18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
(2 Corinthians 1:18-22, NIV)
Sometimes I feel like there is a backstory to verses I am reading and it does not quite make sense. It seems that Paul and the Corinthians have had a misunderstanding about when he would visit and why. The first letter by Paul to the Corinthians was very much dealing with issues dividing the group. It sounds like Paul was going to visit but plans changed and now he is going to visit. Perhaps he is being accused of double mindedness. It sounds like he is trying to smooth ruffled feathers. The specifics of the backstory are not as important as how we respond to disagreements with our friends. How do we repair relationships when there are misunderstandings? Good question.
Avoidance is one of my tactics. If I don’t see the person, perhaps the other will cool off and we can get back to normal. But I must admit there is an awkwardness between us for a while and that sneaking suspicion all is not right. It seems that Paul has chosen to name the elephant in the room and explain himself. His response to the Corinthians challenges us to consider whether our responses are duplicitous, a yes or no that is more like a maybe, or whether we are people of integrity. Can people count on us to say what we mean and mean what we say? That is a good challenge to pray about.
Paul adds a thought. In Christ who can do all things, we can trust that if God says something will be so, it will. God will keep his word and eventually we will see that he fulfills his promises with truth and integrity. May we grow in our ability to be people of integrity who are true to our word. And Lord, please have mercy on all the people recovering from Hurricane Helene and preparing for Hurricane Milton.Yes and No
18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
(2 Corinthians 1:18-22, NIV)
Sometimes I feel like there is a backstory to verses I am reading and it does not quite make sense. It seems that Paul and the Corinthians have had a misunderstanding about when he would visit and why. The first letter by Paul to the Corinthians was very much dealing with issues dividing the group. It sounds like Paul was going to visit but plans changed and now he is going to visit. Perhaps he is being accused of double mindedness. It sounds like he is trying to smooth ruffled feathers. The specifics of the backstory are not as important as how we respond to disagreements with our friends. How do we repair relationships when there are misunderstandings? Good question.
Avoidance is one of my tactics. If I don’t see the person, perhaps the other will cool off and we can get back to normal. But I must admit there is an awkwardness between us for a while and that sneaking suspicion all is not right. It seems that Paul has chosen to name the elephant in the room and explain himself. His response to the Corinthians challenges us to consider whether our responses are duplicitous, a yes or no that is more like a maybe, or whether we are people of integrity. Can people count on us to say what we mean and mean what we say? That is a good challenge to pray about.
Paul adds a thought. In Christ who can do all things, we can trust that if God says something will be so, it will. God will keep his word and eventually we will see that he fulfills his promises with truth and integrity. May we grow in our ability to be people of integrity who are true to our word. And Lord, please have mercy on all the people recovering from Hurricane Helene and preparing for Hurricane Milton.
On the Way to Wonder 