Daily Text and Bible Reading: Monday, December 9 [Press play below]

11.1 I wish you would put up with me in a little unreasonableness. But, in fact, you are putting up with me!
11.2 For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy, for I personally promised you in marriage to one husband that I might present you as a chaste virgin to the Christ.
11.3 But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent seduced Eve by its cunning, your minds might be corrupted away from the sincerity and the chastity that are due the Christ.
11.4 For as it is, if someone comes and preaches a Jesus other than the one we preached, or you receive a spirit other than what you received, or good news other than what you accepted, you easily put up with him.
11.5 For I consider that I have not proved inferior to your superfine apostles in a single thing.
11.6 But even if I am unskilled in speech, I certainly am not in knowledge; indeed we made it clear to you in every way and in everything.
11.7 Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I gladly declared the good news of God to you without cost?
11.8 Other congregations I deprived by accepting provisions in order to minister to you.
11.9 Yet, when I was present with you and I fell into need, I did not become a burden on anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia abundantly supplied my needs. Yes, in every way I kept myself from becoming a burden to you and will continue to do so.
11.10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, I will not stop this boasting in the regions of Achaia.
11.11 For what reason? Because I do not love you? God knows I do.
11.12 But what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to eliminate the pretext of those who are wanting a basis for being found equal to us in the things about which they boast.
11.13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
11.14 And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps disguising himself as an angel of light.
11.15 It is therefore nothing extraordinary if his ministers also keep disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness. But their end will be according to their works.
11.16 I say again: Let no one think I am unreasonable. But even if you do, then accept me as an unreasonable person, so that I too may boast a little.
11.17 What I now say is, not as following the Lord’s example, but as an unreasonable person would, with boastful self-confidence.
11.18 Since many are boasting according to the flesh, I too will boast.
11.19 Since you are so “reasonable,” you gladly put up with the unreasonable ones.
11.20 In fact, you put up with whoever enslaves you, whoever devours your possessions, whoever grabs what you have, whoever exalts himself over you, and whoever strikes you in the face.
11.21 I say this to our dishonor, since it may seem that we have acted in weakness. But if others act boldly—I am talking unreasonably—I too act boldly.
11.22 Are they Hebrews? I am one also. Are they Israelites? I am one also. Are they Abraham’s offspring? I am also.
11.23 Are they ministers of Christ? I reply like a madman, I am more outstandingly one: I have done more work, been imprisoned more often, suffered countless beatings, and experienced many near-deaths.
11.24 Five times I received 40 strokes less one from the Jews,
11.25 three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I experienced shipwreck, a night and a day I have spent in the open sea;
11.26 in journeys often, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from my own people, in dangers from the nations, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers at sea, in dangers among false brothers,
11.27 in labor and toil, in sleepless nights often, in hunger and thirst, frequently without food, in cold and lacking clothing.
11.28 Besides those things of an external kind, there is what rushes in on me from day to day: the anxiety for all the congregations.
11.29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is stumbled, and I am not incensed?
11.30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
11.31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, the One who is to be praised forever, knows I am not lying.
11.32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes to seize me,
11.33 but I was lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall, and I escaped his hands.
12.1 I have to boast. It is not beneficial, but I will move on to supernatural visions and revelations of the Lord.
12.2 I know a man in union with Christ who, 14 years ago—whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know; God knows—was caught away to the third heaven.
12.3 Yes, I know such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body, I do not know; God knows—
12.4 who was caught away into paradise and heard words that cannot be spoken and that are not lawful for a man to say.
12.5 I will boast about such a man, but I will not boast about myself except of my weaknesses.
12.6 For even if I want to boast, I will not be unreasonable, for I would say the truth. But I refrain from doing so, in order that no one should give me more credit than what he sees in me or hears from me,
12.7 just because of receiving such extraordinary revelations. To keep me from becoming overly exalted, I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan, to keep slapping me, so that I might not be overly exalted.
12.8 Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it would depart from me.
12.9 But he said to me: “My undeserved kindness is sufficient for you, for my power is being made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly, then, I will boast about my weaknesses, in order that the power of the Christ may remain over me like a tent.
12.10 So I take pleasure in weaknesses, in insults, in times of need, in persecutions and difficulties, for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am powerful.
12.11 I have become unreasonable. You compelled me to, for I ought to have been recommended by you. For I did not prove to be inferior to your superfine apostles in a single thing, even if I am nothing.
12.12 Indeed, the signs of an apostle were produced among you with great endurance, and by signs and wonders and powerful works.
12.13 For how were you less favored than the rest of the congregations, except that I myself did not become a burden to you? Kindly forgive me for this wrong.
12.14 Look! This is the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not become a burden. For I am seeking, not your possessions, but you; for the children are not expected to save up for their parents, but the parents for their children.
12.15 For my part, I will most gladly spend and be completely spent for you. If I love you so much more, am I to be loved the less?
12.16 But be that as it may, I did not burden you. Nevertheless, you say I was “crafty” and I caught you “by trickery.”
12.17 I did not take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you, did I?
12.18 I urged Titus and I sent the brother with him. Titus did not take advantage of you at all, did he? We walked in the same spirit, did we not? In the same footsteps, did we not?
12.19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been making our defense to you? It is before God that we are speaking in union with Christ. But, beloved ones, all that we do is to build you up.
12.20 For I am afraid that somehow when I arrive, I may not find you as I wish and I may not be as you wish, but instead, there may be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, dissension, backbiting, whispering, being puffed up with pride, and disorder.
12.21 Perhaps when I come again, my God might humiliate me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who previously sinned but have not repented of their uncleanness and sexual immorality and brazen conduct that they have practiced.
13.1 This is the third time I am coming to you. “On the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter must be established.”
13.2 Although I am absent now, it is as if I were present for the second time, and I give my warning in advance to those who sinned previously and to all the rest, that if ever I come again I will not spare them,
13.3 since you are seeking proof that Christ, who is not weak toward you but strong among you, is really speaking through me.
13.4 For, indeed, he was executed on the stake because of weakness, but he is alive because of God’s power. True, we also are weak with him, but we will live together with him because of God’s power toward you.
13.5 Keep testing whether you are in the faith; keep proving what you yourselves are. Or do you not recognize that Jesus Christ is in union with you? Unless you are disapproved.
13.6 I truly hope you will recognize that we are not disapproved.
13.7 Now we pray to God that you may do nothing wrong, not that we may appear approved, but that you may do what is fine, even if we may appear disapproved.
13.8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.
13.9 We certainly rejoice whenever we are weak but you are powerful. And this is what we are praying for, your being readjusted.
13.10 That is why I write these things while absent, so that when I am present, I may not have to be severe in using the authority that the Lord gave me, to build up and not to tear down.
13.11 Finally, brothers, continue to rejoice, to be readjusted, to be comforted, to think in agreement, to live peaceably; and the God of love and of peace will be with you.
13.12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.
13.13 All the holy ones send you their greetings.
13.14 The undeserved kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the sharing in the holy spirit be with all of you.