DEVOTION – DAY 121

2 Cor.6:11-13 “Loving Others Freely”

 

2 Cor.6:11-13 “We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affections for you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange – I speak as to my children – open wide your hearts also.

 

Paul had shown his love to the Corinthian Christians in two ways. He had spoken freely to them, and he had opened wide his heart to them. Paul had shown his love by sharing with the Corinthians his concerns, pressures, his experiences and his teachings. He had held nothing back and he had openly shared with Him how God had enabled him to cope under different circumstances. His love is so deep that Paul was willing to be vulnerable and transparent before them. He wanted them to benefit from his personal experiences with God, to get a sense of God’s presence that he had experienced. Paul opened wide his heart by including everyone in the church of Corinth. He had loved them all equally. He had shown no favouritism. He had shown love to even those who had been cold and unresponsive towards him.

But the Corinthians had not loved Paul back in a similar way. This was because the church had false teachers amongst them and they had been lying that Paul did not love the Corinthians. That was why Paul wrote these verses to appeal to the Corinthians that his love for them was sincere, open and was given to every one of them.

The same is true for us. We live in a world where many people like to guard their privacy and present a “public” face that they want others to see. They keep their true feelings and beliefs hidden. We see that too in church sometimes when people tell us that they are fine but internally, they face crisis of many kinds. We also see people choosing to love only the people in church that they can get along with. And they avoid the people they do not seem to have the same chemistry. But that should not be the case. We should all follow Paul’s example to show an open and sincere love to everyone without exception.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, because You have loved us unreservedly, please help us to love others in the same way. Help us to be open and sincere in our love to others regardless of their background, race, or status. In the precious name of the Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. Do you find it easy to be open and transparent before others? If not, why not? Are you willing to be open and transparent as an expression of your love for others? Share.
  2. Do you make it a point to welcome and talk to people you are not familiar with? If you are not doing so, what can you do to be a more welcoming person? Discuss.
  3. If you want to be treated warmly by others, you must be prepared to be equally warm to others. How can you treat others more warmly from now onwards? Discuss.
  4. What kinds of people do you have difficulty showing love to? How can you begin to show love to them after reading this devotion?