DAILY DEVOTIONS BLOG

I Corinthians 16:21,22 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. If anyone does not love the Lord-a curse be on him. Come O Lord!

Paul says in his 13 letters that he is having other people write for him, then he will often sign the letter or write a small section in his own hand in order to prove that the thoughts were his. Here Paul states that he is signing this letter and adds his own little closing, “A curse on those who don’t believe in Jesus.” The more correct translation would be “to hell with those who do not love Jesus”. I have a feeling that to those who knew Paul this closing proved beyond a doubt that it was from Paul himself.

The reason that Paul does not write his letters himself is somewhat a mystery. In one spot he says, “see with what big letters I write this part myself”. He also talks about some kind of recurring illness, “a thorn in the flesh”, this may have been why he was unable to write the letters himself. Perhaps he still had some blindness or poor eyesight from his Damascus Road Experience, where he was struck blind. We know that Paul prayed to have this “thorn in the flesh” removed and the Lord told him that he was fine with what the Lord choose to give him.

It is interesting that Paul often closes with greetings from other missionaries and will also ask that certain people be greeted in his name.

How does the fact that the Lord would not heal Paul make you feel?

Paul’s curse on those who do not love Jesus, shows his passion for the Gospel, do you have a passion for the Gospel of Jesus?

I Corinthians 16:8,9 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

We can see from this section of the letter that Paul did plan out his trips. He had in mind just where he would like to go and when he would like to go there. However, Paul also allowed for the leading of the Lord in his decisions. Here he said that he would come and spend a good deal of time with the Corinthians if the Lord allowed! As men we are always in a hurry to make our own choices as to what we will do and when we will do it. But sometimes we are slowed and directed in another way by the will of our Father in Heaven.

Paul refers to some of that direction when he speaks about a door being opened and about those who oppose him. In another letter of Paul’s we find out that he was prevented from entering one of his chosen mission fields by the work of a spirit of the devil. Paul acknowledged the influence that God had in his life and also the influence that the devil had as well. We need to pray that we could be as in tune with the spiritual workings around us as Paul was with those around him.

Paul urges the Corinthians to help Timothy because he was working for the Lord just as Paul was working for the Lord. We see that Paul seemed to be sort of the mission planner for several of the missionaries, he was directing Timothy, Apollos and others as to where they should go and when.

All of our life is a mixture of our plans and God’s plans, quite often we try to make our plans God’s plans, “this is where we are going, OK God?” Instead we need to be ready to make God’s plans our plans! This is usually a stretch for us as people who like to control everything.

How do you think Paul felt about the Corinthians?
Paul says that some of the people who came to him “refreshed his spirit” who is it that does that for you?