For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you" (2 Cor. 2:4).

Today, we conclude our short series on "The Tears of Paul." Thus far we've
observed that Paul served with tears and he warned with tears. This morning,
let's notice that he wrote with tears.

The Bible says, "For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote
unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might
know the love which I have more abundantly unto you" (2 Cor. 2:4).

Did you ever stop and wonder if Paul's tears, shed while writing this
epistle, actually fell upon the paper which he wrote? Why were tears pouring
from the apostle's eyes as he wrote this epistle?

Think about the recipients of his letter.

The city of Corinth was quite wicked. That ungodliness eventually made its
way into the church of the Christ. A son committed adultery with his
father's wife. Some were going to law with their brethren. There were
idolaters in the city and the church. Some practiced homosexuality, and we
could go on and on.

Due to his abundant love for his brethren in Corinth, Paul shed many tears
as he wrote to them. Barnes noted, "This was an instance of Paul's great
tenderness of heart--a trait of character which he uniformly evinced. With
all his strength of mind, and all his courage and readiness to face danger.
Paul was not ashamed to weep; and especially if he had any occasion of
censuring his Christian brethren, or administering discipline,...."

What a great man of God the apostle was. He was a man that shed tears when
he served, warned, and taught.

May God help you and I to have hearts that long to serve our God, to warn
our brethren about the danger of falling from God, and be ready always to
encourage souls to do right.

I hope you have a great day!

For previous devotionals, visit www.NeilRichey.com.