2 Corinthians 10 Devotional

Approved by the Lord Alone

“For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”2 Corinthians 10:18 (BSB)

Some in Corinth said Paul's letters were weighty but that in person he was unimpressive and his speaking was worthless (10:10). Paul appeals to them by the gentleness and mildness of Christ (10:1). His weapons are not those of the flesh but carry God's power to tear down strongholds, demolishing every argument raised against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought into obedience to Christ (10:3-5). His authority, he says, was given by the Lord to build them up, not to tear them down (10:8).

Then he names the habit behind the criticism. His opponents use themselves as their own measuring stick and compare themselves with each other, which Paul calls ignorance (10:12). He will only boast within the field God assigned him, and finally only in the Lord, because the approval that counts comes from the Lord's commendation, not from self-promotion (10:17-18). That frees God's servants from exhausting comparison. You do not need to win the contest of appearances when the Lord's verdict is the one that matters.

To think about: Whose approval have you been measuring yourself against lately, and how would it free you to rest in the Lord's verdict instead?