February 19, 2025

2 Corinthians 12:11-21  (HCSB)
Signs of an Apostle
11 I have become a fool; you forced it on me. I should have been endorsed by you, since I am not in any way inferior to the “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing. 12 The signs of an apostle were performed with great endurance among you—not only signs but also wonders and miracles. 13 So in what way were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I personally did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong! Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians 14 Now I am ready to come to you this third time. I will not burden you, for I am not seeking what is yours, but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for you. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 Now granted, I have not burdened you; yet sly as I am, I took you in by deceit! 17 Did I take advantage of you by anyone I sent you? 18 I urged Titus to come, and I sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Didn’t we walk in the same spirit and in the same footsteps? 19 You have thought all along that we were defending ourselves to you. No, in the sight of God we are speaking in Christ, and everything, dear friends, is for building you up. 20 For I fear that perhaps when I come I will not find you to be what I want, and I may not be found by you to be what you want; there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come my God will again humiliate me in your presence, and I will grieve for many who sinned before and have not repented of the moral impurity, sexual immorality, and promiscuity they practiced.


Patrick Nix
Paul’s love for the Corinthians was relentless, even when they doubted his motives and questioned his authority. He gave them his time, energy, and heart, knowing the risk of rejection. Why? Because love rooted in God’s nature isn’t transactional—it’s sacrificial. Read that again.  Loving others, especially when it’s not reciprocated, can feel like pouring into a cup with no bottom.  
It’s exhausting, discouraging, and even painful. Yet, love is risky by design. Jesus Himself exemplified this, loving us while we were still sinners. The power to love like that doesn’t come from within—it comes from God’s Spirit working through us. If you’ve been hurt by unreturned love, take heart. God sees your faithfulness, and His grace sustains you. Keep loving, not for approval, but because His love overflows in you. In doing so, you reflect the very heart of Christ, and your love plants seeds that only He can make grow. “Love never fails”.