ESOCS Devotional 30 September 2025 – How to Build Your Defense
MEMORY VERSE: “Indeed, this is our boast, the testimony of our conscience: we have behaved in the world with frankness and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God—and all the more toward you.” 1 Corinthians 1:12 NRSV
TEXT: 2 CORINTHIANS 1:1-16
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 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, 11 you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.
12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. 13 For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end 14 (as also you have understood us in part), that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.
15 And in this confidence I intended to come to you before, that you might have a second benefit— 16 to pass by way of you to Macedonia, to come again from Macedonia to you, and be helped by you on my way to Judea.
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We all face situations where we don’t get the credit for something we think we deserve. Whether it is a school project, a job presentation or what we think is a really great dinner, someone isn’t going to appreciate our efforts as much as we want them to.
Many times we feel underappreciated and overlooked because we have worked at something alone. There is no one to encourage the progress along the way, and there is no one to help defend our efforts when the product is finished. It is easy to become deflated and discouraged.
In 2 Corinthians 1:12-14, Paul had turned his life around, and he was sold out to Jesus. Yet, he found himself defending his credibility. “Now this is our boast,” Paul says in verse 12. “Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.”
There was a lot more at stake with Paul’s credibility than a high-school grade. Damage would have been done to the spread of the Gospel if Paul was proven untrustworthy. Paul understood the risk, so he appealed to the Corinthians.
The importance of how we conduct ourselves should not be lost on us. Our lives are not lived alone. People are measuring our credibility. We must understand that our lives either point people to the cross or point people away from it. Each day, we have the opportunity to build our defense by being sincere and having integrity like Paul. Then, when the time comes, we should have no issues finding people we can appeal to.
CHALLENGES
- Who is one person you can go to for affirmation and accountability?
- Take time to ask those close to you about the qualities they see in you on daily basis. Do these qualities point people to Jesus?
PRAYER POINT
- O Lord, I ask that my attitude and actions be a pointer to the cross for as many that cross my path in Jesus name Amen.
FURTHER READING: 2 Kings 1:1-18; 2 Kings 2:1-11; 2 Corinthians 1:1-12
ESOCS Devotional 30 September 2025
