January 8

Do you remember when you were learning to write a term paper in school? You learned that the intro told you what the subject was, the body of the paper defended that position, and the closing paragraph summed everything up. It should be pointed out that ancient writings don’t always fit this newer format, but in the case of today’s scripture, Paul has summed up his letter for the readers at the end. How handy!

Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church set out to address some big issues that were causing division within the body of believers. He doesn’t want to discipline any of them when he visits the next time and he gives them several things to work on before his arrival.

After addressing the issues that divided them, Paul encourages the church to act as a unified family, resolve their differences, and reflect the love of God through their behavior toward one another. They needed to be rid of the teachings that were counter to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to test themselves to see if they really were in the faith—something that should be done in today’s church as well.

After that powerful reminder Paul closes his letter with a beautiful benediction, and it is my prayer for all of you today as you perform your caregiving duties. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Prayer for today:

Heavenly Father, thank you for the words of your apostle Paul. Show me areas where my life is not in line with your word and help me to fix it with the help of the Holy Spirit. Fill me with love for the church so that I can live in peace with my brothers and sisters, as well as offer comfort in times of sorrow or suffering. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.