14 Now for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. 15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved. (2 Corinthians 12:14-15)
Paul loved the Corinthian Christians like parents love their children. He had preached Christ among them and through the gospel had laid up great spiritual blessings for them. Paul could say “I have begotten you through the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:15). But, some of them did not recognize his love and refused the truth he taught them. They loved him less the more he loved them. But, he was resolved to continue loving them the only way he knew how. He would exhaust himself (“spend and be spent”) seeking their salvation. That is what devoted parents do today. Teach your children the truth of the gospel, lay before them the spiritual blessings of Christ and show them the way to heaven. They may refuse your instruction, rejecting your love. But, keep on loving them “more abundantly” by showing them the way to heaven. That’s true love.
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