Devotion - Tuesday of Holy Week

In II Corinthians 1:22 Paul repeats what he says in other verses.  He hands on to others what he has first received.  Paul does not merely repeat a story, Paul shares the experience which has transformed his life.

In Germany, far too often, I heard references to a lack of knowledge or failure to remember.  It would have been helpful for me to have read this part of II Corinthians and shared it there.  We are not to serve as parrots, repeating what we have heard; we are called children of God, who share what has happened in our lives.

A historian of Church history might help us understand when the emphasis changed.  Contemporary sociologists of religion are encouraging us to make the shift back.  We are to teach so much as we are to share.

How has Jesus been active in your life?  How have you experienced the goodness and the grace of God?  In what ways is your life fuller, more meaningful, happier as a result of your commitment to the way of Christ?    These are the things of which we are to speak.

And do not worry that you lack the words to explain or justify the convictions of your heart.