Day 53: 2nd Corinthians 10-13. Weakness and Grace
So we are drawing to the close of Paul's 2nd Letter to the Corinthians (though some people think it is actually portions of two different letters( and Paul is ratcheting up his rhetoric in the face of the competition: the super-apostles. Whether the problem is that those super-apostles are there, on the ground, or that the super-apostles just seem so, well, super: strong, without flaw, awe-inspiring charismatic, inspiring -- or perhaps, all of the above, I don't know. But Paul's reputation among the Corinthians suffers b y comparison. He doesn't speak as well as they do He doesn't cut as fine a swath as they do. He does not have the mega-churches or large crowds that they do. So, what does Paul really have to brag about? Plenty, as it turns out. He can bring about the hardships and persecution that he has endured (and he does). He can bring about how much he loves them (and he does). ...