amen. May  I wish what You wish, think what You think, and furthermore, do only what You want me to do Amen. 




14. But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him.




(The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 2 verse 14)




Oh, God my Father among the stench of sin that can take many forms, Your Word meaning the Gospel and all the books of the Bible are like the smell of roses and hyacinths in the sense that when experienced they bring satisfaction to both the body and the soul Amen.




15. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16. to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17. For we are not peddlers of God's word like so many; but in Christ we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God and standing in his presence.




(The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 2 verses 15 to 17)




Oh God, my Father, many people have different perceptions of life, there are those who are optimists and there are those who are pessimists. There are some who preach Your Word as based on theology and philosophy and there are those who preach and speak also from their own experience of their personal relationship with You. I pray that I be, of the second type sharing with others what You share with me, nothing more and nothing less Amen.


Oh God my Father I would like to end this second chapter of the second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians with the following prayer;


Oh God my Father I pray that we be instruments in Your hands, and not let the worries and anxieties of the world get the better of us. I pray that our presence may give others courage and faith and that when we speak about You it will be as if we are spraying perfume in the sense that on leaving the effect of Your Word will remain and leave a positive effect on others Amen.

The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 1

 

 

The Second Letter of St. Paul

 to 

The Corinthians

 Chapter 

1

 

 1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is in Corinth, including all the saints throughout Achaia:

(Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 1 verse 1)

Oh God my Father in Your name I would also like to share these posts with all who care to listen. Even though I am a simple person a sinner whose life depends on You, You have inspired me to pray and meditate on Your Bible and share these posts online. I thank You for all the love and time that You give me in order to pursue such a holy and adventurous quest in my relationship with You. God bless all who wish to accompany us on our trip to the mount of Calvary, where our sinful self will be crucified and instead You will give us a spiritual body and the renewal of our sinful self, for one that is pure and holy Amen.




2. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolations, 4. who consoles us in all our afflictions, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.


(The Second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 1 verses 2 to 4)


Oh God, my Father it is true that only through You, we receive one consolation after another. When the soldier split Your side with the spear a river of consolation, and healing flowed on the world. However, this river of consolation is not a private affair. Those of us who receive the blessings of God are to imitate our Father and generously share these blessings with others who may have not yet received such blessings Amen. Oh, God my Father anything that Your provide us with is not for ourselves alone but to share with others Amen.




 5. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. 6. If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering.




(The second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 1 verses 5 to 6)





Oh God, my Father I thank You for both the consolations and even for the desolations that take place in my life. I thank You for making me aware that they do not happen by chance but for a good reason. When we are consoled, others share in our consolations, when others are desolate, we also share in their desolations. It is like one bag full of graces that is filled by each one of us and even consumed by each one of us meaning all the people of the world, in a way that at all times our bag of graces that are given to us by God is always full in abundance. This is like the Social security funds system. We all donate from our wages a certain amount of money that is deposited into the big bag and all those who are entitled to benefit from the bag may do so, in the mean while we all keep contributing Amen.




7. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.



(The Second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 1 verse 7)




Oh God my Father, how nice it is to have someone who understands and cares for us! Paul felt as one with the people of Corinth for they empathised and shared the same feelings and also communicated them even during moments of desolations. Amen. If people showed understanding for people, how much more can You oh God understand us and share in both our consolations and desolations Amen.




8. We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. 9. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.



(The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 1 verses 8 to 9)




Oh God my Father at times the opposition is so great as in the case of Paul that it is life threatening, however this is not to displease us, for You warned us that is better for us to be approved of he who can destroy both the flesh and the soul than the flesh itself, for the soul is more important than the body and that it does not matter if we die, the most important thing is that our souls are not lost and given to the evil one.




10. He who has rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again, 11, as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.




(The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 1 verses 10 to 11)

 


Oh God, my Father we have no other saviour but You, who always intervenes in our lives by saving us from one trap, after another even though we are not aware of such interventions and traps of the evil one. We thank You forever and ever and also intercede for others so that they also may benefit from Your love care and unlimited blessings Amen. Praise be to God.




12. Indeed, this is our boast, the testimony of our conscience; we have behaved in the world with frankness and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God-and all the more toward you.




(The Second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 1 verse 12)




Oh God my Father if I had to find something to boast about I would boast about the great things that You have performed in my life, the faith that You have given me, this blog and many other and not for personal accomplishments, for all I do I do in You and for You, my God and Father Amen. 




13. For we write you nothing other than what you can read and also understand; I hope you will understand until the end- 14. as you have already understood us in part-that on the day of the Lord Jesus we are your boast even as you are our boast.




(The Second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 1 verses 13 to 14)




Oh God, my Father You make things so simple to us, that it is almost impossible for one not to understand. The crux of the message of the Good News is that of loving You and others as ourselves. Even though this requires us to go against our sinful nature to overcome our sinful self, and the lustful needs and desires of our body, within our souls are entrapped, with the help of the Holy Spirit in unity with that of the Saints and all the angels You can boast about our faith oh my God and Father Amen. 




15. Since I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a double favor. 16. I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on to Judea. 17. Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make plans according to ordinary human standards, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time?




(The Second letter of St.Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 1 verses 15 to 17)




Oh God my Father when I start using the "I" alot when speaking to others or writing to others, I feel rather insecure, for what I do, I do as the fruit of prayer and not the fruit of my will. My prayer is that if what I will is Your will my God and Father than may, it be done, but if it is not God's will it shall not. Therefore the "I" becomes a "We" because it becomes a shared decision between me and God and even the family in my case, which I also accept the decision to be according to Your will even if I do not agree with wife and daughter. Many times You speak to me by means of them Amen. 





18.  As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been "Yes and No". 19. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not "Yes and No"; but in him it is always "Yes". 20. For in him every one of God's promises is a "Yes". For this reason it is through him that we say the "Amen," to the glory of God. 21. But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, 22. by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.




(The Second letter of St.Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 1 verses 18 to 22)



Oh God my Father You told us that we are to stick to the truth, what is 'Yes' is Yes and what is 'No' is no, there is no room for 'buts' or maybes. My principle is 'if in doubt but out', especially where sensitive issues such as our faith is concerned, for through incorrect data, or statements or even opinions many people can be hurt. At times even the truth may hurt another person let alone false impressions or statements about other's self, which can easily harm one's self-image and esteem.
 



23. But I call on God as witness against me; it was to spare you that I did not come again to Corinth.  24. I do not mean to imply that we lord it over your faith; rather we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand firm in faith.




(The Second letter of St.Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 1 verses 18 to 24)



Oh God my Father whenever You see that I am dominating over somebody by supposing that I know more than others about You please humble me, so that I remain in my humble state and not become haughty and proud. Amen.



Oh God my Father I would like to end this first chapter of the second chapter of St,Paul's letter to the Corinthians with the following prayer:-



Oh God my Father, I thank You for Your love, care and support especially during moments of tribulation and persecution, for You were always there to save and comfort me, and protect me from making the wrong decisions, even if this meant going against my nature. Even though I do not always understand the meaning of what happens in my life, may Your will be done and not mine Amen.

Thank You God my Father