Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

As 2 Corinthians ends, Paul holds nothing back in chapter 13! He tells the Corinthians when he comes back a third time, he won’t go easy on those who are still sinning. His exacts words are that he “will not spare anyone”. Whew! In the previous chapters, Paul talks about the “super-apostles” and how they thought he was weak. They wanted to see more power from him so Paul responds to them in verses 3-4, saying that they will see God’s power when He deals with them! Ouch.

Then we get to verse 5:

“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”

The Corinthians had been seeking proof of Paul’s apostleship and he turns the tables with this statement. Do you want to test me? Test yourselves! Examine yourselves! Or did you fail the test? Y’all. Paul scares me a little. He has been called meek and humble yet when it comes to sinning against God, Paul stands his ground. It’s a little intimidating, but I love his heart for his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ! He wants them to examine themselves before they start trying to examine him.

After reading verse 5, I cannot stop asking myself this question: Am I in the faith? Not in the sense of being saved or not, but in the sense of growing in holiness and Christlikeness. Am I striving for godliness? Do I truly want to obey the commands of God? Is my mind being renewed and transformed by the Word of God? Our growth in holiness comes from obeying the Word of God (His commandments) through faith that God will fulfill His promises now and in the future.

So how do we examine ourselves? We use the Word of God as a mirror. We delight in His commands. We don’t keep sinning because we’ve been justified by grace through faith! Now that we are saved, we are in the process of becoming more and more like Jesus and the only way to imitate Christ is to know and follow the Word.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Take time to examine your heart today. What does it look like for you to grow in holiness?
• What steps do you need to take in your faith journey? Contact your House Church Pastor or email us at hello@venturechurch.org if you would like to talk with someone at Venture Church about your next steps.
• Prayer: Dear God, thank You for Your gentle and correcting hand.  Open my eyes to sin that might be hidden in my heart that I cannot see.  Search me and the intentions of my heart and mind.  Thank You for the grace, mercy, and salvation that You offer us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Family Devo: 2 Corinthians 13

By: Selena Rosetti 

As we come to the end of 2 Corinthians, we read the final message Paul gives to the Corinthians. He encourages them to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith.  

What does it look like to examine ourselves? We could ask ourselves a few questions to see where we are in our walk with the Lord. Here are a few questions to help get you started:

• Do I love God?
• Am I spending time with him each day in prayer?
• Do I set aside time to read scripture?  
• How well do I love others?
• Am I being a good example to my friends? 

Paul ends his message to the Corinthians by telling them to encourage one another and to live in peace. I would love to leave you with that same challenge. Who in your circle of friends or family could use a little encouragement today?

Prayer: Lord, thank You for giving us Your word to help guide us in our walk with You. Would You help us to examine our lives and show us the areas we fall short? Give us the courage and strength to take steps that will lead us closer to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.