“Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” II Cor. 13:11
It is wonderful that this last word is a word of peace. The Apostle sees beyond all the fragmentation in Corinth to the basic unity of the church. God created that unity, and it is present even though there is divisiveness, quarreling, jealousy, and division in the assembly.
Christians belong to each other. They are part of the family of God, and they ought to act that way. Beyond the rebellion there is grace and the power of God, which is able to heal these breaches and restore people even to the point where they are able to give a holy kiss to one another. That was the standard greeting of that day.
This passage tells us about God’s will for all people on earth, that is, in and through Jesus Christ, God wants all people on earth to secure “complete unity” among all believers, all through the faith in the Lord, through the grace of our Lord Jesus, through the power of the love of God, and through the fellowship with the Holy Spirit. When this happens all of us together can live up to the full potential; the vision to live up to God’s perfection becomes a reality.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I pray that You would examine me and show me any area in my life that is acting counter to Your desire for me. I pray that I may grow in grace and that my life may show forth the love and grace of the lovely Lord Jesus Christ shining in and through me, to Your praise and glory – from this day forward, in Jesus name, AMEN.