Some verses that caught my eye
Chapter 1
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
Chapter 2
7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
8 Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.
9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.
10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Chapter 3
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
Chapter 4
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Chapter 5
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
13 Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.
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Before I start.
Announcements from Relief Society or Priesthood
When I 1st listened to these chapters I had no idea what Paul was saying. The only word that meant anything to me was reconciliation.
Before I go into a few things I have planned I want to do the same again and identify the themes (or topics) that Paul was referring to in these chapters.
I found the following
Forgiveness
Restitution
Trials
I also found this quote from Jeffery R Holland
"Be kind regarding human frailty—your own as well as that of those who serve with you in a Church led by volunteer, mortal men and women. Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with”
Did this quote catch your eye? If so, why? What did you conclude from your ponderings?
To me it serves as a reminder that I work with imperfect people. So stop getting frustrated. But if you dig a little deeper and think it through you realise that this includes yourself.
Also, how does this fit in with this weeks reading? Understanding this may add further insight.
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[Read] 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 - I Receive Blessings and Bless others when I Forgive
What's happened here? The manual refers to the possibility of a man transgressing and the saints rejecting him...rather than rejecting his sin. Paul is having to remind the saints we need to be more forgiving. Kind of similar to what we were just talking about.
I want to discuss the questions from the manual.
Why do we sometimes fail to “confirm [our] love toward” someone who has offended us? (verse 8).
How does withholding forgiveness harm others and ourselves? (see verses 7, 10–11).
What does it mean to you that withholding forgiveness from others gives “Satan … an advantage of us”?
Personally, I have really struggled with this this week. I don't delight in saying this, but as a teacher of the principles & doctrine of the church and even Christ's gospel, I am not always the perfect example of what I teach. I would be confident that many of us, when we teach the gospel may feel hypocritical to one degree or another. We know what the doctrine is, we know what we should do, but we have our vices, our weaknesses, that prevent us from being perfect. This week I have struggled with forgiveness.
How many times a day do you hear the word sorry? Probably more than you realise. Someone might bump into you in the corridor or on public transport. We acknowledge it, but it is immediately forgotten because you have immediately forgiven them.
But every now and again someone does something that really hurts you. It may have been completely accidental, but you don't care, you have been wronged. You are entitled to be hurt.
This is a completely hypothetical situation. Imagine you have spent your life feeling like everything has been a struggle, and suddenly things start to look positive. Your finances now have a bit of breathing space, so you splash out and buy yourself something you dreamed of as a kid. This thing is special to you. Now imagine if someone comes along and breaks it. They break it a lot. Rendering it unfit for whatever its purpose is and for more than three weeks do nothing about it, leaving you with the responsibility of fixing it. How would you feel? Remember, this is completely hypothetical!
Let's discuss some possible answers or thoughts to the previously mentioned questions.
Q: Why do we sometimes fail to “confirm [our] love toward” someone who has offended us? (verse 8).
A: Because we have been hurt by them, and fear being hurt by them again.
A: Because we believe the law of Moses (or justice) will serve us better, more than the law of mercy. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. So we feel justly dealt with.
A: Because we think failing to forgive someone in some way gives us power over them, like we are holding them ransom.
Q: How does withholding forgiveness harm others and ourselves? (see verses 7, 10–11).
A: President Monson, Hidden Wedges, 2002.
A: In order to be forgiven, we must be willing to forgive. Matt 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Luke 6: 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
A: Forgiveness can be one of those things where the following is true. The longer you leave it, the harder it gets.
Q: What does it mean to you that withholding forgiveness from others gives “Satan … an advantage of us”?
A: I'm reminded of the word enmity as I ponder this. A state of active opposition. This is how wars start. He will use those feelings to make us do some pretty stupid things. How many stupid things have been said or done, when a person has been in an altered state of mind driven by feelings of enmity?
Q: Therefore what? What can we do to be more forgiving?
A: From the teachers manual. Elder Kevin R. Duncan taught: “One key to forgiving others is to try to see them as God sees them. At times, God may part the curtain and bless us with the gift to see into the heart, soul, and spirit of another person who has offended us. This insight may even lead to an overwhelming love for that person” The difficult might be not wanting to see them as God sees them.
A: 2 Cor 2:9
A: Other examples include Luke 15:11-32 (Prodigal Son) & John 8:1-11 (Woman caught in Adultery).
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[Read] 2 Corinthians 1:3–7; 4:6–10, 17–18; 7:4–7 - My Trials can be a Blessing
I have to admit the language in these verses is difficult.
Did any of these verses stand out to you or you feel like you got something from them?
I picked out 1:3-4; 4:16-18
In our family we recently experienced another trial. Like we haven't got enough already. Erica had something up with her eye. We took her to the walk in in Trafford, the GP and then to the Eye Hospital in Manchester. Her eye was so swollen she couldn't open it. It was so purple it was the same colour as her tongue.
After a few visits and after the swelling seemed to have gone, the Dr noticed she has a stigmatism and has prescribed her glasses. She's 2. If she doesn't wear the glasses she could end up with a lazy eye. How fortunate the Dr's discovered this at such a young age. Had Troy not got shingles, which lead to Erica's condition then none of us would have been any the wiser? A blessing in disguise? Possibly.
Anyone else have any examples of blessings that have come from trials?
Slight tangent
This lesson covers trials, It is generally understood that trials are learning experiences which make us more like our father in heaven.
It also covers repentance which purifies us, enabling us to be in the presence of our father in heaven.
Say we had loads of trials resulting in phenomenal growth, but used the atonement little or not at all. Would this be sufficient to save us?
Are the two liked?
As I understand it Christs atonement wasn't just about helping us overcome sin, but sorrows and other worldly pains.
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There was another great quote from the teachers manual which sat perfectly with last weeks priesthood lesson.
For most, repentance is more a journey than a one-time event. It is not easy. To change is difficult. It requires running into the wind, swimming upstream. Jesus said, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me’ [Matthew 16:24]. Repentance is turning away from some things, such as dishonesty, pride, anger, and impure thoughts, and turning toward other things, such as kindness, unselfishness, patience, and spirituality. It is ‘re-turning’ toward God
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