Devotional Thought : 2 Corinthians 13:11

Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11

These are some of Paul's final instructions to the Corinthians. He sums up with these four things: Aim, Listen, Be, Live.

Aim for perfection: In other versions perfection is translated strengthened, mature, or made what you ought to be. So we are aiming to grow and be all that God intends us to be.

Listen to my appeal: It is not enough to simply aim for maturity. Paul gives good advice through these two letters to the Corinthians but it needs to be more than just words on a page. It is as we take the Word of God and apply it to our lives that we will become spiritually mature.

Be of one mind: Also translated as, be agreeable. There was a sign hung in my home as I was growing up which said, “Why be disagreeable when we just a little effort you can be a real stinker!” Instead, why not make the effort to be agreeable? We don’t always need to have our own way. We can compromise and know that in God this is not weakness or loss but maturity.

Live in peace: This is a choice we need to make, to live in peace and not be agitated by circumstances. Our circumstances may not be peaceful but we can choose to have peace in them by holding onto God’s peace.

Paul concludes his letter by urging us to on to maturity. It has been said the real test of maturity is how well we get on with others. So let’s prove our maturity by aiming for perfection, listening to God’s Word, being agreeable, and living in peace.