NT: Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 9

II Corinthians 9:1-15

9:1-3 While the apostles were in Corinthians, their enthusiasm for the faith was strong and zealous. News of their devotion to this philosophy spread throughout region, reaching and inspiring people to adopt it for themselves. Yet when the apostles left to teach a new region, the active enthusiasm wore slightly off and the Corinthians lost their dedication. 

The lesson here is to wholeheartedly cultivate a passion. To never neglect or discard what we have decided is important to us or to humanity, the earth. Our thought and behavior requires consistency in motivation and belief.

9:4-5 For surely it would be a bad representation of the faith for people to travel to Corinth and find that the once zealous believers were giving and donation not from their heart but out of obligation. It is imperative that when we give, we give with a personal sincerity. We must give because we want to, not because we feel like we have to or should.

9:6 We have a hand (two hands, actually...even a whole body) in creating the blessings around us. How we think, speak and behave is an example to God of how we believe humans should be cared for. When we plant a seed, we receive as it grows up into a tree (a validation of our work, but also an unfolding of life and beauty). When we plant a happiness or patience or an opportunity in another person, we spiritually plant those things for yourself.

The earth and spirituality deliver to you what you delivered to it: meaning that your interactions here matter. Immensely. It is as if we are building a brick path to our chosen destination, for every brick we lay, a brick is laid on the other end. What we venture toward ventures toward us. For spirituality ensures that you are given back at least what you gave to it. The more sincere generosity you give, the more sincere generosity you receive. You create energy in the earth and it is grateful and loyal to its creator, returning always to its origin. Therefore create... and ensure you are creating the energy you hope to receive.

9:7 Consider yourself on the receiving end of generosity: do you not prefer someone to give to you readily from their heart rather than hesitantly from obligation? God loves a cheerful giver because He recognizes Himself in His children who delight in giving, in helping, in upholding. God loves a cheerful giver because He relates to the sincerity, the compassion, the humility of the cheerful giver. God loves a cheerful giver because He knows that cheerful givers are the people whose souls change the world.

9:8 An incredibly important verse to remember every single day: "God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work." 

God is able to fill your life with grace, with refined direction and serenity. God is able to ensure that not only will you have what you need*, but also in abundance for every good work that you do. Good work is God work: good work is cheerful giving. Good work is done through compassion, humility and sincerity.

*God knows what we need better than we do. Sometimes we think we need something that actually would have derailed us or stunted our emotional, spiritual or even physical growth. When He promises you an abundance, trust that what He gives, in whatever amount, is precisely what you need. He gives many gifts, channeling them through the tunnel of your faith connecting Him to you. 

The abundant gifts come in many forms, think more broadly than material possession, but remember: He can only squeeze small things through that that tunnel if your faith is small. The size of the tunnel is directly proportionate to the size of your faith. 

9:9  In Pslam 112:9, we are reminded of the diversity of God's gifts. To save or sustain or reward His children, God has enabled the opportunity for relocation. He has enabled the poor to be rich in spirit, creating in them the resilience to survive their context but also thrive as they work their way out of it. The greatest gift of all: Himself. We always have the comfort of knowing that Justice reigns and works on our behalf.

9:10 There are many metaphors in this verse: the sower, the seed, the bread* and the fruits. God provides us (the sower), the opportunity (the seed) and the ability (the bread) to establish the benefits of justice and compassion (the fruits).

God ensures that when we do our best, most sincere and compassionate work, it triumphs and abounds. He emphasizes our work. Multiplies our work. His mutual effort with us and love for us enables compassion to truly thrive and proliferate.

*God is our bread... God is our ability. God is our sustenance. 

9:11 Our generosity is a way for us to thank God for what He does, has done and will do for us in our lives. We appreciate His generosity best by exemplifying it. 

9:12 In Matthew 25:40, Jesus taught us that what we do for others we have done for God. God is so connected with us that He feels and experiences exactly, keenly, what we feel and experience. Therefore when we show our thanks by feeding another or quenching the thirst of another or giving patience, perspective, opportunity, or justice to another... we have given those gifts to God as well. Our actions are a thank you to Him for His alert and active presence in our lives. In your own and unique way, you have something to give that truly matters.

9:13-14 The ministry represents God and therefore the ministry must be sincere in its generosity in order to inspire and gather and retain more and more fellow workers with God.

9:15 Thanks be to God for more than we can articulate. Truly what He gives to us is abundant, whether it be courage, resilience, purpose or any/everything else.

NT: Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 8

II Corinthians 8:1-24

8:1-2 No matter how abundant their tribulation, Paul speaks of a people so compassionately generous that even desperate situation was unable to diminish their giving nature. This is an authentic peace, a genuine faith which is unshaken, untainted by external conditions of the world. 

8:3-4 What is it that they (and we) possess to give away? So much more than money. We can give our support, we can give our shoulder, our smile, our listening ear, our compassion... so much more even than that.  

These churches of Macedonia were grateful to God for sending the apostles which changed their lives, which taught them to change and grow themselves. Work to be grateful for that which was given to you. Patience in heated moments, a warm breakfast after a night of sleep, the sun on our face when we need regeneration... 

Our gratitude toward God, even for (not-so) simply creating this earth sustaining our lives, inspires us to be generous as well. Kindness abounds. We are given to in order that we may give.

8:5 Our generosity even extends to our giving ourselves to this philosophy. As beloved, capable instruments, it truly is a gift when we commit ourselves to compassion, to purpose, to working for justice among humanity.

8:6-7 Let your constantly evolving gifts and growth gift and grow others. 

8:8-9 Paul encourages us to be generous because we were created and taught by generosity Itself. You cannot be a sincerely faithful follower of this philosophy of life without having a deep empathy and value for others. It simply would not compute. The core of this spiritual philosophy is compassion, is devotion to the well-being of humanity and all life. 

8:10-11 Crucial life advice and character development from Paul: follow through on your dreams, passions and purposes. It is not enough to just dream. It is not enough to just plan. It is not enough to just start. It is not enough until it is complete. 

If you want to absorb this philosophy, you absorb generosity.

8:12 When you are willing to absorb generosity, be generous. We cannot forever consider our ability to be generous, we must actual go out among humanity and actually do it. When you commit to this philosophy, you offer what you do have to others. 

And what we have to offer varies: sometimes it is our friendship, or our expertise in a matter, our ability to induce a smile or laughter, our availability... whoever you are, you have something to offer humanity.

8:13-14 Paul is careful to explain that we are not meant or encouraged to deplete ourselves of the resources we need to survive and be safe. There is always something we have that someone around us does not, and likewise there is always something someone around us has that we do not have. We are meant to live symbiotically. 

8:15 From within the influence of a consumerist world, we sometimes forget that material wealth and possession does not establish or sustain us. God implores us to understand that we procure life and wisdom and purpose when we give. Yet when we take and hoard, money and power and property we find ourselves empty, with a hollow, undeveloped and thereby discontented soul. 

The world has seen many dictators, humans who were not satisfied with themselves or with life or anything around them even when they possessed and controlled everything and everyone around them. On a smaller scale, the world has known many "ordinary" humans who were not satisfied with themselves or with life or anything around them even when they got the car or house or monetary promotion they desperately desired. Our true and natural wealth is our connection with life. 

Go through this life not as a collector but as a giver and watch your wealth, the brilliance and happiness of your soul brighten and embolden.

8:16-17 Thanks indeed to God who puts "earnest care" into you as He has done and always will do for His children. What a bold yet gently comfort... that devoted compassion is placed into you by God. Like the apostles, be diligent in returning the favor God has given you to someone else in need.

8:18-19 Paul assured the Corinthians that the apostles sent to them were authentically faithful. Of course, it was up to their own discernment to validate that statement (as we should always determine for ourselves whether a person is or is not sincere). In a multitude of ways and when you ask Him to, God readies your mind to learn and then sends a teacher or a lesson (an opportunity to learn).

8:20 The apostles were given a lot by God and with their gifts, were able to contribute to churches in many ways. Lavish gifts are offered to you too, when you remember that gifts are given in order that we may give.

8:21-23 The establishment of Christianity throughout the world was a monumental task. Compassion and justice needed a bold and prominent force in order to make itself known here on earth... and that force was made up by God of these apostles who were devoted.

8:24 Remember that you represent the whole. People associate what you say and do with who and what you affiliate yourself with. Ensure that your words and your actions inspire people toward this philosophy rather than away from it.

NT: Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 7

II Corinthians 7:1-16

7:1 Having these promises of guidance and support, continue to grow underneath their umbrella. The filthiness of the flesh is all of the greed and corruption which ruin the quality of life of humanity across the earth. Perfect your spirit, the character of your soul out of not fear but reverence of everything divinity represents and promotes. 

The word "fear" used in this verse is actually translated in two different but both equally correct ways. Fear and reverence. Corruption should fear divine creation (God) because it cannot exist near it. Yet compassion reveres because it constantly receives life and wonder.

7:2 Open your hearts to this philosophy of life which seeks to offend none and encourage all. To enable growth in wisdom, we must be inquisitive. We must listen. We must observe and analyze. We must look, touch, hear, smell. Open yourself up to more than just your immediate reality. Not only is there so much to learn but also there is so much incentive to learning. When we are aware we are capable.

7:3 Paul's message is not an attack on our character. Paul encourages us to grow in order that we may be tall enough to reach our greatest potential. Paul is whispering of the joys of flight to grounded airplanes. You were made to be impactful and purposeful and essential. Paul's mission is to awaken that realization in you.

7:4 Paul reiterates his joy for humanity. Paul's life's work was a devotion to humanity, drawn from his compassion for our well-being. Paul is proud of us for trying and learning and growing. He is awed at what we are capable of. He is comforted by us because we listen, adopt this divine philosophy and we do grow in wisdom and spirit. Paul is even joyful amidst tribulation because he knows that tribulation comes when we confront injustice. We make progress toward peace when we do not "go gently into the night" of injustice. 

7:5-6 Surely Paul faced tribulation. From all directions. Constantly. Yet Paul drew his strength from God and therefore could never be depleted of courage or perseverance. 

7:7 Paul draws comfort from his trust in God. Although Paul's path was frequently riddled with fear, anxiety, tribulation and enemy, Paul trust that is eventual and inevitable destination was peace. 

If your faith is the size of a pinprick, how can the light enter? Paul's trust in God was broad, so open to Him that Paul was exposed entirely to God's will. For that reason, God through Paul was able to change and influence the world throughout generations.

7:8 Paul references his tough-love to the Corinthians. He knows of their (our) potential and when we observes us living hypocritically, contradictory to what we say we believe, he calls them (us) out on it. As he should. Criticism, even constructive criticism, is hard to take... but we should always be grateful for at least the opportunity to review our own behavior and decide if maybe we do need to fix it a little.

7:9 The Corinthians took the blow of Paul's epistle to them which discussed all of the hypocrisy they were committing and they grew from it. The listened to Paul's observations of them, review their own behavior and decided that he was right: they had room to grow. And so they grew. They improved themselves, became more consistent in what they believed, spoke and did.

7:10 There are different types of sorrow. The Corinthians were regretful, ashamed of their behavior. When we realize we can be better, the initial realization is sorrowful indeed. However that sorrow is a catalyst for us to change and grow. Paul wants us to know that (even if, or) just because we have a regrettable quality in our character does not mean we have to or should wallow about it forever. 

Feeling sorry for yourself and doing nothing about it is death. Death of character grown and consequently death of character. Spirituality teaches us to constantly evolve from learning... to constantly breathe new life into who we are. 

7:11 Be grateful for the growth pains. Paul's epistle to the Corinthians produced diligence in them to clean out the murkier aspects of themselves and to focus properly on their zeal for God's compassion. Think even outside of yourself, what is the first step to granting your forgiveness to another person? You require that they are sorrowful, regretful of their behavior. Similarly you must go through those motions of grown pain in order to be better than you were before. You must have the motivation and incentive to change or you never will.

7:12 Paul did not chastise the Corinthians to exact authority over them. That is not how God operates. Any constructive criticism delivered to you by God (through various forms) is meant to establish and strengthen you, 1 Peter 5:10. When a loving parent reprimands a child, the parent does not to so to show the child "who is boss..." the parent does so to protect the child, to make the child stronger and wiser. 

7:13 Paul draws strength from the Corinthians kindness, from their efforts to grow as spiritual individuals and as a church. So much joy and refreshment come from kindnesses, so ensure that you are contributing your fair share!

7:14 Paul has trust that the Corinthians (and we) will seek and find our God. Seek and find and follow our God who leads us out of tribulation, through our periods of learning and into joy. Paul believes in humanity's ability to harness our potential and utilize it for selfless good.

7:15 In essence, Paul reverences the importance of taking this philosophy seriously. This philosophy of life is not a hobby to infrequently visit. It requires commitment, a constant deepening out of our trust and diligence in it. As earthlings, as members of this earth, we know personally of its disparity. We must do our part in stifling injustice and this philosophy enables us to do so effectively. 

7:16 Paul believes in the Corinthians ability to perceive and fulfill their purpose with compassion and motivation. God believes in you to do the same. God has a constant flow of mercy and guidance directed straight at you because He believes in you. Even when we stumble, He believes in our ability to stand up again. He roots for us as we attempt to do so. He offers His hand and His heart. 

Paul began his life as a persecutor of this philosophy... yet God believed in Him and He believes in you and Paul's entire frame of mind and life changed... changed the world.

NT: Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 6

II Corinthians 6:1-18

6:1 Our most productive work and prayer is done through our sincere and frank humility. Our most effective and swiftly answered prayers are those voiced or thought or plead with compassion for others. Our edification comes through what we do for others. We receive clarity, strength, wisdom, perseverance, path and purpose (all which contribute to the establishment and healthful solidification of ourselves) when our determination is for not the betterment of our own lives, but the betterment of others. Clever, no? God has ordained a circumstance in which we receive precisely only that which we give.

6:2 We must be vigilant in prayer: are our prayers a string of selfish wants and supposed needs? God knows what we want and He knows what we need; as His children, we do not have to ask or tell Him anything in order for Him to know. In your life, you are uniquely placed to be His eyes on the ground. What you report to Him in prayer should be the need of others you personally witness and observe as you live simultaneously trusting that He is supporting your life, guiding your life, filling your life, fulfilling your needs.

He knows how to take care of you and He does take care of your, perfectly, in proportion to how much trust you have in Him to do so. Sometimes, subconsciously even, we make decisions which say to God... I trust me more than I trust you, and he subsequently listens and pulls His hands out. But if you actually trust God, you do not have to worry about yourself. Your focus can be entirely on others. He's got you. Now it becomes your job to help Him help the people who do not know or trust Him. 

Key words of this verse: In an acceptable time, I have heard you. No matter how quietly you said or even thought a prayer, God has heard as if you screamed it or wrote it in stone and ensures you that it will be answered. So you do not have to desperately, repetitiously recite the same wants and needs to Him. He heard it and promised to answer it... now refocus, what else can you contribute to your prayer? Who around you would benefit from being included?

6:3 The apostles live carefully but boldly. I encourage you to do the same: be focused. Focused on always ensuring that what you think, say and do are aligned in a compassionate intention. Our emotions flare quite easily in these bodies but let your soul have control over all of you. Let it ground you to your values and best intentions. Especially as an known child of God, you represent His house. He is not offensive, yet the acts of many hypocrites around the world wrongly suggest to people that He is. 

6:4-6 No matter what Paul and the apostles confront and endure, they remain grounded in Spirit and compassion. They do not let tribulation provoke them. They have a constant source of strength and serenity from God.

6:6-9 Surely the apostles endured much pain and suffering. Their lives were threatened, their character was challenged, their bodies were beaten, and throughout all of it they remembered and grasped onto God's love for them. For the purpose of their work outweighed any pain an enemy could inflict. 

6:10 There is disparity among humanity and it is painful. God's children are globally-informed and their natural empathy causes them to deeply feel the hurt and suffering of others. Yet thriving alongside their empathy is their strength and their persistence to constantly, boldly defend justice. We rejoice because we know the balm of sorrow and even can be the balm of other's sorrow. Even having nothing, God's children understand that all life is within them. Every aspect of life has been given to God's children and their souls are aware of their access to it. 

If you have God, you have everything because you have access as well as guidance to justice, purpose, wisdom, truth, love and life. Do not confuse what you do or do not have in this life with what you have in the next. Compassionate works afford you many spiritual blessings, blessings which you may not even notice while here on earth. 

6:11 Paul speaks to the Corinthians, but also to us with raw, frank sincerity. All of his life's work and efforts were done for us to have the joy and comfort of God.

6:12 The only thing or person capable of holding you back is yourself. With God, no person or barrier will block your courage and growth, your ability to endure and analyze the conditions of your life on earth. There is ample room for you to grow and rise in spiritual character, in purpose, in achievement, in compassion, in joy. Be open to it!

6:13 Purpose awaits you. Be open to it. Open your spirit, as a child, as a student, as a novice and watch your strength, purpose and character abound. 

6:14 Be consistent. Every aspect of what you think, say and do need to be in sync. If your life is a vehicle, you need the fuel, the wheels and the steering wheel. You do not make much progress having 1 but not the other 2. Or even 2 without the 3rd. 

6:15 Authenticity requires that you believe in what you say and do. Commit. Fully. In everything that you do, remember that you are a student in a sophisticated and complex classroom. Lesson is all around you. If you want to paint the sky, stop dipping your brush in green paint. 

6:16 Let go of all the confusion and pain that rigid religion has brought to the world and humanity. God is within you. You are within God. Divinity is not an establishment but is instead a spirit. Fluid. Comprehensive. Flowing within and out from the thoughts and efforts of God's children. Let acts of justice, truth and compassion be the temple you pray in. You are the temple in which justice, truth and compassion dwell. You do not have to go to a temple or church or mosque or synagogue or any other building to worship, or to be faithful. You are that building where sacred things live and thrive and come out of into the world.

6:17 Separate yourself from the chaotic world and establish yourself boldly in spirituality. Be observant. Truthful. Perceptive. Compassionate. Just. Purposeful. Focused. Determined. While much of the world loiters around its greed, be progressive in empathy, in improving the conditions humanity is expected to live. Make a clear line between what your intention for yourself and humanity is and what contradicts its eventual, inevitable manifestation. 

6:18 Creation, divinity, God is our father. We are His children. As His children, we have access to so much freedom, purpose, opportunity, joy, wisdom and truth. Utilize them all! 

NT: Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 5

II Corinthians 5:1-21

5:1 God wants His children to understand that despite how fragile or temporary our lives on earth might sometimes seem, our true home always and perfectly supports the life within us. Our home with God is indestructible, created by Spirit rather than hand. That same force is guiding you through this life as you journey toward the next.

5:2 The thought of a spiritual home in and with God is wondrous. We yearn to be not gone but elsewhere: with Him, spiritually. Our lives are the journey we take to reach Him; wizened, emboldened, strengthened. We groan because life here is sometimes difficult and confusing. We do not necessarily want to shed this life but instead hope to enter our spiritual lives. 

5:3 This is a metaphorical clothing: we clothe ourselves with authenticity; taught and encouraged by God. Therefore when our character is analyzed, we are found to be wrapped with wisdom and compassion. We are not "naked" meaning that we have not wrapped ourselves with superficial materials, materials like wealth and power and property which deteriorate and leave us exposed.

5:4-5 We wish to be clothed with and by the qualities of God: courage and honesty, compassion, wisdom and patience. We wish to layer our souls rather than our bodies. God has created are souls and actively participates in the growth and development of them as long as we allow Him to.

5:6 We can find comfort in this life by knowing that God is right over there. Perhaps physically intangible... but certainly spiritually accessible to us.

5:7 The process of learning to trust God requires development and maintenance of faith. Eventually we realize while under God's wing that our own senses are limited. We realize that we have the blessed opportunity of having a more omniscient and omnipotent force wield our lives. A rush and constant flow of relief comes when we accept that we are (at times) limited but not (at anytime) helpless.

Creation has intricately planned and built and sustained this complex universe that is ourselves and also that we live in and we can trust it to keep a devoted interest in all it has made.

When we walk by faith rather than sight, we live life with the comfort that our trust in God delivers us to the best possible outcome in every situation. Look at the detail and miracle of even the tiniest aspect of this earth or this body we live inside of: we are not accidental. Creation has always had divine strategy and always will. Your life is no exception; you are part of its plan.

More than just our actual vision, our perception and perspective is even limited. We cannot see around corners, into the next week, and even our hindsight is faulty. We cannot read minds, not even sometimes our own. Sometimes we cannot discern "right" from "wrong" or "should" from "should not." We do not have to be alone in making those decisions when we walk by faith. Faith that creation recognizes us as a part of itself and therefore includes us in its intention toward compassion and life.

5:8 The ultimate joy: when we are not here, we are with God. We are never lost in an abyss or an in-between. We journey toward Him and He tugs us forward. We blink out of this life and into His. Those who we love blink out of this life and into His in our due time. The Book of Ecclesiastes teaches us that there is a time for everything. Creation is not spontaneous or careless with its loved ones.

5:9 It is healthy and productive for the intention of our lives to be growth in patience and compassion. How we interact with humanity and the earth is a demonstration of our allegiance with (or defiance against) God's compassionate intention for the earth and His children. His river is flowing and our lives unfold so much more beautifully and smoothly when we flow with Him. We do not want to go against the current of God, constantly battling against what is good and natural.

5:10 When we are present with creation, with God, with whatever manifestation of divinity we believe in, our lives are analyzed, even by ourselves. We get to see the impact we made on the earth, on the people around us. Let that be a joyous and humbling moment.

5:11 We have a God-given ability to perceive to tap into. To perceive the triumph as well as flaw in our character and also in others' as a way to discern authenticity and sincerity. We are each known by God exactly as we are. Paul hopes that his friends, students and acquaintances will perceive the authenticity of his own work and spirit.

5:12 Paul and the apostles travel and teach with humility. Rather than working to manipulate people's opinions of them, Paul and the apostles do their best, most sincere work and let their students form their own conclusions.

It is imperative that we observe the words and behavior of the people around us, especially those who are trying to teach or lead us in some way. People put a lot of effort into their outward appearances but it is up to us to identify whether what they say is also what they do.

5:13 Paul draws his humility from his purpose as a fellow-worker of God. The work that he does throughout humanity is not for self-benefit but is instead of God and for others. Paul proclaims this beautiful truth: the gifts and abilities we have are not for ourselves but are for others. We are given the talent and opportunity to change humanity beyond ourselves.

Paul is saying to us: If I am great, my greatness was given by God and not to me but through me for you.

Do not be mistaken, we are loved and deeply. We are the breathing, laughing, loving instruments through which God can bring justice and compassion to humanity. Our opportunities to do great things are not opportunities for us to be celebrated but are opportunities for us to celebrate. To celebrate that we have purpose and impact on the earth. To celebrate the birth of a justice, a smile, a joy which would not have existed without our efforts.

5:14 Paul is wholeheartedly committed to God and His creation. He exudes humility because he knows that all efforts toward justice and compassion are efforts done by generations of souls, with our constant God. Paul absorbs every tribulation and humiliation God's children have endured and therefore stifles any chance for arrogance.

5:15 The reason why it is unhealthy for us to live for ourselves is because we derive strength, wisdom and purpose from empathy. If our focus is pointed entirely inward, we have no impact... and certainly no positive impact on the world or the people around us. Many have lived this way. Many still live this way... and it is the detriment of the world. Jesus, the manifestation of justice and compassion outlined and exemplified another way... humanity had been living selfishly and was suffering for it. It doesn't have to be that way.

Join life in creating life: the life of justice, compassion, patience, truth. When you join in with the flow of nature, the intention of spirit, your journey is reinforced, directed, protected, helped.

5:16-17 Focus on the spirit inside of you, inside of others. Focus on keeping the light within souls. These bodies are merely temporary vessels mechanically carrying us through this classroom. We were introduced to spirit, reminded of our natural form: our soul. Cultivate its growth and strength and wisdom.

Your body's vulnerability was designed for you to learn and grow. Surrounding a temporary, vulnerable vessel with wealth and power and fame is a wasteful use of your time. Wealth and power and within you, waiting to be ignited in your soul through acts of compassion and purpose. Let your fame be because of your generosity, your patience, your willful work to promote life.

5:18-29 Divinity did not delve into this world to enforce its authority. Divinity came as rescue, as relief. The world appears to be chaotic, disorganized, derailed and the inability to find order and reason and purpose is deafening, muting, halting. Spirituality guides us through the earth, wisely and purposefully, to show us how and where humans disconnect and cause the disparate, sometimes desperate, conditions of the world.

So many people in the world, if they even believe in God, point their finger at Him. I've never understood that, for to me, it is so clearly humanity who cause tribulation here on earth. God restores. God enables us to confront and dismantle the wayward. We have so much freedom here and many people do not use it well. With your freedom be authentic, be sincere, be purposeful. Many are not and this is the reason much of humanity suffers.

5:20-21 Jesus did not die for our sins because God required punishment. Jesus elected to be born into this vulnerable earth in order to manifest the difference between just and unjust, patience and impatience, truth and deception. Jesus came here even though He knew He would die, and cruelly because He wanted us to understand these things:

• 1. There is no death for God's children. No matter the trial or tribulation other humans put us through on earth, directly and indirectly, we have the strength of eternal life within this vessel. Our soul is resilient. Do not be afraid, the thread of your life cannot be cut. 
• 2. For us to know that God relates. We were not cast into this classroom flippantly. Our pain and our suffering, as well as our joy and our laughter are known and felt by our creator. He understands the conditions of being alive in this world, in these bodies and therefore He is patient and present with us.
• 3. There is another way. Confront rather than smother that which you wonder about: Is there more to life? More to me? Is there purpose here? Am I a part or participant of that purpose? The answer to all of those questions is: YES. Let creation, God uncover the spirituality of yourself and the world and Him and His intention. People live in a slumber, barely life as a series of tasks rather than an explosion of purpose and miracle. Jesus came awake here and exemplified the way for us to do the same.

NT: Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 4

II Corinthians 4:1-18

4:1 God provides. He establishes, strengthens, guides and supports you. Paul is full of faith because he is aware of how much has been consistently provided to him. Moreover, God gives us purpose and the tools and wherewithal to fulfill it. Paul does not grow discouraged because God is purposeful and will never neglect to utilize His children in His blessed plan for humanity. 

4:2 Paul and the apostles were humble ministers. They spoke of this philosophy throughout the regions of the world because they compassionately believed that all people could benefit from these natural truths. The gifts given to Paul by God had garnered him fame and even reverence but Paul never accepted any of it. Paul's gift from God was the gift that was the opportunity to know and share His love. 

It's important that we use our gifts and talents for good and humbly. Remember that God creates rather than takes. As His children, we have the opportunity to create with our specific purposes. To create joy, to create opportunity, to create laughter, and justice and peace in places those things did not exist before us. 

4:3-4 God is fair. He does not impose His philosophy on anyone. We have choice here, but God's children realize that "here" is not the only place there is. God's children's perception is broadened spiritually and therefore they are able to comprehend more deeply than those who neglect or reject God. It's not a reward for God's children and neither is it a punishment for others. When a person thinks more deeply than this superficial life on earth, their perception becomes keen in observing how this life is tethered to another. A spiritual life. Therefore this book is opened, unveiled and offers lessons inaccessible to those who would find no value in it.

4:5-6 Paul takes no credit for his work. Even though every moment of his life was devoted to fulfilling his purpose given by God, Paul retains humility. Paul remembers that he was led, he was protected, he was supported, he was gifted, loved and comforted. Paul remembers the difference between life without trust in God and life with trust in God and it causes the wholehearted realization that God has been prominent in his life. God has enabled his life and everything and everyone in it. Every entrance into joy, every escape from sorrow.

Life without God was a moonless night but through spirituality Paul awakened to the Sun. He is ever-aware of the constantly Light provided by God.

4:7 We are strengthened by our humility. Arrogance clouds judgement, ruins and misses opportunity. It is a treasure that our ability and achievement come from God because His is a freely given, ever-flowing source. It adapts to our individual lives and forms intricately to what we need.

4:8 Our spirits are rugged, resilient, beautiful and agile. With God we can learn from, grow from and survive every turbulence. Not only do we escape from our turmoil but God also manipulates it in our favor so that we grow from it. We become wiser, stronger, and faster than what ails or taunts us.

4:9 As God's children, we endure, we escape we flourish in strength and wisdom. Throughout our collective time here, no enemy of any member of humanity has overcome a child of God. Even the end of our lives here is a celebrated beginning of our lives in another place.

4:10 We have strength within us to draw from; inside of our spirit is a history of endurance. Creation blew life into us and with that life came resilience and hope. 

4:11-12 All attempts to create, restore, promote, inspire justice give us life. No matter the ailment our body takes while confront injustice, our spirit lives and grows and becomes courageous. Paul specifically was threatened with death quite regularly but even as his life on earth diminished, his life spiritually, eternally, grew and emboldened. 

4:13 Paul redirects us to Psalm 116:10, "I believed, and therefore I spoke." Belief should be at the heart of everything you speak. We should always be intentionally authentic and truthful. The core of this blog exists in this manner: I believe, and therefore I am speaking. We should not do things for any other reason except that we believe in them and believe in the promotion of them.

4:14-15 God's mission is a mission of selfless love and humility. Every gift and kindness and instruction He gives proliferates, reaches one and then two and four and eight people. Although we cannot possible see the complex configuration of His plan, we are each intricately interwoven by the same thread.  Everything He does is to create life and happiness inside of His children, in all of His creation.

4:16 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day." We are life contained in a vessel. Our life, our thought, our emotion all exist in our Spirit, which flourishes everyday spent working with God. Here on earth we might age, we might scar, we might cry or stumble but our truest, purest, self endures, learns and thrives if we let it. We must always be aware of and grow our spiritual awareness; there is brilliant, resilient wise life within us waiting to be utilized.

4:17 This life on earth is an elaborate but temporary classroom preparing us for permanence. The lessons we learn here are invaluable for the creation of our best, spiritual selves. 

4:18 Essential this verse encourages us to look beyond the superficial construction of the world. So many live their lives procuring wealth, power, property and fame... Paul, and God, want us to learn that those things are vulnerable, temporary and often corrupting. Our focus should be on establishing and growing our character. Who we are, the life inside of us, has the energetic, creative potential to be eternal. Eternally alive, eternally, wise, eternally true and compassionate.

A happy inside (a happy soul) contributes more to the self, humanity and the earth than any material or power that can be procured. A contented soul can wisely, carefully shape the world; a contented soul does not have to fruitlessly try to fill its void with "stuff."

NT: Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 3

II Corinthians 3:1-18

3:1-3 Paul truly lived his life working to establish this philosophy as a philosophy of life on earth among humanity. Paul did not come to enforce a religion or series of customs. His message was true and authentic in that it came from creation (God, Spirit) and directly into humanity. This philosophy of life is above documentation and confirmation done by authorities. This is an openhearted message, a wholehearted way of life.

3:4-6 Paul encourages us to release rigid-religion and to open ourselves to spirituality. All creation has come from God, including this blueprint of how to live life. The authenticity and confirmation of this philosophy comes from and through God and the beautiful works, thoughts, and lives of His children.

3:7-11 Paul speaks of this, the New Testament. The New Testament solidifies everything taught in the Old Testament but through the pure filter of God's, creation's love for us. God's interactions with the people in the context of the Old Testament changed the world. Paul marvels at the thought that again, with these letters, essentially, written to God's children today and future, will doubtless do the same. There is so much glory and love and guidance abounding within and because of this philosophy of life as more and more people through generations absorb and promote it. 

3:12-13 The New Testament was presented differently than the Old Testament in that it was written quite directly to God's children. It was written for and to you. Moses was and represented a bridge to God but the New Testament connects you personally with Him. Moses led but this generation, began by Paul, was ready not just to be lead but also to be taught. The New Testament allows, encourages and supports us as fellow workers with God. The New Testament is full of guidance, love, blessings and purpose.

3:14-15 The more obscure concepts of the Old Testament are made transparent by the teachings of the New Testament. They each corroborate each other but are presented in different ways. Remember that when you seek God, His love and wisdom, you find Him, Matthew 7:7. Whatever hinders or taints your path or your ability to learn and grow, God diminishes. When you join the compassionate intention of creation (God), its ability to persevere and thrive becomes yours. 

3:16 When you sincerely, studiously ask for guidance and wisdom, you receive it. Your perspective broadens and your ability to observe and analyze is honed. There is purpose and order here to be found but only by those who are truly looking.

3:17-18 When we absorb God's philosophy, He absorbs us. His love and liberty direct and protect our lives. When our spirits express the elements of which He (creation) is made: love, justice, compassion, hope, wisdom, faith, joy truth, we awaken to our true nature that is made of Him. Children of God are a manifestation of His love and ability. Of Him, by Him, for Him, from Him, to Him. 

We are love, compassion and creation manifestation... come alive. We are breathing, thinking versions of life. The more tuned with our spirituality we are, the closer we are to home. 

NT: Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 2

II Corinthians 2:1-17

2:1 Paul's decision not to return to the Corinthians was an expression of faith and hope in their ability to use their relationship with God to iron-out the issues within their churches. 

2:2 He wishes to remain friends despite knowing of their shortcomings. Sometimes the hardest part about any relationship, platonic and otherwise, is letting the person or organization learn from their own experiences and mistakes.

2:3 In the time that Paul had been away, his adversaries had disgraced his name; they had tarnished his reputation with lies. Paul's hope is that by the time he reaches the Corinthians again, they will have ironed out their problems and realigned themselves with the original message Paul wrote and taught them.

2:4 Paul had written to them and outlined all of the ways they had veered off of the compassionate path. He wants them to understand that it was not easy for him to acknowledge and reprimand their transgressions. Yet despite its difficulty for him, he knew that they were better off here the truth from him in order to fix and improve themselves as church establishments and individuals.

2:5-7 This is God's compassion at work within Paul: Paul wants the Corinthians to forgive the person (or institution) that came in after he did and tarnished Paul's reputation and lesson. On a broader scale, Paul wants us to understand that sometimes people learn best under the umbrella of forgiveness. 

2:8-9 As we have said before, this life is a classroom. The Corinthians had willingly adopted this philosophy of compassion and in doing so, became responsible for upholding it in every moment. If given an opportunity to love and forgive and comfort, the Corinthians needed to take it.

And this philosophy does have and require strong components of forgiveness. Yet it also has strong components of discernment. Our compassion is coupled with wisdom: identifying situations deserving of forgiveness. Forgiveness, rather than a re-gifting of trust, is a letting go of vengeance and noxious anger which prohibit us from learning, growing and moving on.

2:10 Paul wants them to know that he will also grant his forgiveness to whoever muddied his name and his work if the Corinthians should decide that the person is deserving. What I love about the message God brings to the world through His children is that it is a free and unforced message. People are allowed to disagree with it. People are allowed to ignore it. Paul is not entering the Corinthian region with anger or war or a superiority complex.

2:11 Just as Jesus is the representation of such qualities as: compassion, love, hope, comfort, forgiveness, and trust, Satan is representative of his own qualities. When you think of this word "Satan" or "Devil" what should come to mind as the qualities which those words represent rather than an actual horned, evil monster: deception, disruption, greed, injustice, arrogance. Paul does not want us caught in a web of these qualities because sometimes we enter into them without realizing. We should not allow ourselves to be overcome with pessimistic or selfish emotions. Our brains and souls should be healthy enough to be perceptive and calm in all situations, in order that we may never lose control of ourselves. 

2:12 As we live through and along our purpose on earth, God opens doors for us to walk through. He creates places for us to enter and do our work and meanwhile, helps us to sort out the details of our lives.

2:13 Paul was like we are... he had a lot on his plate. There were people he cared about living their own lives while he lived his. Although he knew and was focused on the mission of his life, there were things and people in the periphery which needed care and nourishment. God helps us to juggle all of the components of our lives. He helps us to maintain and remain tethered to all things and people we care about even while we a busy working, living our passion and purpose.

2:14 This is the description of how perfectly God's love reaches us. It diffuses around us; we cannot help but be surrounded and coated by it, by Him. He is in every place, within and around us. 

2:15 Our mutual effort with God inspires much of His love for us: we diffuse our love and compassion throughout the world when we love and empathize with justice, with people. Remember that we are fellow workers with each other and with God. And He is grateful for our work here, for our participation in His efforts, 1 Corinthians 3:9.

2:16 Our work here gives people life. Enjoyment of life, protection of life, extension of life, promotion of life. In our own way, we are all apostles: living our lives as breathing, moving testimonies of how life should be lived. Through our friendships and smiles and opportunities we create for others, we lead people away from death (metaphorically and literally) and into life. Into color and joy and laughter. Into spirit.

2:17 God's children are authentic and purposeful. What we say and believe and do are all in sync. To each person and experience we give our most authentic and sincere selves and therefore our lives (our work here) is productive. Our constant and consistent and impartial intention of compassion ensures that our purposeful work is also, always, good work.

Our eyes, our minds, our spirits, our bodies are focused. Our eyes, our minds, our spirits, our bodies and our spirits are being focused on. Our journey and our work is guided when we trust our guide. We are in God's line of sight when He is in ours.

NT: Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 1

II Corinthians 1:1-24

1:1-2 Hello again to you (not only the Corinthians) from Paul joined with apostle Timothy, with peace from God. Following this verse we will study some of the most beautiful, revealing and guiding verses in the Bible. The Bible may end with the revelation of the culmination of this life, but the rest is dedicated to revealing the natural way and composition and purpose of our lives here on earth.

1:3 A moment of reflection of awe and joy that our creator is merciful and comforting. Even a non-believing might be able to see the generosity of nature as we, intricate beings that we are, thrive within and because of it.

1:4 God's work in the earth and within individuals proliferates. His work is multilayered, intricate, omniscient, expansive. When we assent to His will, we become the instruments with which he heals the earth. Our movements and interactions become opportunities to do good work among humanity, not just for ourselves.

He makes us strong and resilient so that we become instruments of strength and resilience. With our personal, emotional and spiritual growth, we become capable of growing others, of holding them up through tribulations we were held up through. We conquer tribulation in order that we gain the experience to conquer the tribulation of others. 

The nature of creation is selfless: Humility, generosity and compassion infiltrate, overtake and sweep away all adversity for the benefit of the whole. 

1:5 As we have spoken of before, the joys and tribulations of humanity are memories and histories within our own DNA. We share the threads of strength and endurance through generation after generation, from beginning to end of our existence. Our emotions, intangible, are known here on earth, have been felt and expressed long before us. We have a kinship, a connection with souls who occupied these spaces before us when we feel and express what they felt and expressed. They knew and endured and contemplated suffering just as we know and endure and contemplate suffering. We have the ability to draw strength from our shared experiences. There is consolation abundant to match any suffering we might go through when we realize our emotional kinship, thriving despite time and distance.

1:6 When we travel wisely, faithfully through tribulation and we emerge with strength. We provide consolation to humanity that such adversity is surmountable.

1:7 Those who suffer injustice reveal themselves as promoters of and allies with justice. Justice is an inevitability and the balm of it will salve all wounds and persons who suffered for it.

1:8 Paul's life was threatened regularly. A promoter of justice, he was constantly confronting injustice. Injustice fought back, as we know it does. Paul is identifying our shared connection: we are confronted by evil, danger, and fear...

1:9-10 ...We are confronted by those things but we are not overcome by them when we put our trust in God. What does that mean? It's said so often: "Put your trust in God." Well, in order to do that, you have to agree with the intention of the universe, in the philosophy of compassion. Once we agree, we begin to eke out the moments where we are guided in accordance with the will of creation. 

Paul did not lose hope or lose motivation when confronted by adversity because he agreed that compassion should be the order and intention of humanity. Moreover, he trusted that if the universe's intention was compassion, those doing the work of compassion would always triumph.

We are delivered because we deliver. We are and carry the packages of compassion and creation insists that they arrive.

1:11 Prayer is an energy, a beckoning... calling forth the forces beyond us. Prayer is a call to that which we cannot see, cannot hear, cannot touch because we understand that our trust in God, in compassion, in creation supplies us with materials inaccessible to the superficial world. Spiritually armed, we are reinforced by a great and infinite army of justice.

Your prayers are heard. Your prayers are held. Your prayers are powerful. Your prayers are answered powerfully. How much you put into prayer is equivalent to what you get out of it. Paul is thankful for the prayers on his behalf because it is humbling to receive the reinforcements of the universe, to have people believe we are deserving enough of their prayers.

1:12 Conduct yourself with simplicity and godly sincerity in order to be content with yourself. Self value a necessary foundation. We have to understand as well as believe that we are capable of moving mountains, of influencing nations of thought and people.

The "fleshly wisdom" Paul speaks about is the intention of the world... which is contradictory to the intention of creation. Creation... well, creates. The world procures. Takes. The world tells us to consume material and wealth and power and fame. Paul urges us not to get distracted by the complex monetary and governmental systems in the world. Be simple, humble, sincere.

1:13-14 The work we should be proud of at the culmination of our lives on earth is the work we have done in the lives of others. We should be proud of creating laughter, joy, opportunity, friendship... our most precious moments should be watching the smiles we induced stretch across the faces of people we encountered. We are each others boast... "Look," we should say at the end of our lives, pointing to a person on earth "I caused that laughter. I made that smile. I enabled that joy."

Our significance is in ensuring others realize and thrive within theirs. 

1:15-17 The Corinthians would have benefited from having Paul visit a second time; they were still working out issues in the process of establishing their churches. Ultimately Paul's decision and advice was to encourage them to seek God for correction and direction.

1:18-20 Regardless of what appears to go wrong or derail us, when we live our lives in accordance with God's will, the answer is always Yes. The answer is yes in that, Yes, He will always direct you toward your best opportunity. Even when we receive a "No" in life when we really, desperately desired a yes, trust that that "No" was given in order for you to reach your ultimate YES.

Sometimes we think things are not going our way but the No actually redirects us toward our Yes. It is imperative that we are vigilant... we are being guided, but are we following directions?

1:21-22 We are sealed with and by Spirit. We are established, perfected, protected and loved by creation. 1 Peter 5:10, we are not journeying alone. We are strengthened for our purpose.

1:23 It was dangerous to be around Paul. He had many adversaries and Paul did not want to endanger anyone, even thought it might have been comforting to him to be among friends.

1:24 "Fellow workers for your joy..." Humanity's purpose, simply proclaimed in this first chapter of II Corinthians. We are here as workers. Together we serve compassion. Together we serve each other.

NT: First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 16

I Corinthians 16:1-24

The final chapter of I Corinthians contains Paul's final advice.

16:1-4 Paul's life purpose and mission was to bring this philosophy to the world and he never accepted money for doing it. His advice was for the churches to collect charity donated to the church and to give it to a source which could do the most good with it in the most effective way.

Paul's example to us is that our good deeds and the purpose of our lives should not be driven by or influenced by money. Obviously people need jobs and money to provide for themselves and their families... Paul's work was an exceptional case. Yet when we do good in the world, like Paul, it should be done humbly and without the stipulation that we get paid for it.

16:5-7 God-willing, Paul plans to visit the Corinthians at a time when he can stay with them rather than rush a quick pass-through. Paul includes "If the Lord permits" and reminds us that our own plans are short-sighted. If our plans appear to have be thwarted, having placed our trust in God, it will have been for a good reason. 

16:8 Paul is on a mission. Paul is working. While he would love to visit with his friends, he willingly follows and works the course of his purpose on earth. One of the greatest lessons we can learn from Paul is to appreciate our time and opportunity here and to use it well. Paul is not stationary: not physically, not spiritually. He's constantly growing his faith as well as the faith of others. We may not all be apostles like Paul but we certainly have our own missions, our own purposes, our own time in which to focus on them... and to keep working.

16:10-12 Paul introduces Timothy and Apollos, fellow apostles and establishes a peaceful landing pad for them with the Corinthians. Paul needed to move along but God always keeps a helper and a comforter near us (in various forms), John 14:16.

16:13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong: Be observant, this world and everything in it is part of a classroom tailored specifically to our growth. Be agile in faith, constantly, actively expanding your perspective and your compassion. Have courage because the best lessons, the lessons which propel us to such great heights are the lessons which require the most out of us. Utilize the strength within yourself as well as the strength of God who loves you. With His assurance, you endure all.

16:14 Let all that you do be done with love: Do not let the complexity of life distract you from the simple, core principle that the earth, the universe, Spirit was created with and by and for compassion. When you are unsure, fall back on love. On the characteristics and qualities of love: patience, hope, justice, joy. 

16:15-16 Work with each other. We are participants of the same mission. 

16:17-16:18 Acknowledge the people (and things and experiences) who refresh your spirit, the people who supply you with what you are deficient of. Create nourishing relationships and friendships. Be respectful of but also grateful for humanity. We are each other's pillar.

16:19-21 A goodbye from Paul, who encourages the recipients of this letter to greet others with a holy kiss... with a faithful show of compassion and appreciation. 

16:22 Remember what Jesus is the embodiment of: compassion, patience, wisdom, truth, justice, hope, life. Let anyone and anything contradictory to those things fail.

And similarly as Paul finishes his first epistle,

16:23 Grace be with you.

16:24 My love be with you all in this beautiful philosophical life. Amen.

NT: First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 15

I Corinthians 15:1-58 

15:1 Paul brings his message to the Corinthians home. After all of his teachings, he draws it all back into the core of the reason why he was there speaking, the reason why they were there listening and the reason why we are here reading. We are here because we believe in this philosophy of compassion and because we understand it is a journey. We are here for help navigating the path of authenticity and creation and purpose.

15:2 Paul reminds us to grip onto this philosophy and hold it in the core of our hearts, minds, souls and actions. This philosophy of compassion is a pillar, a guiding light, a constant friend and father. We are consistently and expertly saved by it in as many moments as we allow it to, uplifted out of sorrow and confusion, frustration and fear. The only stipulation is that we actually must believe or at least work to understand it in the depths of ourselves. If your faith is the size of a pinprick, how can the light enter? God, the universe, divinity in whatever form you believe in will not intervene in your life without your permission. So if you believe in the philosophy of compassion, draw it into yourself and let it flow out of every word you speak and action you make.

You should not believe in anything "in vain" and especially not this. This is a philosophy of humility and gratitude and empathy. This is a philosophy of servitude; we serve compassion. This faith is a giving faith, constantly seeking avenues to create, promote and protect justice. When you believe in something strictly for self benefit, the selfishness of the action taints and even thwarts you. Selfishness cannot thrive on this selfless earth. This earth which sustains and protects us and boldly yet subtly exemplifies the naturally-compassionate order of the universe and spirit. 

15:3-8 Paul taught from the beginning, taught of He who brought this philosophy to humanity so that we would understand the roots of this faith. In the DNA of our bodies as well as our spirits is a history and a memory of our purpose and of the trials and triumphs we have endured as a many One to get to where we are today and to continue on into tomorrow.

15:9-10 Paul's honesty and humility reminds us that no matter who we are, available to us is a magnitude of purpose. Nothing makes a parent more glad than to receive a child who was lost; we learned that message from The Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15:11-32. Paul had disrupted the world... and then with God, he put it back together. There is redemption here, there is purpose and above all there is love here for us to utilize and express. 

15:11 We are many streams flowing from the same body of water. Our journeys are diverse, our culture and expressions are unique, but our ability to impact the world is abundantly present for each of us. We are beloved instruments; God holds us in His hands and completes amazing work with us. No matter who through, love and justice come into the world. Creation has and will always ensure that. 

15:12-19 It is not necessarily Christ the man we must believe in. Jesus is the manifestation of everything this philosophy stands for. We must believe (and ensure) that everything He exemplified is alive: justice, compassion, wisdom, truth, and love. Without belief in those things, life surely would be futile and pitiful. 

15:20 Jesus' message is a proffered awakening. For without understanding the purpose and philosophy of life, a person is in slumber. Life is difficult and chaotic without spiritual understanding. Jesus' message is a sustenance, a nourishment, a balm and an instruction through the wounds of living without purpose and understand.

15:21 Jesus' message is the symbolic promise of Life. His message is an unveiling of the truth that life lived with love is inextinguishable. Life lived with love constantly transitions but never ends. We rise from the earth alive and then are carried as if by the wind into Spirit, alive.

15:22 Jesus representation of spirit taught us that the superficial life of man, the life of greed for wealth and power and fame leads inevitably to an end. Yet spirit teaches us that compassion is a lifeline and as long as we allow it to flow into and then through us, we will always have life.

15:23 Compassion, embodied as and in Jesus, came here to earth and established a philosophy that would continue to collect us throughout generations. A home was built of spirit and each individual life here can choose to enter it, accepting their membership of the family.

15:24-27 The inevitable course of life and creation is compassion and love. The earth as it is now is a classroom, a classroom of freedom, trial and error, and choice. At the end of this class, we either align with eternal life or we do not. For only truth and justice, compassion and love can exist eternally. Greed and power have an expiration date; it's not a threat or even a punishment, it's just a truth. One way of live expires and the other continues on, infinitely, infallibly. 

15:28 Jesus or the philosophy of life comes to rest under God, or creation. The manifestation of creation's philosophy came to live here and taught and aided and guided and comforted, speaking of the ways and characteristics of creation. Having completed its work, this philosophy of life will return to its origin... and so will we if we are joined with it. For creation sent forth this philosophy so that we would find it, so that we would find ourselves in it and it within us. Inevitably, we fold back into it, into our home and creator. Can we sustain its light? The purity of its goodness? We make those decisions here on earth through the way that we live our life. For creation, like the sun, does not punish... yet only that which is strong and pure can survive its heat, adapt to the conditions of being near it.

15:29 Be authentic in faith. There is no point in going through the motions and customs of a rigid religion without having the core philosophy in your soul. Do not have a superiority complex over others because of how often you attend a church or enforce your values. Remember that Jesus accepted, loved, lived and interacted with people who needed to change and grow; He remained with people who were working on bettering themselves. Also remember that He taught out in the open, on boats, on rocks, on mountains, in the street... there does not need to be an elaborate institution to practice or validate faith. People who have never been inside of a church or temple or mosque could be (and are, sprinkled around the world) some of the kindest, most faithful people ever to live on the earth.

15:30 Paul daily risks his life to preach this message because it is his truth, it is the truth. Paul stands  passionately and faithfully for this truth. Whether you believe in the man, Jesus, or not, believe in this truth Paul expressed to humanity: this truth of the compassionate philosophy and nature of life.

15:31-32 Every day not lived with truth and purpose is a death. A death, a disappearance of an opportunity of purpose. Grasp life. Realize the abundant opportunity and ability here to be purposeful.

15:33-34 Surround yourself with truth, justice, compassion, and love for they are our best teachers. Let the earth around you exemplify the way of creation. There is peace and patience in the way the earth sustains itself and the life within it. Just as bad company corrupts and leads us astray, good company heals and guides us home. Be conscious of the environment you are in.

15:35-36 The transition from earth to spirit is a graduation, a completion of this course of life. Part of the lesson is to live with the acceptance of finality here in order to reach eternity in another place. We must be separate from our eternal home; it must be nearly intangible to us, in order that we may authentically find it. Without solid evidence of life beyond this one, we are each forced to live and work as if this is all there is... and if we decide that this short and vulnerable life is worthy of our compassion, then we become worthy of a long and invulnerable life after it.

15:37-38 Within different vessels, God places our souls. Each vessel is a scope through which to experience and express life. This body is not our spiritual body; its design enables us to learn many lessons we could not have learned in spirit. We learn what it is like to be fallible, to have limitations in thought and sight and physicality. We work with specific materials here, within and around us, which create constantly classrooms of learning and experience. 

15:39-40 God has placed life in many vessels and each are cherished for what they specifically are. The wonders and glory of one is different from the other, but each are loved the same. For the spirit (celestial) body is perfect and is loved for its perfection. The flesh body, here on earth, is imperfect and is loved for its imperfection, for its ability to rebound against sorrow and pain and injustice. For its strength despite and in spite of vulnerability. 

15:41 This universe is specifically, intricately designed and loved by creation. Each manifestation of life is elaborate and understood in incredible detail. One manifestation of life is not better than another. Sun, moon and stars are created, placed and loved for their specific reasons. Likewise are we created, placed and loved for our specific reasons. Different in individual aspects... but  deeply loved the same.

15:42-43 The imperfect journey here allows and leads to the perfect destination. We begin here, fallible and among fallibility. We are subject to making mistakes and to suffering the consequences of mistakes (both our own and others'). How we react, recharge and respond to life here is an opportunity to grow toward spirit. 

15:44-45 Our bodies are temporary vessels, provided to us by the earth. This body is like our backpack, our pencil case, our pens and pencils and highlighters... this body is the complete package of all that we need to study and learn from this schooling. This body is the host of our soul as it undergoes transformation and growth. After graduating earth, we divest ourselves of these materials because they are not necessary any longer. 

15:46-49 Our spirit, indefinable as it is, is our natural, true self. Yet we begin as humans, spirits with earthly bodies. We begin here because we are given the opportunity to create ourselves, to grow and be better than we were at start. Afterward, we are stripped of all the outside material and left only is a true self in the true manifestation of creation: spirit.

15:50-54 The inevitability of the earth and humanity is spirit. Each will experience a rejuvenation, a transformation from vulnerability to invulnerability. The conditions here now only exist to enable certain situations from which to learn, but once all of the lessons are taught, and all of the students experience the class, we each return to our natural state: the state of which our souls were made, Spirit.

15:55 From Hosea 13:14 we learn and are reassured that life triumphs consistently. The only victor will always be life and justice and compassion and wisdom, the ingredients of true, eternal life.

15:56-57 In the Spirit there is no death or law or sin because compassion abounds, the core of every entity of life there. Gratitude to our creator for ensuring that our natural and eventual home is love.

15:58 What better way to end this study and to move through life is there than this advice: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

NT: First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 14

I Corinthians 14:1-40

14:1 When we are determining the intention with which we will chart life and Paul gives us the directives to do so.

• Pursue love: Our foremost objective should be to love. We spoke of the elements and branches of love in the previous chapter. Justice is love. Respect is love. Friendship and truth and kindness are all expressions of love. 
• Desire spiritual gifts: When we realize that the intention of creation and of ourselves is love, we naturally desire that we may be the instruments through which it (love) can come into the world in its various forms. When we acknowledge that we have purpose and ability, we crave opportunities to be purposeful and impactful on the earth. 
• Desire the gift of spiritual wisdom: Above all else desire that what is unknown be made known to you. Spirituality, an understanding of the flow and frequency of the earth and humanity. With a broadened and informed perspective, a person is spiritually invincible, able to understand and endure both triumph and tribulation around the world.

14:2-5 More than spiritual wisdom, pray and hope and work for the ability to spread and teach and inspire spiritual wisdom in others. Many have completed there lives after spending the entirety of them contemplating disparity in the world and never finding any answers or mollification. Pray for the ability to draw the order and logic and purpose out of what appears to be a chaotic happenstance (this world of ours). 

Remain aware and focused on your motives, your established values and intention. You have purpose in the world, ability to impact humanity, and so with that comes a blessed opportunity. A responsibility to humanity. Pray for wisdom to share rather than for wisdom to have and use for self benefit. James 4:3 reminds us that we should pray with humility and compassion. 

What you ask for others is given to you... your prayers and your work create the conditions of the world you live in.

14:6 One must be able to communicate their spiritual wisdom. The purpose of our lives is to be purposeful, in our own specific ways, and to do that we need to be able to relate to, communicate with and interact with others. If our true wealth is a spirituality, what good does is do sitting in a bank? If you have something beneficial to others, utilize it. Extend it beyond yourself. Develop and broaden your perspective in effort to be able to communicate, to share the wisdom within yourself. 

14:7 In every moment, word and action of your life, live and speak and do with intention. Consider the message you are projecting into the world, because we are all projecting a message. Do not be random. Someone learning the English-language once asked me: "What is the difference between 'Sound' and Noise?'" The best I could explain was that "Noise" had a negative connotation and sound did not. So how are you living your life? Selfishly, randomly... is your life noise? Or is your life sound? Intentional, beautiful even.

14:8 Metaphorically this verse asks us: how can we expect humanity to understand us, empathize with us, communicate, work with us if we are unable to even understand ourselves? Know what your message is.

14:9 With humility and clarity know yourself and your message: what you value and why. If you do not have a message, you confuse yourself and you confuse the world. Be consistently aware and articulate through your chosen medium of communication. Work, dance, sing, play, paint, write, speak... whatever you do, do boldly, wisely, purposefully.

14:10 Even more than language, there are so many different ways of expression among humanity. For some, language is a painting or a song or a dance... every medium of expression is a communication with the world. Each is as important as the other.  Yet the most important thing we must remember is to respect, value and work to interpret the communication of others. Our diverse expression is meaningful; we must empathize with each other to remember and respect our similarities. 

14:11 If we are unable to communicate with each other we transition into strangers or even enemies. Our inaction, our inability to connect builds an impassable barrier (ignorance) and our similarities become more difficult to see. We must understand each other's language... metaphorically, we must learn to perceive the expression of others with empathy and open-mindedness.  

14:12 Paul knows that we all desire spiritual gifts: talents and abilities to carry us toward achievement. He reminds us to establish humble and compassionate motivations for having those talents and abilities. To be purposeful with what we are blessed with. 

14:13-15 No matter what you talent is, if it is spiritual wisdom, if it is the ability to paint or to play Cello or to speak... no matter what it is, pray to utilize it to change the world. That seems monumental, right? That one individual can change the world... but simply by existing, what we do impacts the world. Don't just exist... realize how instrumental you can be here and wield that power for compassion. Have the perception to understand the depth of meaning within yourself and humanity. Let your every moment be aware of the deeper meaning behind all of this.

14:16 If you are not authentically wise and humble people will not understand you on a level that is beneficial to them. Whatever wisdom or talent or character trait you have, it needs you to be intentional with it in order to be impactful. 

14:17 If you pray and hope and work for yourself you help yourself but you ignore the rest of humanity. You ignore the state of your own world, of all that exists around you. Will you be happy with yourself at the end of this life if you've built yourself a mansion? Will you be happy when at the end of this life when it's time to walk out of the mansion you build yourself only to see that your neighbors lived in huts? You are so capable, able to build for yourself and others as well.

14:18-19 Paul keeps perspective: he is grateful and blessed to be able to communicate with the world. Yet Paul understands that unless what we are saying has meaning and purpose and compassion, it's just noise. Unless what we are saying is shareable, it's useless. 

14:20 We might stop growing physically but we have the ability to continue to grow emotionally, spiritually, in wisdom and perspective. Grow your mind and soul. Let your focus be in spiritual growth rather than in the things which lead us into trouble (greed for more and better in all other areas).

12:21 In the Book of Isaiah 28:11-12, we are reminded that there is natural instruction in the world leading us and guiding us toward and through spiritual growth... but that it goes largely unheard. So easily we become wrapped up in things and situations which do not matter or progress us in anyway.

12:22 Creation speaks to both believers and unbelievers, extending its wisdom to each child of light and life. For nonbelievers are given nudges in the right direction. Believers step onto the moving walkways. Each are led in the best way specific to how they understand the world.

Similarly, when we speak our message, we must relay it in a way that is understandable to our audience. Be able to communicate humbly, dynamically. 

12:23 Your life's message will never be understand by another person if they cannot relate to you. If what you have to say is delivered with a superiority complex or without the agility required to relate to them in order to deliver it, you will never connect. 

Establish, know, and promote your values articulately, consistently, humbly, concisely so that people have the opportunity to benefit from what you have in your heart.

12:24-25 When we are able to communicate our spiritual wisdom effectively it has the opportunity and ability to change the people and world around us. How you live your life is a message spoken to humanity and honestly, your message can inspire someone to elevate their own spirituality. 

14:26 No matter what you bring to the metaphorical table, whatever you contribute to life, let it be to edify. To establish and grow and promote all life.

14:27 Paul's advice here and in the following verses is specific for the establishment of churches. We must remember that communication is complex. We must be conscious of retaining the core of our message as it trickles down to different people of different ways of thought.

14:28 If you are not able to effectively communicate with someone, do not create frustration and confusion. Let each person find their smooth and easy journey toward their spiritual destination. 

14:29 Do not bombard people. If you have an audience of students, be a student with them as you also listen to your cohorts speak. Again, this advice is given to those establishing churches. Yet we can also learn from Paul's advice. Be ordered, simple and efficient in delivering any message.

14:30 Let people learn on their own schedule, at their own pace. Be patient with each other as we learn and grow and ask questions and partake in trials and errors.

14:31-32 God reaches everyone and works with everyone. We each have a message to speak to the world, a message specific to our spirits within us.

14:33 God is the "author" of peace. He knows and creates every avenue necessary to reach every person hoping to grow spiritually. Look at the miraculous order around us, the science and conditions which allow and have created this earth and universe. These complex minds, bodies and souls of ours. God is precise and His precision's intention is peace for all life.

14:34-35 This is actually a mistranslated verse. The original message was that no person should chatter and gossip during a spiritual teaching. We know from the rest of the Bible that God values men and women equally, works with men and women equally, and holds the same standards for men and women... equally.

14:36-38 Be humble. All wisdom has flowed from an authentic, original source: creation. Never grow to be arrogant or proud because your wisdom and your knowledge would not have been possible if you were not created, if this earth and universe were not created for you (and you definitely had no part in that). 

14:39-40 The upshot of this chapter is given in this verse: Desire spiritual wisdom and the ability to share and project it because you matter and the people and earth around you matter and deserve your best and generous efforts.