DAILY GUIDE DEVOTIONAL: "Live and Work for God"

Text; 2 Corinthians 1:12-22

Do you ever wonder if anyone who had said yes to God would find any true joy in any other activity than working for God? It is actually a contradiction when we claim to be Christians but our pleasures are derived from other things. Here we see Paul discrediting the attacks upon his person and establishing the fact of his apostleship. He has no ulterior motive but working out his mandate; doing God's work in the best way possible being paramount in his heart.

Paul was in these 10 verses showing us how committed he is to Christ's work. He had been wickedly slandered by men who accused him of being unfaithful and dishonest simply because he failed to meet up with a visit as promised. He was judged behind his back without any request for explanations by his accusers. Yet he did not lash out. He made deliberate and conscious effort to debunk this false accusations in a most calm manner. He did not try to prove any point but simply referred them to the simplicity of his preaching towards them. His free conscience borne out of his sincerity in God was his anchor. He didn't need to fight because he knows that God sees everything. Since he has no hidden agenda, he had nothing to hide. He told them plainly, Jesus whom I preached to you was not yes and no, so how can I be accused to be a yes and no apostle? In other words, Paul is proving that he cannot afford to act outside the character of his master, Jesus. (Verses 19). Jesus is in fact the very YES and AMEN to all of God's promises. Everything that God has ever promised is finalized in him. He is the perfecter of every covenant, every gift, every message...hence we are confident to follow him the  finisher of our faith

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Paul, further stresses that the work they did amongst the Corinthians was inspired by the holy spirit which they have received as the earnest guarantee or down payment for what is yet to come. They did not just babble to the Corinthians out of conceit, rather the words they spoke to them were words they could bank upon because they were inspired by the holy spirit and not by men's wisdom. This mind should also be in us. As believers we must recognise who we really are. We are not mere men. We are spirit filled people, carries of God's first deposit of the new creation man. Our yes must be a YES and our no,  No, in keeping with the pattern of our lord Jesus. So that men will see our sincerity always and be ready to serve our God. Evil mouths which seek to discredit us will be shut up forever. Our utmost being to do God's highest: pouring out our lives as a sweet smelling aroma unto him everywhere we go.