Earnest Desire, Mourning and Fervent Mind 2 Corinthians 7:7

Paul the apostle told the church members in Corinth “God, that comforts those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus.”, and in chapter seven and verse seven of Second Corinthians, Paul shared with the church members about their, “earnest desire, mourning, and fervent mind toward” him where we read:

And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.

The verse begins, “And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you,...” Paul began with the words, “and not by his coming” which means “and not by Titus arriving or appearing” “only” or “alone” “but” which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written takes precedence over what was just stated, “by the consolation” which means “through the calling, summoning, importation, supplication, entreaty, exhortation, admonition and encouragement” “wherewith” or “in which and that” “he was comforted” which refers to “Titus was called to one's side, summoned, admonished, exhorted, entreated and beseeched” “in you” or “within the church members”. Paul recalled when Titus came to he and his companions with a message of “supplication and entreaty” from the church members in Corinth.

The verse goes on to say, “...when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.” Paul continued with the word, “when” which means “at the time and moment” “he told us” or “Titus announced, made known, reported, brought back tidings and rehearsed” “your earnest desire” which means “the church members' longing and vehement passion”, “your mourning” or “the church members' wailing and lamentation”, “your fervent mind” which means “the church members' excitement, ardor, pursuing, zeal and envious and contentious rivalry” “toward me” or “on behalf of, over and beyond Paul”; “so that I rejoiced” which means “so Paul himself was glad, joyed and hailed to a greater degree, by far, more willingly and readily”. Paul recalled the church members' “longing”, “wailing”, “excitement and ardor” when Titus reported to Paul and his companions concerning the church members' “earnest desire”, “mourning” and “fervent mind” toward them. In other words, Paul “rejoiced” when he heard Titus' report.

When we think through these words of Paul, we see how he and his companions were greatly encouraged by the reports from Titus. Titus told Paul and his companions the Corinthian church members “longed for”, “wailed” and “were pursued with excitement” when they spoke of Paul, and this report made him “rejoice” exceedingly. Jesus Christ desires for His church to live in a manner as Titus conveyed concerning the church in Corinth, and when we hear such reports about other believers, let us “rejoice” over their “fervent passion” for the Lord Jesus.

Next time Paul tells the church members, “though I made you sorry with a letter”, 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.