Too often as Christians we take short cuts to maturity. In reality the only way to become complete is to let the Lord take \r\nyou through difficulty and make you seem to \"fail.\" In the process He builds life and a character in you that will lead you into His kingdom.

Many times we as Christians live our lives in the dark. We think we are reasonably good people trying our best. But our past, our associations, the flesh, and the culture around us, conspire to blind us to many things that are not like the Lord going on in our lives. Paul wants the Corinthians to wake up, not so he can punish but so that he can spur them on to real growth - with their eyes wide open.

This question haunts many of us, especially as Christians. We think that things should go well if we are blessed of the Lord. When bad things happen, even seemingly disconnected things like losing a job or getting into an accident, we wonder why? Paul wondered this too, but provides a wonderful answer that will change your outlook on life.

There are at least three ways that the enemy, working inside the church, moves Christians away from sincere faith and fidelity to the Lord Jesus. Learn what they are and how to spot and avoid them as Paul lays down the gauntlet against the false teachers in Corinth.

It is human nature to compare ourselves to one another. We do it all of the time very naturally and almost without noticing it. That\'s what was happening in Corinth and it was giving the Corinthians a false impression about who to trust.

What happens when you give of your time, talents, and money? Many ministries teach that you will receive a material blessing for material giving. I think they completely miss the mark. Paul, in this chapter, sets out a wonderful pattern of the true result of giving.

What motivates you to give? The Corinthians had an easy time setting unrealistic giving goals that set them up for failure, but a hard time giving in a way that released the gift to God and brought Him glory. In this chapter Paul gives us some valuable lessons in how to give freely and positively!

Taking criticism is one of the hardest things for us humans. When it comes to God\'s critique of our lives, and areas He needs to touch, we often react with our natural human defenses. But Paul in addressing the subject with the Corinthian church, gives us a wonderful pattern of how to receive criticism from God and how to respond in a way that is very affirming.

Often we enter into partnerships without thinking of the consequences for either us or those that we influence. Though we are not to withdraw from this world, we need to be careful when we entangle ourselves in the values of this age. Today we examine being in the world while not being of the world.

There are three questions each Christian should ask themselves when it comes to deciding just how far to go in serving the Lord. They are not easy questions, but your answers will reveal much about yourself. In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul gives us a clear choice and a wonderful path if we choose wisely!

Just how did Jesus pay for your sins? To understand this will give you a new appreciation for just how bad evil is, how good God is, and the value of what Jesus did for you on the cross and bears for you each and every day. It also makes our job description as a Christian easier to understand and fulfill.

One of the worst pieces of mail you can receive comes with three little letters in the return address: IRS. Getting audited is like going to the dentist without the novocaine. As troubling as it may seem, an even more important audit is coming for all of us. The good news is that you can affect what happens in that audit. Plus, the promise of a new style body free from the constraints and temptations of this life also comes with that audit!

Are you real? That might seem like an obvious question but consider the lengths you go to in order to present yourself as \'all together\' to your friends and brothers and sisters. Being impressive by appearance can actually impede both your growth in the Lord and hinder healing and growth in the lives of those around you. Learn the difference between being super cool or super real. It\'s a challenging but life-changing message.

We often measure our success by how closely we stick to a set of expectations - whether on the job, at home, or in our walk with the Lord. We do good, we feel good - we do bad, we feel bad. But measuring success is really much different in a relationship with Jesus. Paul talks about that as well as how to measure competency to minister.

How do respond when someone hurts you? Is it with veiled hatred and open contempt? The Apostle Paul had to deal with just such a situation and how he handled it can help us to deal with pain in a godly way.

Often times we think that it\'s the big things that break apart relationships. But in reality, it is many times little things misunderstood that turn into big splits, both of people and of churches. As we study 2Corinthians 1 today we\'ll learn the big misunderstanding between the apostle and the Corinthian church and how we can avoid misunderstanding each other.

Why do we go through hard times? Is it because God is not pleased with us? Is it that we just must suffer in order to really be deserving of God\'s grace? Though the reasons might be many (and those two are not among them), Paul gives us one of the most important reasons why suffering comes into our lives has he prepares the Corinthians to receive some hard advice from their spiritual father.

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We learn the secret of Paul the Apostle - that though he saw things no other man has ever seen, the most important secret of all is letting us fall by the wayside and let God live through us.

How gullible are you? How quick are you to believe what you hear - and what do you base your decisions on? The Corinthians were too quick to believe, and we can learn lessons ourselves on how to know truth from error.