Paul uses a pretty image to represent the relationship between him and the congregation of Corinth. He sees his role as that of the person who has introduced two lovers to one another.  2I promised your hand in marriage to Christ, presented you as a pure virgin to her husband.

If Paul did not get out of his comfort zone, chances were that the people of Corinth would not have met God. What a setback that would have been for the Kingdom of God.

Fortunately, Paul was not afraid. Fortunately, he obeyed the command he received from God and he worked hard to spread the Gospel. Paul did more than hit and run. Like a protective father caring for his beautiful daughter, he dreamt of his daughter and her prospective bridegroom.

I know what it’s like to be protective like that. I have two daughters and a son who I will protect with everything I have. I want to protect them against everything bad. I want to protect them against bad boys and girls. I want to protect them against their own poor choices, but I can’t. What I can do is to equip them to enable them to make the right choices to remain pure.

Paul introduced the daughter, the congregation of Corinth, to the bridegroom, Jesus. He as father was very excited about the relationship. He found the perfect bridegroom for his daughter. He knew it. He believed it whole-heartedly. And therefore he turned to his daughter and gave a quick, serious sermon. Keep yourself clean and pure. Do not let your deeds make you impure. Take care that you are not made impure by men who carry on with you for the wrong reasons. Do not allow their talk about the high life to blind you. No, keep your eye on the wedding, when you will walk down the aisle between the pews to meet your bridegroom, taking care to be clean and pure.

Obviously, this does not apply to the people of Corinth only, but to us as well. We must ensure that our lives are clean and pure. We know what is right. We know what is acceptable to God. We also know precisely what God doesn’t like. If we first have to ask whether it is right, we can just as well leave it, because grey areas aren’t white. Do the things we know to be right and leave the uncertainties. Concentrate on remaining pure so that when we meet the bridegroom one day there will be no unpleasant surprises in the package.

2 Corinthians 11:1-6

Reflection

Do you believe that you are Jesus’ bride?

Are you excited to meet Jesus?

What do you have to get rid of to be pure?

Prayer

Lord, I want to be a pure bride for You. Please help me to make the right choices every minute of the day or night. Please help me not to mislead myself by seeing grey areas as white. Amen