IPOY

August 16, 2008

Open your hearts to us; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. With all our affliction, I am overjoyed. (2 Corinthians 7:2-4)

I wish I could have the same spirit as Paul when he speaks to the Christians of various towns. The epistles were written because people we screwing up, making mistakes, being led astray despite his work to show them the accurate gospel of Jesus Christ. And yet, this insane behavior does not create a heart of bitterness in Paul. Instead he states simply, “I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort.”

I wish I could say this to my friends who fall habitually into sin. I wish I could say, “I’m proud of you,” when they start behaving like maniacs. But then again, when I was in my downward spirals, I desperately wanted someone to believe in me. I needed the affirmation of love. So Paul gives. And so I want to give to my friends as well.

When someone believes in you, you can’t help but feel the slightest bit empowered. If someone believes in me, I at least wonder what they could see that perhaps I don’t see. We all need someone to see us beyond ourselves, because way too frequently we’re egotistical cry babies.
Paul says that in Christ, we no longer see the world thru human eyes, but thru the eyes of God. Maybe that’s where believing in sinners comes from. God sees me thru the blood of Christ, not the blood on my hands. I can be proud of my friends, and have confidence in them, because I know the Lord does not give up on those he has called according to His good purpose.

Maybe that’s why Paul can say, “I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort.” Maybe his words weren’t a reflection on their behavior, but a reflection of the hope found in the Holy Spirit that He is faithful to complete the work he began in us. And maybe Paul’s role was not to judge, or to condemn, but to just encourage. To help the people of Corinth see beyond themselves, and to the cross, just like Jesus.

So this gift of encouragement, God…help me be proud of those who have lost their pride, to have confidence in those who have lost heart, and to have comfort for those who can’t stand being in their own skin. If you won’t give up on them, neither shall I.