2 Corinthians 6:1-2

2 Corinthians 6:1-2

And while working together with Him we also plead for you all to not receive the grace of the Lord in vain.  For He says, “I listened to you at the appropriate time.  And in a day of salvation I supplied what you needed.”  Look!  Now is an appropriately favorable time.  Look!  Now is a day of salvation.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul reminds us that God listens to us.  He cares about us.  He genuinely desires the best for us.  It is not as though God wants to see us punished in our short-sighted choices that lead us away from Him.  God wants to listen to us when the time is appropriate.  His desire is for us to be in relationship, not to have that relationship torn from His grasp.  That is why He calls us to work with Him as He works to bring grace into the world.

Do you feel like God genuinely listens to you?  How do you know that God knows your needs and concerns and worries?  When have you seen evidence of God listening to you in your life?

Second Thought:

Paul once more reminds us that it is God who supplies salvation, not us.  In a day of salvation, God supplied what we needed.  God sent us Christ.  God took our sins upon Himself.  God bore the weight of human sinfulness so we could be in relationship with Him.  It is God’s work that is superior, not our own.  It is God’s work that will last into eternity, not our own.

What does God’s work mean to you?  Do you think God’s work ended with Jesus on the cross?  How can you join with God and continue to do work that lasts in this world while still remembering that it is God who does the most important things like bringing salvation to mankind?

Third Thought:

 Let’s end our thoughts on these verses with where Paul begins them.  He pleads with the Corinthians to not find God’s grace in vain.  He pleads with them to take their faith seriously.  He pleads with them to walk seriously with God and to take His grace seriously.  There is nothing more frustrating than a recipient of grace who does not seem to feel any sort of gratitude towards the gift.  There is nothing more frustrating than being generous to another person who then continues to live as though the act of generosity never reached them.  We have received God’s grace.  We need to turn to Him, change our lives, and live for Him!

Do you ever spurn God’s generosity?  When are you most likely to receive God’s grace and respond to it?

Passage for Tomorrow: 2 Corinthians 6:3-10