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Tuesday... Yes, there are those who cause problems in our lives.


2 Corinthians 2:8 (NLT), "So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him."

Tuesday... Yes, there are those who cause problems in our lives.

Paul in his second letter to the Corinthian church in the second chapter dealt with a problem. In verse 5 (NLT) he writes, "I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me." Verses 7-8 says, "Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him."

But our response usually is, "But he hurt me." We too many times look at the hurt we have felt. They were hurt by him but Paul is saying that "it is time to forgive and comfort him." And you are to "reaffirm your love for him."


We live in a world that is all wrapped up in their hurts, their pain and their discouragements.

Paul goes on. Verses 9-11 says, " I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ's authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes."

The Message says, "Don't think I'm carrying a list of personal grudges. The fact is that I'm joining in with your forgiveness, as Christ is with us. After all, we don't want to unwittingly give Satan an opening for yet more mischief - we're not oblivious to his sly ways."

Paul then says in verse 14 (NLT), "But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume." Verses 15-16 (CEV) says, "In fact, God thinks of us as perfume that brings Christ to everyone. For people who are being saved, this perfume has a sweet smell and leads to a better life. But for people who are lost, it has a bad smell and leads to a horrible death." 

Forgiveness and love goes a long way at spreading this perfume which has a sweet smell and leads to a better life. 

Let's try it in our families, in our friends and even in our churches. Let's strive to get rid of the bad smell that leads to a horrible death.

Paul says, "So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him." Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

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