The Devotional – 1078 – Foot Steps in Second Corinthians, On Going

The Devotional – 1078 – Foot Steps in Second Corinthians, On Going

Philippians 2:5-11 – Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father - NKJV

CHALLENGES & COMMENTS – 2 Corinthians 1:8-11

The apostle Paul explains in an earlier verse of 2 Corinthians 1 that as the sufferings of Christ are increasing in us, so also the comfort (consolation) of Christ abounds in us as well – verse 5. I take this to mean that there is nothing the world around us can do through tribulation that the LORD God will not neutralize by His grace and mercy provided by Him at the moment we need it.

God does not want us to be ignorant of the truth that He will deliver us from suffering. The apostle is remembering the time in Ephesus when a man named Demetrius a silversmith by trade, feared for his trade and prosperity because he hand crafted idols, that is false gods of worship. His fear caused a riot in Ephesus and you can read this on your own; Acts 19:21-41.

When we believe the gospel of the grace of God, Acts 20:24 we are separated from the world’s conduct of worship. Instead of worshiping false gods and bondages of the demonic realms of darkness we are place in the Light and kingdom of God’s Holy Son. In Colossians 1:13-14 the apostle Paul states that we have been delivered from the power of darkness and translated (transferred) into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

This transfer is a vivid death sentence to the world, but to us who are being saved it is the Power of Life in the kingdom of Christ. 2 Peter 1:2-4. We are as saints of God, made dead to the world, but made alive in Christ (Romans 6:11). In other words we are of no value to the profits gained by the producers of idolatry. Like the apostle we have been sentenced to physical persecution and death.

Yet it is those who believe in the dead gods of idolatry who will be sentenced to the death of their soul, John 3:17-18 and 36 also called the second death, Revelation 20:11-15.