2 Corinthians 13:11
Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
When the word of God became a reality to me that it was in deed the supreme authority in my life, I made it a point to underling all the “to do’s” it said to do, in order to do accordingly to stay in compliance with this guide-book we have for our lives to follow. Some where along the lines of my reading I failed in my follow through doing this task, but when reading my 34-year-old Nelson Study Bible, I come across some of those underlined passages, and then I find lots of passages that should have been underlined, and this passage is one of those. Paul finishes off his 2nd Corinthian discourse by telling us how we should be. Coming from the man who was the spiritual father to at least half the planet, I take this admonishment seriously.
He says to rejoice, meaning to be glad, rejoice exceedingly, to be well, in salutations, hail, at the be beginning of letters, to give one greeting, salute. I can’t tell you how much I have failed in my life doing this, but I am much better now. It is very important to live your life, living it like you are the winner, and we are, and being the person like the football player who just crossed the finish line making the touch down. We are winners, we have won, and for the most part I don’t see many Christians that are dancing a jig in the end zone regarding their salvation. I know as this one is hard for me to do also. But, I know I should!
Be made complete? What is this? It means to ethically be strengthened, perfected, be completed and be made as one ought to be. Did I mention ethics? Yes, we as Christians should be the leaders when it comes to ethics. Tragically, I must admit that this is seriously being trashed by many in the church. I have friends outside of the church, that I have more trust for than some in the church, but there are many very good people in the church that I do trust.
Be comforted. As 2nd Corinthians starts out (1:4),
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
There are many in the church who are not comforted. What is comfort? It is to soothe in time of affliction or distress, to ease, or relieve. We are to comfort others with our words. We are to provide a hospitable situation.
To be like-minded. Now this doesn’t mean to be like-minded in doing evil, it means to be in one accord within the context of the love of our Lord. Oh how I know how it is to have people working and conspiring against me. People being like-minded to control the situation and politically castrate you. I once had at least half a church leadership do this with me, because a pastor thought I was a threat to him. Like the song says, “Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needles pain we bear.” Not only did the pastor who did this to me not win any kudos for doing this, I believe he may have incurred future judgement for his poor example, as pastors are subject to a stricter judgement.
Live in peace. How can a church be at peace when few of the people who reside in it know what peace really is? I have had pastors and their wives ostracize me because of situations that have happened. You cannot live in peace when you hold grudges. I have seen, seemingly some of the best, that live with amputated at the waist spiritual bodies because of grudges they have kept that didn’t really even involve them. Not only does lack of forgiveness cripple you, you will never know peace as long as you hold a grudge, and people who do have a way of polluting others into their condition.
We all want the God of love and peace to be with us, and Paul here gives us a formula to have this happen. Of all the churches addressed in the New Testament and Paul’s epistles, I believe we know more about the Corinthians than any other church. It is like all church’s today, they had their problems. Like the saying goes “If you find the perfect church, don’t join it if you want it to remain perfect.” That is said in humor of course, but humor often has a lot of truth to it.
I have been blessed with the problem of deafness. I say blessed, because of my problem I do not hear the gossip. People have to almost yell at me to communicate with me, and this stops 90% of the gossip that one can be subject to. I am now conditioned not to hear it. I don’t miss it, because it isn’t something that is necessary to survive. I believe actually it can be a blessing, because when you are not dwelling on that stuff, you are free to work on what Paul says for us to do in this passage.
I am not the best rejoice r, but I’m trying. I work at being made complete. I have learned with age to be a comforter and an encourager, not something that came naturally to me. I try to live in peace, but I have found that this isn’t always possible as there always seems to be some who will find some reason to be at odds with you, but however unknown to them I can be at peace with them as I have learned how to forgive and love them anyway. I have found that the more I practice these qualities, that I have grown in the knowledge and experience of the God of love and peace being with me.
If the church today could only experience the God of love and peace in its purest form, I believe it could very well be the formula of the Worlds greatest revival.
Be of good cheer for we believe in God.
Blessings
David L. Moody
dldlmoody@msn.com
feedmysheepdotnet 
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