SOAP 11/16/2014; 2 Corinthians 6:1-4a

Today's reading: 2 Corinthians 3, 4, 5, 6


S) "¹ And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain— ² for He says,

'At the acceptable time I listened to you,
And on the day of salvation I helped you.'

Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”— ³ giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, ⁴ but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God..."

2 Corinthians 6:1-4a (NASB)

O) Do not receive the grace of God in vain... that seems a little vague, and it might leave a person wondering what that looks like. But then, as we get to v.4, we see that we are to commend ourselves as servants of God in everything. Just in case the reader is unsure of how completely inclusive that word is, Paul went on to make a list (spanning the rest of v.4, all the way through v.10), giving a plethora of examples. So, the point then, is that anything less than a life completely commending ourselves to God as His servants, in everything, means that we received grace in vain.

A) It is the will of God to give us grace. It is with purpose, and on purpose, that He gives that grace. It is vanity if I receive the grace, without also accepting His purpose. His purposes are all-encompassing. He doesn't want a part of my love. He isn't interested in having His dominion in some areas of my heart. He doesn't want me to commend myself as His servant on Sunday mornings, but not when I'm watching television in the evening. When Paul wrote that "now is" in v.2, he wasn't speaking to the first century church. "Now" is the time that the believer is reading those words. Every time that the words of 2 Corinthians 6:2 exist, is the time that is "now" that God wants me to commend myself as His servant.

P) Father, You are the God of time. You own it, control it. You fix time and also exist apart from it. You understand eternity in its largest and smallest senses, and senses I can't even comprehend. So, when You say You want me to be Yours now, there is no time excluded. When You say to commend myself to You in everything, there is nothing excluded. Help me to tear down the walls of separation in my heart and perspectives, that I try to keep up as partitions between You and areas of my life. Tear down those walls, Father God, and let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.