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2 Corinthians 11:5-6
As the Apostle Paul has begun a defense of his ministry, he humbles himself to the fact that while others may sound convincing to them in their elaborate speech, Paul himself admits that he is not a great speaker. Paul then directs his hearers/readers to the fact that it is the knowledge that he has received through Christ Jesus working in his life that holds the importance of the message. It is in this knowledge that the Corinthians know the message of the gospel as Paul preaches to them is the true and righteousness of God through Christ Jesus.
This is an example of “fact checking” the message to the Word of God.
There are many false teachers in the world today that twist the Word of God into a message that is directed at the people and their own view of the gospel instead of the message of the gospel as the Bible teaches. We cannot fall to allowing man to interpret the message of the gospel by the standards of the desires of man in this sinful world. It is the God-given gospel that we need to adhere to in saving us from the sinful ways of this world. It is the God-given gospel that leads us to the proper way of life that God has intended for us to have. It is the God-given gospel that we need to apply to our lives; not that we would utilize the Word of God to please our own desires, but that we would utilize the Word of God to change our desires and lead us in the path of righteousness. Psalm 23:1-3 (NKJV) state,
“The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green
Pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of
Righteousness
For His name’s sake.”
The 23rd Psalm is a Scripture passage held dear to many of our hearts, but it is not truly understood and realized in our lives unless we acknowledge that it is God who leads us and that we must sincerely submit our own will to His will for our lives. This means that when we read a passage that we may not want to submit to in God’s will, that we must learn and grow through that teaching while trusting in God that if we do this, He will help us to make the transaction from our will to His will – that we would not deceive ourselves by our own desires but through faith trust in God and follow where He leads us. For if we do this, the remainder of Psalm 23 will become a reality for us,
“Yea, though I walk through the valley
Of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they
comfort me.
“You prepare a table before me in the
Presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall
Follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the
LORD
Forever.”
Dear LORD,
We hear many different views of who You are and if You are real, but please help us all to learn, hear, understand, and realize that You are not who we make You to be, but that You are unchanging and always powerful to lead us in the path of righteousness if we will give up our own ways and seek, with an open heart, Your ways for our lives and follow as You lead. Please help us to open our hearts, souls, and minds to put You first in our lives and trust that Your ways are better than our ways as Jesus teaches us in Matthew 22:37-40; Isaiah 55:8-9). In Jesus name I pray, amen.