Revcort's Ramblings

Scripture Focus

“For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand—just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.” — 2 Corinthians 1:12–14 (ESV)

Devotional Thought

As we continue through the opening chapter of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, we find him speaking about the sincerity of his relationship with these believers. Just a few verses earlier, Paul had described the terrible affliction he and his companions experienced in Asia, an experience so overwhelming that they despaired of life itself. Yet God had delivered them, and Paul expressed his confidence that God would continue to deliver them. He then asked the Corinthians to help him through their prayers. Now, in verses 12–14, Paul appeals to the testimony of his conscience, reminding these believers that his conduct among them had been characterized by simplicity and godly sincerity rather than worldly wisdom or selfish ambition.

That connection to prayer raises an interesting question, and perhaps one that might sound a little rude at first. Have you ever encountered someone whose priorities and desires were so obviously centered on worldly things that you wondered what they would actually pray for if you asked them to pray for you? Now, I certainly appreciate someone praying for God’s blessings in my life, but I’m not convinced that what I need most from God is a bigger house, a new sports car, a bank account overflowing with money, or some other earthly luxury. There’s nothing inherently wrong with having material possessions, but if our prayers are primarily concerned with getting more of what this world offers, we may have misunderstood what it means to seek the heart of God.

Paul’s confidence in the Corinthians’ prayers reflects the relationship he shared with them, even though that relationship had experienced some difficulties. He knew these believers, and they knew him. He had ministered among them, and they had witnessed his conduct firsthand. Although some in Corinth had questioned his motives and challenged his authority, Paul could appeal to the testimony of his conscience and to what the Corinthians themselves had observed. He had not lived among them pretending to be something he wasn’t. His ministry had been characterized by sincerity, and whatever good had come from it was the result of God’s grace rather than his own cleverness or worldly ambition.

But what exactly does Paul mean when he speaks of living in simplicity? We might immediately think of living with fewer possessions or avoiding unnecessary complications, but that’s not the primary idea here. The simplicity Paul describes is closely connected to sincerity, integrity, and an undivided heart. It is the opposite of living with hidden motives, divided loyalties, or a carefully constructed outward appearance that conceals something entirely different within. Matthew Henry observed that Paul was a man of plain dealing. You knew where you stood with him. He wasn’t one person in public and another in private. His conduct was governed by the grace of God rather than by the calculations of worldly wisdom.

This brings to mind James’s warning about the double-minded person. In James 1:5–8, he encourages believers who lack wisdom to ask God, who gives generously. But he also warns that the person who asks while doubting is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. James describes such a person as double-minded and unstable in all his ways. The problem is deeper than simply having an occasional question or struggling to understand what God is doing. It is the problem of a divided allegiance, a heart that wants the wisdom and blessings of God while remaining unwilling to surrender its own desires and priorities to Him.

James returns to this problem in chapter 4, where he asks what causes quarrels and fights among believers. His answer is remarkably direct. Their sinful passions were at war within them. They desired things they could not obtain, and those desires produced conflict. Then James makes an especially revealing statement: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:3, ESV). In other words, even their prayers had become expressions of selfish ambition. They weren’t necessarily seeking what God wanted for their lives. They were asking God to provide what their worldly desires demanded.

Isn’t it possible that we sometimes do the same thing? We pray for God’s blessing, but what we really want is His approval of the plans we’ve already made. We ask Him for wisdom, but only if His answer agrees with what we’ve already decided. We ask Him to provide for our needs, but sometimes what we’re calling needs are simply desires that have grown so important to us that we’ve convinced ourselves we cannot live without them. We want God to answer our prayers, but we’re not always willing to let Him change the desires behind those prayers.

Thankfully, James doesn’t leave us without an answer. In James 4:7–10, he calls believers to submit themselves to God, resist the devil, draw near to God, cleanse their hands, purify their hearts, and humble themselves before the Lord. Notice especially his instruction to the double-minded to purify their hearts. The solution to divided devotion isn’t becoming more skillful at asking God for what we want. It is surrendering ourselves more completely to Him so that our desires increasingly reflect His will. This is the kind of simplicity and godly sincerity Paul describes—a life directed by God’s grace rather than by the competing ambitions of the world.

And that brings us back to Paul’s testimony. He could rejoice in the witness of his conscience because he knew that his conduct among the Corinthians had been sincere. That didn’t mean Paul was perfect or that he had never made a mistake. It meant that his life and ministry were not built upon deception, manipulation, or selfish ambition. He wanted these believers to recognize the grace of God at work in him, just as he looked forward to rejoicing over God’s work in them when Christ returned.

Perhaps the question we need to ask ourselves today isn’t simply whether we believe in God or whether we regularly pray. Perhaps we need to examine what our prayers, priorities, and daily decisions reveal about the condition of our hearts. Are we genuinely seeking God’s will, or are we hoping He will help us accomplish our own? Are we the same people when no one is watching as we appear to be when everyone is looking? Can we honestly say that our lives are being directed by the grace of God rather than by the wisdom and ambitions of this world?

God isn’t asking us to live complicated lives divided between competing loyalties. He calls us to live with sincerity, humility, and wholehearted devotion to Him. And perhaps the greatest change we could make in our prayer lives would be to stop asking God merely to give us what we want and begin asking Him to make us want what He desires.

Reflection Questions

1. What does it mean to live with simplicity and godly sincerity rather than worldly wisdom?
2. Do your prayers generally reflect a desire for God’s will or a desire for Him to accomplish your own plans?
3. Are there areas of your life where your devotion to God is divided by worldly ambitions or personal desires?
4. How does James 4:7–10 challenge us to deal with double-mindedness?
5. What would change in your daily life if your greatest desire were to please God rather than yourself?

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for the grace You have shown me through Jesus Christ. Forgive me for the times when my heart has been divided between my devotion to You and my desire for the things of this world. Too often, I have come to You asking for what I want without first considering what You desire for my life. Search my heart and reveal the selfish motives, worldly ambitions, and divided loyalties that keep me from following You wholeheartedly. Teach me to live with simplicity and godly sincerity, not relying upon my own wisdom but upon Your grace. Purify my heart, direct my desires, and help me become the same person in private that I seek to be in public. May my prayers, my decisions, and my daily conduct bring honor and glory to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.