Evening

September 13

2 Corinthians 6:16-18 ¹⁶What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." ¹⁷"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." ¹⁸"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

Paul ran together a string of phrases from the Old Testament, yet He picked up the Spirit behind them all. He was pleading with the Corinthians to be separated from the world they lived in. While Paul and his companions laid down their lives, the Corinthians seemed to be living it up. While Paul and company loved from their hearts and spoke openly and honestly, the Corinthians withheld their affection in a calculated way.

The disparity in their love was from a love for the world. He asked them to look at these promises of God. They were supposed to be the temple of the living God. They had the promise that He would live with them and walk among them. God promised to make them His own people. Therefore, be separated! Don't be defiled by the world. Don't let sin constantly infect your life. Be wholly God's, and He will be your Father, and you will be His sons and daughters. It is not just the God of someone's imagination who says this, but the Lord Almighty. This is the God of all creation making these promises. This is the God that has the power to make it happen.

Until they cut off their love for the things of the world, Paul couldn't see them loving others with the love of Christ. If you are not able to love God's servants wholeheartedly, this may be a warning to you. Consider God's promises and how you should respond. Paul said that the proper response was to purify ourselves by perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. Go on from salvation to sanctification. Don't be satisfied with just being saved. Let God transform your heart, mind, and every area of your life. It is only then that you will be able to love others in a truly unselfish way.

Consider: Is my love for the world keeping me from loving my brothers and sisters in Christ?