Notes on 2 Corinthians 8-13 "God Loveth a Cheerful Giver", CFM for Sept. 16 - 22

Generosity, 2 Corinthians 8:1-24

• I love these two chapters on giving.  One podcast pointed out how radically different this might have been for a society built on a class system with no real concept of an obligation to provide for the poor among them, much less poor of another ethnicity and that they had never met.  We take for granted today that the care of others ought to be a priority, but this is likely because of our Judeo-Christian cultural backgrounds.  In Paul's time and the Roman world, they were trying to create a brotherhood out of many different kinds of classes, ethnicities, and backgrounds.  These saints were new to this and so this careful explanation of the need to give, and especially connecting it to Christ's condescension would have been much needed. (My husband says that there are things in Greek philosophy about the obligation to care for others, so maybe it wasn't entirely new).
• Paul explains that the saints in Macedonia have already given in great abundance, even "begging us with great earnestness for the privilege of sharing this act of service to the saints." (v. 4, Wayment translation).  They did this after first giving themselves to the Lord and then to the missionaries gathering the collection (v. 5).  This almost sounds as if they recognized and made a covenant with the Lord, perhaps by living the law of consecration, and then gave what they had to Paul.  How do our covenants with the Lord remind us to give to those in need?  How does our love and commitment to God naturally lead us into a love and concern for our neighbor?
• Paul says he isn't commanding them to give but asking them to give to show the sincerity of their love (v. 8).  It wasn't a requirement, and he wasn't giving them a quota, just asking them to give from their hearts.  I love what Elder Uchtdorf says about this, "Unfortunately, there are those who overlook the temporal because they consider it less important. They treasure the spiritual while minimizing the temporal. While it is important to have our thoughts inclined toward heaven, we miss the essence of our religion if our hands are not also inclined toward our fellowman. . .our spiritual progress is inseparably bound together with the temporal service we give to others.
  
  The one complements the other. The one without the other is a counterfeit of God’s plan of happiness."
• He continues, "The lesson we learn generation after generation is that rich and poor are all under the same sacred obligation to help their neighbor. It will take all of us working together to successfully apply the principles of welfare and self-reliance.
  
  Too often we notice the needs around us, hoping that someone from far away will magically appear to meet those needs. Perhaps we wait for experts with specialized knowledge to solve specific problems. When we do this, we deprive our neighbor of the service we could render, and we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to serve. While there is nothing wrong with experts, let’s face it: there will never be enough of them to solve all the problems. Instead, the Lord has placed His priesthood and its organization at our doorsteps in every nation where the Church is established. And, right by its side, He has placed the Relief Society. As we priesthood holders know, no welfare effort is successful if it fails to make use of the remarkable gifts and talents of our sisters.
  
  The Lord’s way is not to sit at the side of the stream and wait for the water to pass before we cross. It is to come together, roll up our sleeves, go to work, and build a bridge or a boat to cross the waters of our challenges."
• From the student manual, "Paul explained in 2 Corinthians 8:12 that the willingness to give what one can is more important than being able to give in great abundance (see also Mosiah 4:24). In 2 Corinthians 8:14, Paul may have implied that the Corinthian Saints enjoyed great temporal abundance, which they should have been willing to donate in gratitude for the generous spiritual supply they received from Jerusalem (see Romans 15:27). When Paul spoke of “equality” among the Saints (2 Corinthians 8:14) he was not speaking of complete sameness. Latter-day revelation clarifies that in matters of temporal welfare, equality is determined in consideration of each person’s needs, wants, and circumstances" (see D&C 51:3; 82:17). (New Testament Student Manual)
• Lynne Wilson has an interesting point about this section, "It sounds as though Paul heard them criticizing the law of consecration, “why are we burdened so that someone else can have it easy?” The plan of the Lord’s Law of Consecration in its various levels of implementation is in part to learn to sacrifice, to help take care of the financial inequality that exists in the world, and to value things of God above things of the world."
• I love the Old Testament reference to Exodus 16:18, which refers to the abundance of the manna.  God provided the bread and the people gathered what they had need of for that day.  Some needed more and some needed less, but "He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack."  God provided for their needs with manna in the past.  Now the saints had the opportunity to provide that same sustenance for one another, giving to each according to his needs.  We are the Lord's hands and we get to be part of bringing miracles to others.
• Paul says he is sending Titus and another brother that is highly spoken of but not named by name.  They will take up the collection.  He tells them he has boasted about their generosity and not to let him down (8:24-9:3)!  Paul isn't above using a little bit of heavy-handed persuasion in his letters.  Don't you love his humanness?  

The Collection for the Poor, 2 Corinthians 9:1-15

• Paul explains that the law of the harvest applies to our giving in temporal things.  "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:" (vs. 6-8). I love how Wayment translates verse 8 to read "... so that you will have a sufficient amount of everything at all times. . ."  
• How has God given you a "sufficient amount" as you have tried to share what you have with others?  Because I no longer have a working thyroid (Hashimoto's disease), I have for many years felt the effects of on-going exhaustion.  Even when my babies are sleeping at night, I find I need at least a short nap just to make it through the day.  Sometimes it is worse than at other times and sometimes it is better.  Keeping the replacement hormones in balance can be challenging.  Sometimes I feel like I'm required to do a job that requires 150% with only 75% of the energy a typical woman my age has.  But as I look back on what I've been able to accomplish despite this challenge, I can see that God has constantly provided me a "sufficient amount" to do what is most needed.  
• Giving to others is like planting seeds that will grow into the bread we will eat later on. (v. 10).  We give not just to supply the want of others but to show our thanks to God (v. 12).
• Sometimes, it's easy to cheerfully give to the big causes and help our neigbhors in big crises.  But can we see that the need to give cheerfully applies just as much to our daily duties with our families?  Can we see our daily offering as a way of thanksgiving?  Can we clean the kitchen, mop the floors, fold the laundry, follow up on chores, help with homework, make the meals, arbitrate the exasperating arguments and drive the carpool without resentment?  Can we see these as opportunities to show the Lord that we want to sow good in the world?  

Paul's Defense, 2 Corinthians 10:1-18

• The tone of the letter so far has been mostly one of reconciliation, but starting in chapter 10, it becomes one of rebuke and defense.  Some scholars think 2 Corinthians may be a combination of two letters because of the different tone and subject matter.  It could also be that this latter part of the letter was written after Paul received new reports about the Corinthian saints and the way "false apostles" (11:13) were among them criticizing Paul, exalting themselves, and corrupting the purity of the gospel.
• As the student manual explains, "In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul defended himself against those who opposed him. Some of the criticisms leveled against Paul were personal in nature and were related to his physical appearance and his speaking ability (see 2 Corinthians 10:10). Such attacks on Paul’s physical shortcomings demonstrate the weakness of his detractors’ character. The scriptures contain many examples of the Lord using individuals with perceived physical weaknesses to accomplish His work. For example, both Enoch and Moses struggled with physical challenges (see Exodus 4:10; Moses 6:31). The Lord stated that “the weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones”" (D&C 1:19; see also 1 Corinthians 1:25–27). (New Testament Student Manual)
• Are we able to learn from others despite their weaknesses?  Would we reject Paul because he isn't as powerful a speaker as others?  Can we learn from the weak and the simple as well as the bold and polished?  I recently came across a devotional Henry B. Eyring gave when he was in the Presiding Bishopric.  In it, he tells this story, "When I was the president of Ricks College years ago, I remember having a man who was my priesthood leader come to my house each month to interview me about my home teaching. He brought with him a gray notebook in which he wrote notes. He recorded not only my report as a home teacher, but my observations about the gospel and life as well.
  
  I remember at first being very flattered. Then one Sunday he and I were visiting what was then called junior Sunday School. He was a few rows in front of me. The speaker was a little girl, no more than six or seven, probably not yet old enough to have the gift of the Holy Ghost. I glanced over at the man and noticed with surprise that he had that same gray notebook open. As the little girl spoke, he was writing with as much speed and intensity as he had in the study of my home. I learned a lesson from him that I haven’t forgotten. He had faith that God could speak to him as clearly through a child as through the president of a college.
  
  I watched that man in later months and years deal with great difficulties and with important assignments. I saw miracles—at least to me they seemed to be miracles—in his wisdom and in his ability to lead and to direct. Those miracles came, I believe in large part, because he could hear the voice of God confirmed by the Holy Spirit in words of the weak and the simple."
• Do we focus on the weakness of those who try to teach us?  Or do we focus on trying to hear the voice of the Lord?  
• Paul says that though "we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh," (v. 3) and that we are to be "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" (v. 5)  He knows that the false teachers have been spreading false ideas and that some of the Corinthians are entertaining them.  They need to put Christ first in their thoughts and put away these prideful arguments.
• Paul's critics say that he is only bold in letters and that "his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible." (v. 10).  In response, Paul says he will be just as bold in person as he is in letters and he criticizes those who "compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." (v. 12).  Instead of looking to compare ourselves with others, we need to be measuring ourselves against what God wants us to be (v. 13).
• Comparison is said to be the thief of joy.  It steals joy when you compare and think you are better than others because you allow pride to enter your life, but it also steals joy when you compare and feel as though you come up short.  I love this quote by Patricia Holland quoted in the student manual, "“My greatest misery comes when I feel I have to fit what others are doing, or what I think others expect of me. I am most happy when I am comfortable being me and trying to do what my Father in Heaven and I expect me to be.
  
  “For many years I tried to measure the ofttimes quiet, reflective, thoughtful Pat Holland against the robust, bubbly, talkative, and energetic Jeff Holland and others with like qualities. I have learned through several fatiguing failures that you can’t have joy in being bubbly if you are not a bubbly person. It is a contradiction in terms. I have given up seeing myself as a flawed person because my energy level is lower than Jeff’s, and I don’t talk as much as he does, nor as fast. Giving this up has freed me to embrace and rejoice in my own manner and personality in the measure of my creation”" (New Testament Student Manual).
• Comparing ourselves with others is a lot easier to do in today's connected world.  I like what Elder Gary Stevenson says, "Comparing our own seemingly average existence with others’ well-edited, perfectly crafted lives as represented on social media may leave us with feelings of discouragement, envy, and even failure.
  
  One person who has shared numerous posts of her own said, perhaps only partly in jest, “What’s the point of being happy if you’re not going to post it?”"  How can we make sure our social media use doesn't become an exercise in "comparing [ourselves] among [ourselves]?"
• Lest we miss the point, Paul says, "But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth." (vs. 17-18).  As Elder J. Devn Cornish puts it, "Please, my beloved brothers and sisters, we must stop comparing ourselves to others. We torture ourselves needlessly by competing and comparing. We falsely judge our self-worth by the things we do or don’t have and by the opinions of others. If we must compare, let us compare how we were in the past to how we are today—and even to how we want to be in the future. The only opinion of us that matters is what our Heavenly Father thinks of us. Please sincerely ask Him what He thinks of you. He will love and correct but never discourage us; that is Satan’s trick."

The False Apostles, 2 Corinthians 11:1-15

• Paul wishes the saints in Corinth would "bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me." (v. 1)  He never claims to be perfect but he does claim apostolic authority and to be engaged in the work of Christ.  Can we also bear with our leaders and fellow saints more than we do?  Can we be more patient with their human weaknesses?
• Paul uses the image of a bride to speak of the saints.  Lynne Wilson explains, "A betrothal was the first step of a Jewish marriage. It was far more binding than a modern engagement, and occurred far younger.9 The young couple were married in a legal sense, but were not to share bed and board until after the final ceremony a year or so later. At the time of the New Testament, marriages were arranged by the father or guardian. Paul portrays himself as the matchmaker. In the New Testament, the bride represents the church and the groom, the Lord (Ephesians 5:27; Revelation 19:7; 22:17; etc.)."
• Paul is deeply troubled that the saints, who should be pure and ready to meet the Lord the way a virgin is betrothed to her husband (v. 2), are following after corrupt ideas.  He says, "But I fear . . . your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (v. 3).  The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple and profound.  Perhaps the complexity and variety of Greek thought and philosophy were infiltrating the Church.  Elder Neal A Maxwell spoke about some of the confusion of the time, "Furthermore, some questioned worshipping a God who suffers. One modern scholar observed that “the human sufferings of Jesus … were felt as an embarrassment in the face of pagan criticism” (Dodds, p. 119). Thus many Greeks considered Christ and what He stood for as “foolishness” (1 Cor. 1:23).
  
  Many fell away from the gospel and its “plain and precious” truths (1 Ne. 13:40). It was too simple. They preferred “looking beyond the mark” and searching for things “they could not understand” (Jacob 4:14).
  
  The Apostle John denounced anti-Christs who taught that Jesus hadn’t really come “in the flesh” (1 Jn. 4:3), implying that Jesus’ bodily appearance was an illusion designed to accommodate mortal incapacities (see John 1:1–3, 14).
  
  Another hellenistic form of “looking beyond the mark” was interpreting clear, historical events as allegorical. These early denials of Jesus’ historicity are replicated in our day.Reason, the Greek philosophical tradition, dominated, then supplanted, reliance on revelation, an outcome probably hastened by well-intentioned Christians wishing to bring their beliefs into the mainstream of contemporary culture."
• Because we only have one side of the coorespondance, we have to infer what is going on from what Paul says.
• In verse 5, Paul says he is not one whit behind the "chiefest apostles."  Some think he is referring to the other Apostles here, like Peter, James, etc., but the word "chiefest" in other translations is translated "superlative" or "super" and is thought by most of those I read to be a sarcastic reference to the false teachers and "false apostles" he decries in verse 13.  Remember that the term Apostle was likely used to refer to both the members of the Quorum of the Twelve and also generically to missionaries because the word meant "one who is sent."  These false apostles could be claiming authority they didn't have and it seems they were saying that Paul was too course and humble because he worked for a living (remember he made tents in Corinth -- see Acts 18:3) when he should have been supported by the people.  Maybe they were embarrassed at his lowliness in comparison to these leaders' supposed nobility.  Remember in 1 Corinthians chapter nine, Paul wrote about how he has the right to be supported by the people but he hasn't taken advantage of it.  There also seems to be some criticism that he allowed some of the other churches to support him but not the Corinthians, thus slighting them in some way (see also 2 Corinthians 12:13).  Paul says "I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself."  (v. 9).
• Of verse 6, Lynne Wilson explains, " By knowing the prominence of his hometown, Tarsus, as an intellectual center (Acts 21:39), by reading his letters (especially the chiastic poetry of Philemon), by understanding his education (under Gamaliel, Acts 22:3), and by hearing of his speaking circuit (Mars Hill, Acts 17:19–22), I do not think Paul was an uneducated mediocre speaker. The Greek word does not mean “rude,” but translates as “an amateur” (AB, GNT), “unpolished” (BLB), or “unskilled” (NCB, NET)—in contrast to elegant orators of philosophy from the day. The Socratic and Sophist traditions raised up the greatest speakers in the history of the world. Paul never pretended to be on par with them in his second or third tongue. Yet, from the evidence in the New Testament, we see that he was a powerful public speaker. Although, Paul admits that in “knowledge,” he was skilled and taught them truth."
• These false apostles are false ministers of righteousness the same way Satan can be transfomed into an angel of light. (vs. 14-15).

I am a Fool, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33

• Paul begs the Corinthians to indulge him in a bit of foolishness (v 16) as he matches every one of the claims of these imposters with his own credentials.  He seems to cringe a bit at the boasting but feels it is necessary to defend himself.  If they claim to be Hebrews, he is too.  He's also an Israelite of the seed of Abraham. But the main signs he wants to show to prove his credentials are how much he has suffered in the name of Christ (v. 23-27).  Not only has he been beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and in perils of various kinds, he also has borne the burden of leadership and care for the Church.  "Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities." (vs. 29-30)
• These aren't impressive credentials to most people of the time.  He's not boasting of his wealth, his great education, or his eloquence.  He's boasting of his humiliation and suffering.  Some might even be embarrassed that their leader has been imprisoned and condemned.  It seems like Paul is doing this deliberately to try to help the saints see that it isn't the one who has the most accomplishments who is the greatest, but the one who is willing to endure the most hardship for the sake of Christ.  To top it all off, he tells them about that embarrassing time he had to be put in a basket and let down the side of a wall to escape capture (v. 33).  
• Paul's boasting reminds me of Alma 26:11-12 where Ammon is accused of boasting when he speaks joyfully of the rich success they experienced on their missions to a hostile people, "I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." 

The Third Heaven and a Thorn in the Flesh, 2 Corinthians 12:1-6

• It's likely the false apostles were boasting of great spiritual visions or experiences, because Paul feels it important to show that he has experienced this as well.  "Employing a common rhetorical device of his day, Paul was referring to himself in the third person when he spoke of “a man” who was once “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2–4) . . . Just as Paul heard “unspeakable words” that were “not lawful for a man to utter” when he was caught up to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2, 4), we too may have spiritual experiences that we should share only when directed to do so by the Spirit. President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

“I have come to believe … that it is not wise to continually talk of unusual spiritual experiences. They are to be guarded with care and shared only when the Spirit itself prompts you to use them to the blessing of others. I am ever mindful of Alma’s words:“‘It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.’ (Alma 12:9.)"(New Testament Student Manual)"

• The idea of a third heaven isn't discussed many other places in the New Testament -- except for that passage about the glory of the sun, moon, and stars in 1 Corinthians -- but it was a commonly understood concept from the time.  Richard L. Anderson has some interesting insights into this vision, "And here, surprisingly, the account suddenly shifts to understatement. After a dozen or more examples of dramatic persecution, we might expect a half a dozen episodes of dramatic revelation just to drive his point home. Instead, Paul’s awe, humility, and gratitude for having received those revelations turn him from aggressiveness to reverence—even reticence. The fact that he describes the vision as happening to “a man in Christ” is such an evidence of that humility, though he is obviously speaking of himself. The passage makes no sense if it isn’t his own revelation, since he’s reminding the Corinthians of his credentials contrasted to those of the “false apostles.” Immediately after suggesting his glorious vision, Paul returns to the first person of admitting his need to glory in revelations but acknowledging, “I shall not be a fool.” Yet he has made his point with a single example of what he calls his own “abundance of . . . revelations” (2 Cor. 12:2, 5–7).
  
  He describes that vision as being “caught up to the third heaven” (see 2 Cor. 12:2). The phrase, “third heaven,” will immediately ring bells with those who study Christian and Jewish apocryphal literature. R. H. Charles’s compilation of apocalypses in his Pseudepigrapha volume is studded with references to twelve heavens, seven heavens, and occasionally three heavens. [4] They’re always numbered from the bottom up, so the third heaven, if you follow that cultural pattern, ought to be the highest heaven. Thus Paul clearly believed that there were three heavens.
  
  Even more important than Paul’s description is what he hints at but doesn’t say. He says that he saw and heard things that were unlawful to be uttered: “unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (2 Cor. 12:4). I immediately ask myself, “But what about his other visions? He not only alludes to his vision of Christ on the road to Damascus in Galatians, 1 Corinthians, and other letters, but Acts describes and details it three times.” This “third heaven” vision of “unspeakable” things, then, was so overwhelming that it superseded even seeing Christ! Such sacredness again shows that this “third heaven” is for Paul the highest heaven. “Whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell,” he adds, letting us know it was far more than an intellectual process or meditative enlightenment (2 Cor. 12:3)."
• It's interesting that right after sharing what sounds like the pinaccle of his spiritual experiences, Paul tells the Corinthians about his "thorn in the flesh" that God gave him to keep him humble.  No wonder Paul "groan[ed], earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven" (2 Corinthians 5:2).  The contrast between his weak body and on-going disability to the peace, joy, and glory of the third heaven must have been huge.
• "The Greek word translated as thorn in 2 Corinthians 12:7 originally referred to anything pointed, such as a sharpened stake, a surgical instrument, or a fishhook. By Paul’s day it came to denote a thorn or splinter that causes significant irritation. The term “a thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7) is a metaphor suggesting an infirmity that was troublesome to Paul. Many commentators have speculated on what Paul’s infirmity might have been, proposing that perhaps it was epilepsy, a serious visual impairment (see Galatians 4:13–15), or malaria. It appears that one of the positive results of this affliction was that it helped Paul avoid becoming proud (see 2 Corinthians 12:7). Weakness can lead to humble reliance upon the Lord (see Jacob 4:7; Ether 12:27, 37).  Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles commented on what we might learn from these teachings of Paul: “Recognize that some challenges in life will not be resolved here on earth. Paul pled thrice that ‘a thorn in the flesh’ be removed. The Lord simply answered, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness’ [2 Corinthians 12:7–9]. He gave Paul strength to compensate so he could live a most meaningful life. He wants you to learn how to be cured when that is His will and how to obtain strength to live with your challenge when He intends it to be an instrument for growth. In either case the Redeemer will support you” (“To Be Healed,” Ensign, May 1994, 7)." (New Testament Student Manual)
• It has been fun to see the different speculations about what Paul's particular "thorn in the flesh" could be.  I like the speculation that it could be an eye or vision problem, given Paul's difficulty in figuring out who the high priest was in the Jerusalem trial (Acts 23:2-5) and that he tells the Galatian saints, "Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first. And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me."  If Paul had a vision problem, this imagery would be especially relevant.  
• I think it's human nature to want immediate relief from burdens and troubles.  And yet, God allows us ongoing problems for His purposes.  I know I have prayed to have some of my challenges taken away and have been told, essentially, "You need this.  Trust me."  
• We need to have the faith to be healed and the faith not to be healed.  In reference to a couple who got a bone cancer diagnosis three weeks after their wedding, Elder Bednar says, "Two days following the operation, I visited John and Heather in the hospital. We talked about the first time I met John in the mission field, about their marriage, about the cancer, and about the eternally important lessons we learn through the trials of mortality. As we concluded our time together, John asked if I would give him a priesthood blessing. I responded that I gladly would give such a blessing, but I first needed to ask some questions.
  
  I then posed questions I had not planned to ask and had never previously considered: “[John,] do you have the faith not to be healed? If it is the will of our Heavenly Father that you are transferred by death in your youth to the spirit world to continue your ministry, do you have the faith to submit to His will and not be healed?”
  
  I frankly was surprised by the questions I felt prompted to ask this particular couple. Frequently in the scriptures, the Savior or His servants exercised the spiritual gift of healing (see 1 Corinthians 12:9;D&C 35:9; 46:20) and perceived that an individual had the faith to be healed (see Acts 14:9; 3 Nephi 17:8; D&C 46:19). But as John and Heather and I counseled together and wrestled with these questions, we increasingly understood that if God’s will were for this good young man to be healed, then that blessing could only be received if this valiant couple first had the faith not to be healed. In other words, John and Heather needed to overcome, through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, the “natural man” (Mosiah 3:19) tendency in all of us to demand impatiently and insist incessantly on the blessings we want and believe we deserve.
  
  We recognized a principle that applies to every devoted disciple: strong faith in the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing in our lives—even if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted. Certainly, John and Heather would desire, yearn, and plead for healing with all of their might, mind, and strength. But more importantly, they would be “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [them], even as a child doth submit to his father” (Mosiah 3:19). Indeed, they would be willing to “offer [their] whole souls as an offering unto him” (Omni 1:26) and humbly pray, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Paul's Visit to Corinth, 2 Corinthians 12:14-21

• Paul says he is ready to come for the third time.  I love how he says, "I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children" (v. 14).  He loves the saints and wants not "[their] possessions but ... [their] welfare" (Wayment translation).  He wants to act as a father in providing for them (spiritually) not as a child needing to take from them.  Do we have unselfish motives in our service towards others?  
• Paul goes on to say, "And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved." (v. 15).  This verse speaks to my mother-soul.  Isn't being a parent an ongoing process of spending and being spent on behalf of those little humans?  And sometimes don't they seem like ungrateful brats who need the most love at the very times they are the most unloveable and unloving?  ;) If this sounds familiar, then you can understand how Paul felt.  
• How is your attitude towards those you are called to minister to, whether it be your children, your spouse, your parents, your neighbors, your friends or your co-workers?  Are you ready to very gladly spend and be spent?  Are you a cheerful giver of your time, energy, and talents?  Or do serve grudgingly and resentfully?  

Examine Yourselves and Final Encouragement, 2 Corinthians 13:1-14

• Paul's final note in this second half of the letter is to tell the Corinthians, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates."  (vs. 5-6)  I like the KJV with its "reprobate," but Wayment renders it as "unless indeed you fail the test.  I hope that you know that we have not failed the test."  The NIV also uses the "test" language.  

Note #1:  I didn't find any videos I wanted to share with my family this week.  If you see some that are especially relevant, let me know!

Note #2:  I'm indebted to Thomas Wayment for most of my section divisions and headings on this post and others.  If you haven't checked out his New Testament translation, it is well worth it!