December 6, Day 340

Today's Reading

I wonder if chapters 9 and 10 are the most understood in all of Paul's letters. Is he losing it? Has he tumbled into being an egotistical maniac? I don't think so! He was far away and false teachers had come in among the Corinthian flock. They talked of their own superiority. They boasted that Paul was a "has-been" who never did much in the first place. They used these criticism to get a foothold and steer the church away from the truth in Christ. Paul countered by "boasting", not in what he accomplished, but in what he suffered to serve Christ. The false teachers were obviously wringing the cash out of the people and Paul had never done that. They were a bit like today's televangelists who promise financial prosperity to everyone who sends them a big offering.

Paul concludes the letter with the warning that he is coming back. He hoped that he wouldn't encounter a straying church who must be severely disciplined. He loved them enough to correct them, but longed to simply come and share with them the wonderful things we have in Christ.