Got Room?

Do you have an open door policy?

"Make room for us in your hearts." II Corinthians 7:2

Like a house with many rooms you have many of them in your heart.

Paul implored the believers in Corinth to make space for him in their lives.

He was making that request because He had previously written a strong letter exposing a situation they needed to address. It wasn't received well.

They took it as criticism and were offended. This opened the door for others to come in and discredit Paul.

Over time, however, the matter he wrote rose to the forefront and they saw how Paul had tried to spare them.

In the meantime, offense separated them. Paul was addressing this gap and asking them to open the door again.

Paul didn't regret the critique he had given. He did, in the sense that initially, they were hurt by it. His intent, however, was not to bring pain but to warn.

When God gives a warning it's not always for a reason or reasons you can perceive at the time.

God sees from such a higher, larger perspective than we comprehend.

This is where trust comes in or out!

Sometimes words of warning need to be given. Sometimes those words are misunderstood. Sometimes they're discounted as "who do you think you are to say 'that' to me?" But, sometimes they are heeded. Trouble, tragedy or mishap are avoided.

The Lord has required me to give words of warning at times. I've done so in fear and trembling committing the situation to the Lord to work it out for His glory. When strong words need to be said, it's not easy to hear. It's also not comfortable to share them. 😇

Therein lies the test. Will we pass or fail? Time will tell.

Paul shared that their sorrow ended up working to their good. It caused them to repent which led to salvation (deliverance from the issue) which left no regrets. "At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter."(7:11) Godly sorrow leads to life.

Worldly sorrow (hurt due to offenses) has a different outcome. It leads to death. Opinions and justifications abound as to who, what, why and where. It just gets more and more tangled as time goes by. You can see the serpents tail at the end of that thread.

Prior to Paul's comment to make room for them in their hearts he stated something very profound, "...dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."

Dear friend, today...purify yourself from unforgiveness, holding grudges, bitterness, offenses, hurts, etc.

It's the little foxes that spoil the vine from being healthy and fruitful. They contaminate your body and spirit.They hinder your maturity and demonstrate lack of fear for the Lord and His ways, which is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 1:7)

God always has room in His heart for you, aren't you glad? Let's be like our Heavenly Father...

Always have room in your heart for Him and for one another.

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