“Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace.”
~ 2 Corinthians 1:12
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like having unexpected visitors showing up at your house to spend time with you – and/or with your dad and/or ma? Does your dad and/or ma like having unexpected visitors showing up their house? Your grandmaa and grandpaa do not mind having unexpected visitors showing up where they are living. When your grandpaa was the manager of the Liberty Loan office that was in Springfield, Massachusetts and when he was the manager of the Beneficial Finance office that was in Aberdeen, South Dakota, your grandpaa had to be always ready for a surprise or unexpected visit from his boss. The gal who was your grandpaa’s boss when your grandpaa was the manager of the Liberty Loan office that was in Springfield and the guy who was your grandpaa’s boss when he was the manager of the Beneficial Finance office that was in Aberdeen oversaw other loan or finance offices in districts or regions that included other cities and even other states. Both the gal and the guy lived in a different city than where your grandpaa lived. About ten days after your Aunt Lynn was born, your grandpaa’s Beneficial Finance boss made a surprise visit to Aberdeen to check on how your grandpaa was doing in the Beneficial Finance office that was in Aberdeen. Your grandmaa had just been readmitted into the hospital after she began to really hemorrhage. The night before your grandmaa began to really hemorrhage, the front four teeth of your grandpaa’s upper plate broke off as he bit down on a pickle. When your grandpaa’s Beneficial Finance boss showed up in Aberdeen on a surprise visit to check on how your grandpaa was doing, your grandpaa had been the manager of the Beneficial Finance office that was in Aberdeen for less than two months. Over the 23 months that your grandpaa was the manager of the Beneficial Finance office that was in Aberdeen, the net outstanding from making personal loans increased by about $400,000 to where the Beneficial Finance office in Aberdeen had over $1,000,000 outstanding in total loans, there was every month a net increase in the amount of money that was outstanding in loans and the net number of loans that were made and the one month, two month and long term delinquency rates went down below and stayed below the norms that Beneficial Finance had for their offices.
Your grandpaa likes to boast about the 23 months when he was the manager of the Beneficial Finance office that was in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Paul boasts in 2 Corinthians 1 about the relationship that he had with the guys and gals who were Christ-followers who were living in the city of Corinth. Verse 12 specifically has Paul boasting about his feelings regarding the guys and gals who were Christ-followers who were living in the city of Corinth “Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace.” It was in the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church – that is in Aberdeen, that your grandmaa and grandpaa experienced experiencing knowing God – as God the Father, in ways that they had never experienced knowing God – as God the Father, before. During the less than two years that your grandmaa and grandpaa lived in Aberdeen, your grandmaa and grandpaa came to a heart understanding of what it is really like to have the seal of ownership of God – as God the Father, imprinted forever on their lives, what it is really like to have God – as God the Father, manifest Himself – as God the Spirit, in their hearts Himself and what it is really like to have a secure heart knowledge of what God – as God the Father, has guaranteed will come about in the future because of what took place on a cross when God – as God the Son, gave up his life for the guys, gals and kids who God – God as the Father, before He created planet Earth adopted to be His specially elected guys, gals and kids.
Paul had surprised the city of Corinth Christ-follower guys and gals with a visit that they apparently had not been expecting – at that time anyway, which resulted in him sensing the need to write them a letter explaining in more detail his thoughts about why he had the right to make the visit. The visit had produced consternation among some of the city of Corinth Christ-follower community acting leaders who apparently communicated that they saw Paul as being conflicted and unsure about his plans and decisions which . . . these guys wanted to undermine Paul’s credibility as they wanted to be the vocal leaders in the city of Corinth Christ-follower community of guys and gals. Paul begins his second Corinth Letter by relating how God – as God the Father, is compassionate and that He will comfort any guy or gal who is in trouble. Paul wanted to assure the city of Corinth Christ-follower guys and gals that just as God had comforted them, that they now are able to comfort others. Paul had apparently found himself between visits to the city of Corinth in a life threatening situation where he thought that he was going to die which seems to have left him sensing even more God’s mercy and grace on his life – which he seems to really want to also see in the lives of the Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in the city of Corinth. Paul communicates that he wants the Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in the city of Corinth to boast about his uprightness just as he was boasting about their praying for him and for their commitment to be faithful followers and true servants of God. Do you boast to your friends about what God has done and is doing in your lives to bless you? Your grandpaa has boasted at times that he grew up in a home where the Bible was read each day after the noon and evening meals.
2 Corinthians 1 (865)