Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia. 2 Corinthians 1:1
Solomon would tell us that ‘A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver’ Proverbs 25:11. Our King James Bibles are filled with such apples of gold, precious expressions of great beauty and wonderful truths, inspired by the Holy Spirit and aided by brilliant translators such as William Tyndale. Words that linger in our minds and inspire our souls. Let’s look at three such apples of gold found in 2 Corinthians.
The first is ‘For we walk by faith not by sight’ – 2 Corinthians 5:7. Just as our conversion was by faith, so our daily salvation is also by faith, our ability to grasp the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Amid a world that staggers blindly through crises and disaster, the Christian can confidently navigate through life in the secure knowledge that all is under our Lord’s control, and He is ever with us with all that is for our greatest blessing.
Another golden apple is the reminder that God loveth a cheerful giver – 2 Corinthians 9:7. Here we have our responsibility to support the Lord’s work and His people with our substance. Note that the Greek word that is rendered ‘cheerful’ is the same word from which we get ‘hilarious’. It should be our joy to give as the Lord has prospered us, knowing that all we have received is from the Lord and He has a perfect claim on it all. As the hymn writer tells us, ‘Not that I have mine own I’ll call, I’ll hold it for the Giver’.
Yet another golden apple is the wonderful promise, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee’ – 2 Corinthians 12:9. You and I cannot and will not ever have a need that is beyond the resources of the Almighty. We know that the word ‘grace’ means unmerited favour. Just as God’s grace was enough to secure our eternal destination with Him, so that same grace is enough to provide us with all we need until we reach that destination. His loving kindness grants us far more than we ever deserved.
Second Corinthians has more of these same apples of gold. Keep looking!
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/_ae1FjLQ92M