Jump Start # 3255

2 Corinthians 7:2 “Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one.”

Our verse today begins with a great expression, ‘make room for us in your hearts.’ That’s hard for some folks. As a young parent with one child it’s hard to think that you have any room to love another child. But you do. Your heart just expands and you love both of your children fully and equally.

Paul’s words were to the Corinthian brethren. What follows those words are three declarative statements. We didn’t hurt anyone. No one was wronged. No one was corrupted. No one was taken advantage of. Had that been the case, the door to the Corinthian heart would likely have been closed and locked. They would have reasons to say that we have no room to love you. You mistreated us and that’s it. That wasn’t the case. They needed to make room for Paul in their hearts.

Some lessons for us spiritually:

First, when new folks come in, it’s easy for them to always feel like the outsiders. They may not be included, invited and the impression is left that they are “not one of us.” That hurts fellowship. That can be the undoing for that new couple. After a few months, they leave looking for another place. They left never feeling like they were accepted or welcomed. Make room in your hearts for us, that’s the answer.

Second, when prodigals come home they can feel like a second class citizen. They sense that people are always watching them, just waiting for them to mess up again. No running towards them, like the father in Luke 15. No celebrations. No feasts. Just Questions and Suspicion and lots of Doubts. Make room in your hearts, that ‘s the answer. Love them. Forgive them. Open your heart to them.

Third, it takes some effort on our hearts to find the room for others. It’s like putting suitcases in the trunk of your car for a trip. Things have to be adjusted, moved around and squeezed in, but it can be done. Pride and stubbornness on our parts can close that trunk shut with the statement, “There just isn’t any room.” I have stood at subways and as the doors open and you see how packed the cars are, one thinks there is no way. But you get in there and you find a spot. Room was made.

Our dislike of someone or believing that someone is different can keep others on the outside. Not everyone will be like you. Not everyone will be like me. That’s good. Not all the apostles were the same. Not all the early Christians were the same. Business woman like Lydia, a wealthy Ethiopian, a Roman officer, Jews, Gentiles, men, women, slaves and owners—that was the makeup of those early churches. It was the potential to be a real powder keg of problems. How do you smooth all of those wrinkles out? How do people who culturally do not like each other, accept one another? Make room in your hearts, that’s the answer.

Fourth, when I find room in my heart for you, I come to like you. I learn from you. I appreciate you. I thank my God for you. You help me and I hope I help you. Together we journey. Together we fight Satan. Together we build the kingdom. Common goals. Same interests. Like minded. Making room for you becomes a blessing to me. Making room for you adds value to me. Making room for you is one of the best things I could do.

And, after a while, a person thinks, ‘How do I manage without you?’

Making room, implies making time. It involves making effort. It means to make the most of what we can.

Got any room left in your heart? Bet you do. Move things around a bit and you might just find a tiny spot for me, and I’ll do the same for you.

Make room in your heart for me…love that thought.

Roger

Jump Start # 1947

2 Corinthians 7:2 “Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged on one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one.”

Our passage today finds the apostle Paul reminding the Corinthian church of his noble work among them. They had questioned and challenged him. He was forced to defend himself. Paul wasn’t getting rich off of them. He didn’t have impure or selfish motives. He was simply preaching Christ.

Three times in this verse the words, “No One,” is found. We wronged no one. We corrupted no one. We took advantage of no one. All of this shows that it is easy to make up stuff about someone. Throwing dirt is easy. Saying, “I’ve heard…” is easy to hide behind. How tempting it is to just avoid such people. How we want to just walk away and never come back. Yet, that wasn’t Paul. Our verse opens with his plea, “Make room for us in your hearts.” Paul was wanting to be accepted, loved and seen as he truly was. He wasn’t ready to give up on these people. He wasn’t walking away. He wanted to be in their hearts.

Make room. We understand that. Company comes and you have to make room for them. You are going on a trip and you have to make room in your suitcase to fit everything in. Recently I was on a bus that was taking us to a football game. We got on early and had seats. By the time we reached the stadium it was packed. We had to make room. Squeeze in.

The problem of hatred, prejudice and indifference is that no room was made in the heart for other people. The door was closed and others were left out. They were left out by choice. When we don’t have room in our hearts for others, we leave them out of our lives. No concern. No prayers. No thinking about them.

Now, the problem in all of this is not the size of our hearts. It’s not that some have larger hearts than others. It’s not that my heart simply has no more room. There gets to be a point on that bus ride that no more people can squeeze in. That’s not the issue here. Our hearts have the room. Our hearts have a wonderful way of expanding. Mothers understand that. The first child comes and she loves and adores that child. She worries if she could love another child as much as that first one. She soon learns that she can. Her heart can hold love for both of them. She made room in her heart. It’s not the size of the heart, it’s a matter of wanting to. It’s a matter of choice. There is room in the heart to love, but some do not want to.

This becomes sticky when we talk about a church. New people come in. Room isn’t made in the hearts for them. They come but they always feel like outsiders. They are not talked to very much. They are not invited. They are not included. No one really wants to hear what they have to say. They are given the “cold shoulder” treatment. In time, they leave. They quit. They feel that the church is not friendly. And for those who stay, they don’t give another thought to those who left. They were never included in their hearts. No room was made for them. After a while, the church turns more into a country club atmosphere. If you’ve been there a long time, or they deem that you fit in, you are in. If you don’t, you’re always be an outsider. Some can worship there for a decade and still be considered “those new people.” Those new people are never seen as one of us. It’s “Them” and “Us.” No room was made in the heart for them.

Why do we do act this way? Why do we not make room in our hearts, as Paul declared?

Sometimes, we like the comfort of old friends in the church. We have a history. We know each other’s stories. New people are not like that. They don’t know us and we don’t know them. And it’s that “us” and “them” thinking that keeps the door of our heart closed.

Sometimes there is a risk factor involved. Different than we are. Not from the same area as we are. Not liking the same things as we do. Not sure about them. Not fully trusting them. No room in the heart. No vacancy. All filled up. They may not laugh at our jokes. They may not get what we are talking about. They might judge us. It’s risky getting to know new people. It’s easy to put up the “No vacancy” sign. Sorry, no room in our hearts for you.

Sometimes there has been a hurt from the past that keeps us from making room in our hearts. Maybe someone burned us. Maybe someone gossiped. Maybe someone let us down. Maybe confidence was broken. Maybe promises were not kept. You loaned and they kept. You invited and they didn’t show up. Maybe they pointed fingers at you, for something you didn’t even do. You’ve been hurt. You’ve been hurt once and you don’t want to be hurt again. So, you no longer have any more room. You are not going through that again. You want nothing to do with those who might take advantage of you. The door remains closed and there is no vacancy at this time.

Make room in your hearts for us, is what Paul said. Open up your hearts. Allow us to be accepted, wanted, welcomed, and loved by you. Allow us to help you and you help us. Allow us to be one in the Lord.

I have a lot of dear friends in my life. Some are very successful. A few are famous. All of them have been good to me. I sure you are the same way. Imagine having Paul, the apostle as a friend. Imagine opening your heart up to Paul. In our times, Paul as a friend. Can you imagine sending Paul a text this morning. “Hey, just wanted to say ‘Hi’ to you. Where are you in your travels today?” Can you imagine? Can you imagine Paul coming to your area and asking, “Can we get a bite to eat, connect before I have to head to my next place to preach?” How about an email from Paul, saying, “I got your note. Here’s the answer to the question you had.” We’d do that in a second, because of all the value Paul could give to our lives. The encourager. The teacher. The servant. So many titles we could attach to Paul. But, we’d have to wonder, is the only reason I have opened by heart to Paul is for what I get out of it? That sounds like a one sided relationship. What could I possibly give Paul? Encouragement. Support. Prayers. Doubt I could teach him anything. I certainly wouldn’t want to give him pointers about preaching. But there are things I could do for him.

In this, we open our hearts and allow others in. We receive and we give. What we receive may not be equal nor the same as what we give. But it’s a relationship. It’s sharing. It’s caring. It’s love. It’s being one mind and one heart. The teacher and the encourager, make room for each other in their hearts. The shepherd and the sheep, make room for each other in their hearts. We want the best for each other, when we have made room in our hearts for each other. We pray for each other. We think about how to help each other. We become a band of brothers. We are teammates. We are family. We have, as the Colossians were told, hearts that are knit together. We are linked. We rejoice with each other, and, we weep with each other. Our story is woven together with each other. This makes a fellowship. This makes a church.

Make room in your heart. That’s where it starts. You take down that “No vacancy” sign, when you extend your hand, with a warm smile on your face, and you say, “I’m glad to see you.” Melt the ice that can exist in some churches. Give a hug. Stick around and talk. Invite. Include. Welcome.

Make room in your heart. Sometimes to make room, we have to toss some things. What needs to be tossed is selfishness, indifference, prejudice, preconceived ideas, and the things that aren’t of Christ. You do that and you’ll see that you have all kinds of room. Room enough to include you. Room enough to include me. And when you do that, what a wonderful journey you are on. Remember, Jesus had room for Samaritans, lepers, tax collectors and even you and me. We can learn from Him.

Make room…

Roger

Jump Start # 414 

2 Corinthians 7:2 “Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one.”

  Paul in this section of second Corinthians is having to defend himself and his role as an apostle against some false charges and accusations. His credibility was at stake. If they questioned his role, they were certainly not going to listen to his message.

  I like the opening expression of this passage, “Make room for us in your hearts.” Sometimes a person can act as if there is just no more love that they can give—there is no more room. New members of a church can feel isolated, not accepted and as if there isn’t any more room for them in the hearts of the people.

  God made our hearts expandable. Ask any mother. How is it that she can love all her children and love them equally—that’s just the way our hearts our. God made our hearts to be modeled after His—and He has room to love the whole world.

  It may be that the Corinthians didn’t want to love Paul because they felt he wasn’t deserving. This is why we find the expressions, “we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one.” They didn’t have a reason not to love.

  Sometimes we can act like girls in middle school (my apologies to middle school girls) – they seem to be into cliques, and who likes who, and who is my best friend this week and those who aren’t included in the inner circle are ignored, made to eat at another lunch table and so forth. Some of you remember that. Some of you are dealing with middle school girls now and you know what it is like. The same can happen among adults, in the church. It’s ugly. Feelings get hurt and often a family leaves over such things.

  Make room for us in your heart. That’s the answer. Make room for us as you invite people over. Make room for us as you talk with others after services. Make room for us. And the reason is because we are related through Jesus, we belong to the same spiritual family, we are after the same thing and believe it or not, we need each other.

  Making room for each other will keep us from talking about each other—that kills gossip. Making room for each other will help us realize that everyone is needed—that kills the superiority image and an arrogant attitude. Making room for everyone is the way of Christ. Jesus was with the Pharisees, but He was also with tax collectors, and lepers and the “unclean.” The Pharisees didn’t have room for “those kinds of people” in their hearts. Jesus did. When we start remembering these things, it will occur to you that Jesus made room in His heart for US. Look at us! We’re not varsity material. We not the best—He makes us the best, but that’s because He made room for US in His heart.

  One of our kids moved back home the other day—he has one year of college left and it made the best sense to do that. He’s been living in apartments for nearly 4 years. He has a lot of stuff. We had to make room. I’m glad he’s here. I like having him around. And that’s what happens when you make room in your heart for someone else—it may take some work at first to find a way to fit the person in, but once you’ve made the room, it’s great.

  Look about your world—is there someone at work no one talks to unless they have to? Can you make room for that person in your heart? How about someone in the neighborhood. Maybe there’s that one neighbor no one really likes—got any room for him in your heart? And especially, in the church. Everyone has room for the preacher, but how about the teenager? How about the person who is lacking social skills? Or the person that seems a bit odd to everyone else? Got any room for that person?

  There was slogan a while back that said, “Got Milk?” That’s been used for many things and it even works here—Got ROOM? Give it a try. You’ll find you have more room than you think and it will make all the world to the person you’ve invited into your heart.

Roger

Jump Start # 339

2 Corinthians 7:2 “Make room for un in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one.”

  It’s often difficult to read 2 Corinthians. The apostle Paul was accused by brethren of being anything but a true apostle. They ridiculed the way he spoke. They questioned his motives for taking money. They challenged him and resisted him. This came about not from pagan persecutors, but from his own brethren—God’s people. Shame on them. This happens when people allow themselves to be misled without checking the facts and getting caught up in a mob mentality.

  You’ll notice in our verse today that Paul repeats the expression “no one” three times. No one was wronged. No one was corrupted. No one was taken advantage of. It’s one thing to throw darts of accusations, but Paul answered by saying there was no proof.

  The tone of this book is tough. Paul has to spend too much time talking about himself. He didn’t like that. But he had to. These false accusers were chipping away at his credentials. Eventually, the agenda would lead to Paul being called a false teacher and his writings, God’s word, being discredited.

  Folks do the same today. They hear a story, we don’t like the word gossip but that’s what it is, and off they go racing their tongues and minds. Good people can be hurt. Reputations ruined by those who say things without proof, and worse without trying to help, restore and save a soul. In sports we call this, ‘trash talking’ and that’s a great description, because ‘it’s trash.’

  It would be easy for Paul to ignore, shun and want to have nothing to do with the Corinthian church. But he loved them. He put his heart and soul into them. His words for them, “make room for us in your hearts.”

  What a wonderful expression of love and joy. Make room for us. We want to be welcomed by you. We want to be loved and accepted. Sometimes our hearts are full and there just isn’t any more room. Just like at home, there are days when we must go through things and toss out what we don’t use so we can make more room. Make room in your heart—first for God. He belongs in your heart. Make room in your heart for God’s word—it’s your source of strength, faith and hope. Make room in your heart for God’s people—the church. They are your spiritual family.

  Make room in your heart. Throw out the stuff that no longer matter—the love of money, the pride of trying to be a big shot, and mostly self. We have too much of self in us. It was Paul who told the Galatians that he “crucified self” and that “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” What happened? Paul made room in his heart. The Ephesians were told to let the word of Christ richly dwell with in them. They made room in their hearts.

  Many of us grew up with moms who did spring cleaning. Every spring, the house was given a good old fashioned cleaning and polishing. As a kid, you dreaded that day. It meant a lot of work. Cleaning closets. Digging all the things that you had stuffed under the bed. Trying on clothes to see what didn’t fit. It was a lot of work, especially for a kid. I hated it. I’m still not a big fan of it, but it’s amazing how nice everything looks when it is done. That’s what we have to do with our hearts. It’s hard work and you’d much rather do something else, but when it’s all done, my how nice things look.

  Make room in your heart…how stuffed is your heart? Got some things that really don’t belong there—get rid of them and make room for the right stuff, the godly things.

Roger