together with
Happy Monday, {{first_name | everyone}}!
Recently, I’ve been thinking about how the grace of God triumphs over every other thing that could make us feel important - our titles, successes, and even the things we do in his name.
In today’s email…
🤔 What is a “super apostle”?
✉ An invitation to remember grace
🎵 A song to help you memorize and meditate…
MEMORIZE 🧠
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
Want to memorize in your favorite translation? Try our new iPhone app here.
CONTEXT 📕
2 Corinthians is one of 21 letters (Epistles) in the New Testament.
The name ‘Corinthians’ tells us about the recipient of the letter: the church in Corinth.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The early church faced some serious doctrinal and practical challenges, as you can read about in Acts 15.
In 2 Corinthians 10–12, Paul confronts the Corinthians’ attraction to self-promoting false teachers whom he ironically calls “super-apostles.”
These men impressed people by worldly standards, but Paul exposes them as false apostles who exploited the church and distorted the truth.
Being tricked by charismatic false teachers, the church started questioning Paul’s trustworthiness.
The church in Corinth asked Paul: “Where is your letter of recommendation?” (2 Corinthians 3:1-3)
Paul could boast about himself…He had a great resume by worldly standards that would surpass even the “super apostles”:
He was trained in all the right things.
He had true, pure Jewish heritage.
He witnessed amazing miracles and revelations.
God’s power was at work in and through him.
But Paul realized something important…
If he did that, he’d be just like them. Arrogant self-promotion is not the Jesus way.
So, instead of boasting about himself, Paul took a very different approach.
He boasted of his weakness. And that’s what we’re memorizing and meditating on this week.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃♂
I’ve heard it said that we never graduate past the Gospel. The chapter of this week’s verse hits you differently when you focus on the grace.
💻 Watch this summary video of 2 Corinthians from the Bible Project.
📖 Read 2 Corinthians 12.
Pay special attention to the sufficient grace of God comforting Paul in his unanswered prayer and interpersonal struggles with the church in Corinth.
🙏 Pray
Father, you are such a gracious God. You are rich in compassionate grace that never runs out and never runs dry. Help me to remember that it’s all about you and for your glory - not my own. Amen.
SONG OF THE WEEK 🎵
Pay-it-forward subscribers, enjoy the song we created below to help you memorize the verse of the week!
SCRIPTURE MEMORY SONG OF THE WEEK 🎵
Pay-it-forward subscribers, enjoy the song we created below to help you memorize the verse of the week!
It looks like you don’t currently pay-it-forward. If you’d like to, you can do that here.
FREE SONG OF THE WEEK 🎵
“Your Grace Is Enough” by Chris Tomlin. A modern worship standard built on the same promise Paul heard from Jesus: the grace of God is enough.
ANSWER KEY ✅
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
See you in your inbox tomorrow!
Best,
The Malachi Daily team 🙏
Today’s Contributors
Eljoh is a South African writer, editor, and artist with a Master’s in Practical Theology. She creates resources to help believers of all ages abide in Christ and grow in faith. Explore more free resources and creative tools at Vine Creative Studio.
Kieran is a husband and father of 4 living in NJ. In addition to Malachi Daily, he writes a personal newsletter about the intersection of faith, fatherhood and entrepreneurship.
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