“For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.  For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it” (2 Corinthians 3:9-10).

We know that the law condemns us.  Does that make the law bad?  No, by no means; for without the law we could not know how far we are from the Lord and His ways.  How much greater then is the gift of grace which restores us to walk in the Lord’s presence.  Let us walk then in the glory of the Lord and rejoice in His salvation, for greater is He who is in you than any spirit of this age.

Lord, teach me the surpassing greatness of your grace and mercy.  Help me to learn to obey, but greater still, teach me to love.  Guide me in the way of truth which You have established from the beginning: not me Lord, but You in me.  Guide me according to Your purpose that I would walk with You now and forever.  Lead me according to Your grace in the way You know I need to go.

Lord Jesus, without You none of life would be possible.  O Lord, how I have been hung up on the law and run from the greater glory of Your love and mercy.  Guide me in the way of grace that I would forever abide in You and You abide in me.  Guide me through Your Spirit that I would at all times and in all places be led by You, my rock and my Salvation.  Amen.

“But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?” (2 Corinthians 3:7-8)

We often settle for less when the Lord is offering more.  If life came through the law, why then the death of Christ?  Life comes through the One who gives life and in Him is all glory.  Do not settle for what is less when the Lord offers the fulness of life.  Live in and into Him through all things and do not live in fear.  He has come to lead us into light and life that we may abide with Him forever.

Lord, teach me these mysteries that I would not settle, as some do,  for a fearful life of constantly trying to live up to the standard of the law.  I fail.  But in You, I can live the life for which You have created me.  Lead me in this new life which does not settle, but continues in the upward path of life into life eternal.  Lead me to see through the traps and snares of this age to hear the upward call of Your grace and mercy.

Thank You Lord Jesus that You have made level the field.  You have carved out the only way to true life.  May I be a willing participant in the salvation You have prepared, walking with You each step of the way where You lead.  Guide me that I may not so much seek to understand everything but rather how to follow You as every promise of the Father becomes a reality of the eternal life You make possible.  Amen.

“Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.  Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:4-6).

“By what right do you do these things,” the world asks.  It is not that we are qualified in our own right, or that our abilities, no matter how good they are, are enough.  We have been called by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to walk boldly in the faith He gives.  Let us not be led by this world, but by the One who has overcome the world.

Lord, the faith, in this sense, is simple: trust You above all things.  You have come to save as many as believe and belief is based upon trusting You.  Lead me in the right direction that I would live by Your Spirit which brings light and life into my heart.  Guide me according to Your principles and help me to walk according to the will of the Father and for His glory in all things.

Lord Jesus, for this very thing have You come that all of us who look to You would walk into and toward the new life that You give by faith.  Strengthen my heart and lead me in Your goodness to see that in You alone is all hope.  May I so follow You that in the confidence You give, I may stand firmly and boldly upon Your grace and proclaim Your salvation in an unbelieving world.  Amen.

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you?  You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:1-3).

This world demands proofs, letters, and validation in order to trust veracity.  The Lord grants what He grants and those who have faith are to walk in that faith.  You need no One but the Lord to live in His truth, but Him you do need.  There are many fakers, but those who believe, walking in genuine faith, need not qualify what the Lord has given.  Walk in the sure knowledge that the Lord has written His law on your heart.

Lord, the world is constantly challenging my faith, seeking to destroy it.  Guide me in the confidence You alone give that I would be humble in demeanor, but bold in faith.  You are the One who has given what is needed, so help me trust in You above all things.  Guide me according to Your will that I would walk with my heart written upon by You.

Lord Jesus, You know what it is to be constantly questioned.  You know the mistrust of those who live with the spirit of this world in their heart.  Lead me, Lord, in the narrow way that I would walk with You, knowing that You have already done all that needs to be done.  Guide me in Your goodness to see through the nonsense of this world and live into the life of faith You have given me by Your grace.  Amen.

“To the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?  For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 2:16-17).

This world is dying all day long.  The people of this world are steeped in sin and promoting death.  We are called to be children of light who live in the light and offer the only acceptable alternative to the culture of death.  Come into the light and live by the light of Christ that you may have the Christ-life in you.  In Him alone is there hope for this death-bound world.

Lord, help me to see where this world tugs at me to join in its culture of death.  Guide me according to Your will to live into the life You offer in Christ.  In You alone is all hope and the eternal future You promise through grace and mercy.  Lead me ever deeper into the light that I may reflect You as an ambassador of light and peace in a dark and hostile world.

Lord Jesus, You are the Light of the world which shines in the darkness.  Many do not see Your light; but help all those who have seen the light to shine brightly and begin with me.  In Your purpose and will, lift me out of the darkness this world tries to cover me with, that I may be a light shining on a hill; a beacon for those who will see the light.  Guide me to do all that is needed that I may be in the Father’s will.  Amen.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.  For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15)

Who is the leaven for good in this world?  The Lord has those who are faithful to Him who share the grace and mercy He first gives us.  Be an agent for good in the world by seeking to do the Lord’s will at all times and in all places.  He will work in you and through you by His amazing grace and fulfill His will amongst the people around you.  In Christ, we are able to do more than we might imagine.

Lord, help me to not focus on what I am doing, or where it will lead, but upon what is pleasing to You.  You are Lord and all things will work together for good according to Your grace and mercy.  Teach me to be one who knows what is right and then send me into the world to do what is right.  In all things, help me trust in You and know that it is You working amongst Your faithful.

Lord Jesus, You have taught us to be people of prayer.  You have taught us how to reach out and be the hands and feet of the Good News You have brought into the world.  Help me to not focus upon what I think about things, but to be one who does what is right in the Father’s eyes.  Guide me to trust in Your leading, listen to Your Spirit and be a person of action in this world.  Amen.

“Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia” (2 Corinthians 2:12-13).

We each have a journey to travel.  No two people will take the same path and yet, we all take the same path in Christ.  Know that the author and finisher of our faith will guide us in the way we need to go and each will be part of accomplishing the Father’s will.  Marvel that the Lord ties all of these things together according to His purpose that all who love Him would be brought together.

Lord, help me to understand that You are the One who is leading Your faithful people in the way they should go.  Guide me to humbly accept Your direction knowing that You are working at all times in and through Your faithful people.  May I not so much seek to understand all things as to be obedient in all that You give me to do.  May I have a heart that says, “Yes” to you always.

Lord Jesus, You have given Your Spirit to guide us from the inside out.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way of truth that I may abide in the Father’s will.  Wherever You bring me, help me see the work You do that I may rejoice in all of Your good gifts.  Through all things, may I be one who looks to You and lives faithfully in the promises You give by grace.  Amen.

“But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:10-11).

Do not be ignorant of the devil’s schemes. He would see you be filled with hatred and remorse. The Lord has come that you may learn love and liberty. The journey of salvation is one that brings us from where we were to where we will be. Only in the salvation of the Lord is one truly set free. Come then into the salvation prepared for you in the Lord and walk humbly with Him.

Lord, there is nothing new under the sun and nothing that You have not seen before. Lead me, O Lord, in the way of truth that I may learn how to humbly walk with You. Guide me Lord into this way of living that I would realize that all sin is ultimately against You. If I forgive, what is that but imitating You, but if You forgive, it is true grace. I am nothing but an echo, but You are the One in whom all things have their being.

Lord Jesus, You have taught and Your Word has been heard. Now bring those words into my heart that they may take root there and create in me a clean and new heart. Teach me to listen to all of Your counsel and walk humbly in all of Your ways. Guide my salvation as You alone can that I would not fall prey to the devil’s schemes. Lead me now and always in the narrow way, Lord. Amen.

“Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. For to this end also I wrote, so that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things” (2 Corinthians 2:8-9).

Lord, You have commanded that we love our neighbors as we love our selves. We need to be led to know what this means. I know that when I am most disappointed in myself, it is often there that I love myself enough to be corrected, reproved, and restored. We all need to learn to love in this way, which is not easy, in order to be those who encourage one another in this life of faith.

Lord, teach me to love as You love. Guide me that I would not go too far one way or the other. Help me to see where that line is that I may be a part of Your will and not one who needs to be corrected. In all things, let me be constantly reminded that You alone are the One who saves and that through You alone is there hope in this faith that You have given. May I always look to You.

Lord Jesus, You know what I need today. You know the challenges I will face and the difficulties that will present themselves. Lead me, O Lord, along the narrow way that I would walk humbly with You, listen to You, and obey all that You command. Guide me now and always that I would learn how to love as You love, treating others as I would want to be treated if I were in a similar circumstance. Amen.

“But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not to me, but in some degree – in order not to say too much – to all of you. Sufficient for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority, so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow” (2 Corinthians 2:5-7).

We are to be guarded in how we treat others. Yes, there is a time to hold one off and at a distance, but not too far. Remember that in Christ the purpose of every pronouncement of judgement is for the sake of restoring such a one to living in the faith. Sometimes we can carry it too far and “write” somebody off, but that judgement belongs to Christ alone and not to us.

Lord, teach me to not be as those who shun and damn others because they do not conform to my ideal. Lead me in grace to be temperate in all things that I may indeed participate when necessary in the discipline of others, but never to the point of withholding grace. Help me to treat others as You treat me. Guide me to know where those lines are and the place where I need to be gracious.

Lord Jesus, while yet I was a sinner, sinning away, You loved me enough to go to the cross for me. Yet, You did not come to do away with the law, but to fulfil it. In this tough place to reside between grace and the law, teach me how to live, loving others as You have loved me. Guide me to be like You more and more each day. You alone are able to lead me, so lead away my Savior! Amen.