IT TAKES TWO

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.

2 Corinthians 7:2-4

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever been in a one-way relationship?

It’s when only one of the two members in a relationship is working to make things work. This is especially problematic when it comes to the matter of love.

I remember back to my first marriage and how it ended. My wife ended up having an affair with my next door neighbor and while I was away at sea, she moved in with him and took my two children along. When I returned a few months later, I was the next door neighbor to my own family. I can’t tell you how painful and hurtful that was.

After being deceived, I still was willing to accept my wife back. I wanted to reconcile differences and try to make things work but those overtures were laughed off. Nonetheless, I remained faithful and refused to enter into any other relationship as long as we were married. Eventually, things ended in divorce and I had to face the reality that I would have to move on in life. I came to learn one important thing from it all.

No matter how hard you try, you can’t make someone love you and relationships won’t last if only one is trying. It takes two.

Well, as we continue to look at the opening verses of 2 Corinthians 7, we find the Apostle Paul hoping to avoid a one-way relationship with the believers in Corinth. He begins with a simple plea:

Make room for us in your hearts.

Paul reminded the Corinthians that he and those with him had a special place in their hearts for the Corinthians. They had great pride in the church there and how it had established itself in the midst of a city where more established religions were present. Paul was greatly encouraged and possessed a joy that knew no bounds, even in the midst of his troubles as he moved from place to place while sharing the Gospel.

In his view, Paul didn’t see any reason why the Corinthian Christians wouldn’t reciprocate his love for them. Paul worked hard in his ministry work to do things the right and righteous way with the Lord as his guide. He wanted his efforts for the cause of Christ to be above reproach and so he was careful not to wrong, corrupt, or exploit anyone. If he was guilty of anything, it was speaking to the church in Corinth and the believers there “with great frankness”. The apostle never sugar-coated his messaging as he tried to develop the church to be what he knew the Lord wanted, no matter the church’s location. This is evident as you read any of his New Testament letters.

Now, we don’t know if the Corinthian church took Paul’s words to heart or not. Certainly, he did everything he could to promote that. But I think the scriptures here are seeking to teach us something well beyond Paul’s efforts to make sure his relationship with the believers in Corinth went both ways. For think about this matter in the context of our relationship with the Lord.

How often does the Lord pour out His heart to us and yet we don’t give Him the same love in return?

Do we really want to be honest and answer that question?

I believe the question convicts and challenges us as Christians for if we are to hope to have a proper relationship with the Lord, we need to be as devoted to Him as He is to us. It takes two to have the kind of association and rapport the Lord expects and desires.

My prayer is that we all will respond to this message with a renewed commitment to dedicate ourselves fully to the Lord who is fully dedicated to us. When we do, we will find a life more fulfilling and blessed than we could ever imagine, a life that will be the envy of others who are graving proper two-way relationships in their own lives.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com