God Knows I Love You!

“Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭11‬

When I’m visiting with congregations, who are in the process of seeking to call a pastor, I’m pretty sure almost all of them would be glad to call the Apostle Paul. Yet in 2 Corinthians, we see Paul having to defend his ministry. Why? Because many in Corinth didn’t like what he was preaching. They didn’t like him. They even went so far as to question his speaking abilities (read verse 6). But it didn’t stop there, they questioned his love for them. It was tough on the Apostle Paul. But he lovingly stood in there… for their sake and the sake of the Gospel.

Why am I drawing attention to this? Well, whether it’s in your church family, personal family, or with friends, when you need to have hard visits about right and wrong, it can get testy. Their ‘trump accusation card’ is often, “You don’t love me. You never have.” When that happens, hold on to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13:7, “(love)… bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Paul knew he loved the Corinthians, and he knew God knew he did! Don’t bail out. Hang in there. When it gets tough, keep loving them.