Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 2 Corinthians 9:13
“And all of you used to be humble in mind, not arrogant in the least, being submissive rather than forcing submission, giving more gladly than receiving being satisfied with the provisions supplied by Christ. You heeded His words, carefully storing them up in your inner selves. And His sufferings were present before your eyes.
For this reason a deep and rich peace was given to all, along with an insatiable desire for doing good; and a full out pouring of the Holy Spirit came upon everyone. And being filled with His holy will, you used to stretch out your hands to the all-powerful God, zealous for the good, with pious confidence, begging Him to be gracious if you inadvertently committed any sin.
Day and night you struggled on be half of the entire brotherhood, that the total number of His chosen ones might be saved, with mortal fear and self-awareness. You were sincere and innocent and bore no grudges against one another. Every faction and schism was loath some to you. You used to grieve over the unlawful acts of your neighbors and considered their shortcomings your own.
You had no regrets when doing good; you were prepared for every good deed. You were adorned with a highly virtuous and honorable way of life, and you accomplished all things in reverential awe of Him. The commandments and righteous demands of the Lord were inscribed upon the tablets of your heart.”
Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his first Letter to the Corinthians 2:1-8.
When you read a Scripture like today’s text, don’t you like the know how the story ends. It’s like you are watching a home improvement television show and you see the before and the after.
The before for the Corinthians included instructions about giving and a promise.
The promise was clear an penned in 2 Corinthians around the year A.D. 57 that others would praise God for the their confession and for their collection or their words and their works.
The after is today’s statement from Clement some 30-40 years later.
Clement is writing from Rome about the faith and generosity of the Corinthians. It’s beautiful! Absolutely beautiful. He celebrates their words and their works. And I highly three aspects.
Firstly, the Corinthians had an “insatiable desire for doing good.”
Think about that word insatiable and what it means. Because our doing good flows from God’s abundant provision, there’s never an end to it. We never stop wanting to bless others because God perpetually blesses us.
Secondly, they had “no regrets when doing good.”
This means that they heard the teachings of Paul, put it into practice, and never looked back. This is my prayer for readers today. That they will choose to live, give, serve, and love generously, and not look back.
Thirdly, they were “prepared for every good deed.”
Imagine this. They now live for a whole new purpose. They live to serve as conduits of blessing, ready and prepared to bless others. Do you? Only you can answer these questions.
Do you have an insatiable desire for doing good? Do you have no regrets when doing good? Are you prepared for every good deed?
Believe it or not, I am flying again today. I’d appreciate your prayers.
I fly to Florida to see my parents, my brother and his wife, and a few close friends. I want to encourage all of them to continue to live this way.
I am also encouraging my parents who are brokenhearted by recent news.
Don’t get me wrong, they drip the peace of Christ, but they are sad because their daughter, my sister, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. That’s why from Florida, I fly to Cleveland.
There, I am going to see my sister and her family and to pray for her before her surgery on Monday.
If that’s not all, I will race back Monday because the doctor says our second grandchild is breach so a c-section has been planned for Tuesday.
So, my next few days appear as racing to encourage, pray for, and support family and friends.
I’m thankful for the abundant grace of God who gives us strength for such service. I pray my presence brings comfort and my words deliver love. Make is so, Lord Jesus.