2 Corinthians 11:1-6

¹I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. ²I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. ³But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. ⁵But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles." ⁶I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.

Questions to consider:

• What does it mean for Paul to be "jealous" for the Corinthian church? What does "godly jealousy" look like?
• What fear does Paul have for this community?
• What does Paul mean when he says that the church "puts up with" the different encounters they have?
• Who are the "super apostles"?
• Do you feel that you lack training?

Possibilities for prayer:

We may, like Paul notes, often feel like we aren't trained in sharing Jesus with others. But if we are in relationship with God, then we needn't let our lack of "training" be a hindrance to our openness about who Jesus is in our lives. Today, let's ask for confidence that comes from God to share the reality of who and what He is in our lives with the people around us. Let's pray against feelings of inferiority, and seek God's inspiration and encouragement to be bold about Him.