Jon Courson Devotional 4 Today

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
I Corinthians 16:23–24

There could have been those in Corinth who said, ‘If you care so much about us, Paul, why did you point out our carnality and rebuke us for our immorality? Why were you so rough on us?’
Yet, under the inspiration of the Spirit, Paul simply says, ‘I do love you.’

Because open rebuke is better than secret love (Proverbs 27:5), the rebukes and exhortations which come our way should be embraced as friends. It’s much more comfortable for me to ignore a prickly situation or issue. But that’s not love. Love says, ‘I care more about your excelling and your succeeding than about what you think of me. If you think I’m not a nice guy, that’s OK if what I’m saying will provoke you to love and to good works, to think through what you’re doing and perhaps repent from the direction you’re heading.’ Faithful are the wounds of a friend (Proverbs 27:6). But make sure your correction is done in love...

As the disciples sat at the Last Supper, under the table were 24 dirty, stinky feet. To remedy the situation, Jesus didn’t give a lecture on foot washing. No, He girded Himself with a towel and washed feet Himself (John 13:4–5).

I have the right and responsibility to give admonition, exhortation, and correction; to openly rebuke and wound if necessary only if I am willing to wash the feet of the people with whom I deal. If I’m not willing to walk with them through their difficulty, stand by them in their trouble, kneel with them in prayer, it would be wiser for me to keep silent.

Paul was one who had the right to correct, admonish, and rebuke the Corinthian Christians because he worked with his hands to support himself, put up with their insults and risked his life to be with them. Thus, it was truly from his heart that Paul said to the church at Corinth, ‘My love be with you all in Christ Jesus.’

Courson, Jon: A Day's Journey : 365 Daily Meditations from the Word. Santa Ana, CA : Calvary Chapel Publishing, 2003, S. July 6