2 Corinthians 6

http://www.esvbible.org/2+Corinthians+6/

Paul finishes what he talked about in chapter 5 when he talks about being God's coworkers. He says that we should not let God's grace be wasted on us. God says that He heard us at the right time, and helped us on the day of salvation. Now is the day of salvation. We find that salvation in Jesus Christ.

Paul says that he doesn't let the people find any opportunity to find fault with him, and in his line of work, they are always looking. We always have to be on guard that we do what Jesus calls us to. This can sound overwhelming, but when we love Jesus enough, we can't imagine doing anything else. And it's okay to mess up; everyone will sooner or later. We will go through many trials, just as Paul did. People will slander us, cut us off, make fun of us, and we will have to work hard to overcome all of that. But when we do, it's worth it because there are always those people who are searching, and when they see that we attack these obstacles head on an work through them, they will notice that there is something different about us. That's the first step in ministering to people: show them that there's something different about you. When they notice, they're bound to ask why you're different, and that's when you have the opportunity to tell them the Good News. Paul also says that we must praise God no matter what and in all times. We can't just praise God when He's popular, and everyone praises us for being such good servants of the Lord. If we abandon our faith in the times when God is unpopular or even illegal, then we are just the people shouting "Hosanna!" the week before the crucifixion and "Crucify Him!" at the trial. But if we truly believe that Christ came to take on the sins of the world and save us, then we will praise Him at all times. For when the bad things happen, God will come through for us. When we are treated poorly for doing God's work, we will feel the strains, but we will not break because God is on our side. Paul says that he's always been there for the Corinthians, and he hasn't cut them off; rather, they cut him off with their emotions. He talks to them like he would children. When people turn away from the message, we have to stay firm but remember that others are not in the same place that we are. Sometimes we have to break it down for them to even have them let us in.

 Paul says we must end unhealthy relationships with unbelievers. Any relationship with an unbeliever that is dragging you away from Christ or causing you to unnecessarily sin is unhealthy. We must remember that the Holy Spirit lives in us and we are, therefore, temples of God. If we associate with unbelievers who cause us to do things against God, it's like placing idols in the temple. We have to escape these things if we are to be accepted by God because if we hold on to these unhealthy friendships and partnerships, then we are not truly letting go to God. God wants everything from us, and if we continue on our old ways with unhealthy choices and people, we are not giving it all over to Him. This is not saying, however, that we should not associate with any nonbelievers. We must spread the Good News to them, but if the relationship gets to the aforementioned unhealthy point, it must end.