Paul
the apostle told the church members in Corinth how he wrote, “these
things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness”,
and he referred,
“to the power which the Lord has given” him
“to edification, and not to destruction”.
In
chapter
thirteen and verse eleven of Second Corinthians, Paul exhorted the
church members to, ”be
perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace” where
we read:
Finally,
brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind,
live in peace;
and
the God of love and peace shall be with you.
The
verse begins, “Finally,
brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind,
live in peace;”
Paul
began with the word, “finally”
which means “at last, already, besides and moreover”, “brethren”
which means “fellow believers who are united to another by the bond
of affection”, “farewell”
or “rejoice exceedingly, be well and thrive”. “Be
perfect”
which means “fit out, equip, put in order, arrange, adjust and
complete” “be
of good comfort”
or “call for, summon, address, admonish and exhort”, “be
of one mind”
which refers to “be together in understanding, wisdom, opinion,
interest and advantage”, “live
in peace”
or “cultivate and keep harmony”. Paul began his final benediction
to the church members as he bid them to be “fit, thriving,
rejoicing, admonished, advantaged and in harmony”.
The
verse goes on to say, “and
the God of love and peace shall be with you. ”
Paul
added the words, “and
the God”
which means “and the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised
of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “of
love”
which means “affection, good will, benevolence and unconditional
brotherly love” “and
peace”
which refers to “a state of tranquillity, harmony, concord,
security, prosperity and felicity” “shall
be with you”
or “will be present and accompany the church members”. Paul
promised that “God” would provide His “love”
and “tranquility” for those who continued in “perfection, good
comfort, single mindedness and living in peace”.
When
we meditate upon these words of Paul, we see the benefits produced
for living a life after his exhortation. When the church members were
“perfect, of good comfort, of one mind and living in peace”,
Paul's desire was that God would bless them with His “love
and peace”.
Jesus Christ came into the world to provide His “unconditional love
and tranquility”, and all who trust in Him as “Savior and Lord”
shall come to know these benefits in their daily lives.
Next
time Paul
tells the church members how to, “greet
one another”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then,
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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