Comfort & Joy

What are the things that bring you the most joy? Take a moment to reflect on that. Its interesting what we come up with. I think most of us would have pretty varied answers. Sometimes its people, sometimes its possessions, sometimes its situations. As you read 2 Corinthians 7:13-16, focus on what brings the Apostle Paul joy.

Read 2 Corinthians 7:13-16 (Read 2 Cor 2:1-11 for context)

I find it interesting that from reading 2 Cor 7:13-16, Paul’s joy is tied in with the people he is writing to and about. The foundation of Paul’s joy is laid in his relationships. First, Paul is filled with joy because of Titus. Titus was one of the men that Paul had invested in and saw as a son. They had also ministered together, and Titus has played an important role in representing Paul to the Corinthians in the midst of Paul having to write a difficult letter of rebuke to them. But here, Paul isn’t joyful because Titus has done something for him. Instead, Paul is joyful because Titus himself has been filled with joy. Paul’s concern and compassion for Titus, someone he considered as his “true child in a common faith” (Titus 1:4), is displayed in the fact that Paul is joyful because Titus is refreshed and received well by the Corinthians. Paul’s joy abounds because Titus is able to accomplish the work God has given him to the Corinthians.

But Paul’s joy isn’t only limited to Titus. Paul is filled with joy because of the Corinthians themselves. This is interesting because if you’ve been reading through 1 & 2 Corinthians, the church in Corinth has been the cause of grief and frustration for Paul on many occasions. 1 Corinthians is filled with Paul’s rebuke and correction for the church over various issues of sin that had crept into the congregation. 2 Corinthians gets more personal as Paul is in pain when he sees how the church is behaving. In 2 Corinthians 2:4 he says, “For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.” So what has changed from then until now as Paul is writing about how the church has brought him joy in 2 Cor 7:16? Paul rejoices because the church in Corinth has responded in obedience. One of the reasons Titus was filled with joy was because he had observed that the Corinthians were living out their faith in real ways, according to how Paul had challenged them to live in previous letters. Paul’s joy comes because he sees lives being redeemed and people living in obedience.

So what does this mean for us? Two questions to think about. Again, what brings us joy? Is it the possessions we have? Is it centered on how we feel or on what happens to us? Paul’s joy comes because he sees others joyful and he sees lives lived in obedience around him. Our desire ought to be to find joy in seeing God at work.

The other question for us is this: how can we bring others joy? If as believers our joy comes from seeing others joyful and being obedient to God’s word, how are we bringing joy to others? Are we being obedient? Let’s rejoice because we see God at work in us and in the people around us.