2 Corinthians 2:4 Inductive Bible Study Devotional: Love 1/27

2 Corinthians 2:4 says, "For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you."

Paul was broken-hearted when he wrote the church of Corinth in correction because He loved them so much. He wanted them to be right with God because he loved them. He cried for them. He didn't write to them because he wanted to make them angry or grieve them but because he wanted them to understand how much He loved them. Paul demonstrated the godly love that he wrote about in 1 Corinthians 13. He was patient with them. He was humble. He wasn't looking out for his best interest but for theirs. Paul modeled, on a small scale, Christ's love for them.

Have you ever been in a situation where someone you love so dearly was suffering and you were unable to be there physically for them? You wish so badly that you could control the situation and make it all better and save them from any more pain. But for some reason, God might have you removed right now. That can hurt you so much. All that you are able to do is love them from far away. One of the hardest things can sometimes be not even having information on what is going on but just having to pray that that person is okay. But then you might need to just sit back and listen to yourself and how silly that sounds. Prayer is our most powerful tool! Why do we feel so powerless? Our Abba Daddy is holding that sweet friend so close. What more could we ask for?

So if you have been in that situation, you may understand just a little bit of what Paul was feeling when he wrote Corinth. He loved them so much that it hurt him. He was correcting them not out of anger but out of love and kindness. It really does hurt when someone you love so dearly does something that hurts them. You just wish you could fix it for them. Or take the pain on yourself.

I imagine that this is probably how God feels when his children stray over and over and over again. He loves us so much that He gave His Son to die for us on a cross for our sins so that we may have eternal life. Yet we still choose the world. We still choose the pain and suffering and chains although He offers us freedom in exchange for His only begotten Son. It cost Him everything and it costs us nothing but our life(Luke 17:33). What a great and beautiful love. How sad is it that so many of us choose the chains of this world over the freedom that God offers(John 8:34-36)?

Application:

Today, I will tape 2 Corinthians 2:4 to my bedside table so that when I see it, it reminds me to pray for the same type of love that Paul had for Corinth.