2 Corinthians 1:13-14 – “For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end; just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus.”

For the Christian, our hope personally is the Word of God; and, when we are seeking to encourage another believer, their hope and confidence is in the Word solely! This Scripture points out the fact that we can be discouraged. When Paul says that he hopes that they will understand until the end, there is the implication that some might not. This implies a grave responsibility for us as children of God to constantly be encouraging and exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching! Also, in this passage we see the great principle of fellowship and the power of discipleship – “that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus.” When we are discipling others we rejoice in them. There is a bond that is created. This is convicting to me because it shows how important discipleship is. I personally have not had the opportunities, or should I say, I haven’t taken the opportunities or made the opportunities to disciple others and create those bonds. This is the type of stuff that will last until the end – not the other things. Only what is spiritual counts!

2 Cor 1:12 “For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.”

For the Christian it can be tempting to conduct ourselves according to our own fleshly wisdom in the world. This ought not to be the case. Once we have been saved God calls us to act in holiness – that is, set apart from all sin, never justifying it – and godly sincerity. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. We cannot feign interest in what another is doing – we must be truthful. To pretend interest is to lie and we have ceased to walk in holiness. This teaches us that even something as simple as our day to day things must have the strength and backing of God Almighty behind them – it is only by His grace that we might have this be true of conduct in this world. Pray then that God would grant His grace on our lives and teach us what it is to be holy and to have godly sincerity. We cannot find it of ourselves, for, if left to ourselves, our foolish minds are darkened and we will begin to exchange the truth of God for a lie . . .!