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A Year Held in His Hands| A New Year Sermon

By Ekombe Hau -
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A Year Held in His Hands| A New Year Sermon Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash Every time a new year comes close, something in me start feeling that weird mix of excitement and heaviness. Maybe you know the feeling too—like you’re standing at this invisible doorway. One foot in the old year (the stuff you want to forget but somehow still sticks to you like stubborn glue), and the other foot stepping into something you still can’t see clearly. And sometimes you’re hopeful, sometimes you’re scared, sometimes you’re… well, both at the same time. I was thinking about all that while reading some Scriptures again, and honestly, it hit me harder this year. Maybe because life been kinda loud lately, or maybe because I’m tired of pretending everything always makes sense. But the Bible does this thing, right? It sneaks into the parts of your heart you thought you cleaned up, and suddenly you realize God is trying to talk to you again. Even if it feels like you weren’t exactly listening. S...
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2 Corinthians Chapter 13 – Commentary & Explanation Bible Study

By Ekombe Hau -
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2 Corinthians Chapter 13 – Commentary & Explanation Bible Study  Photo by  Simon Ray  on  Unsplash You know, every time I come back to 2 Corinthians 13, I feel this little knot in my chest, like Paul’s words aren’t just ancient sentences, but something he wrote last night and left on our table to read in the morning. This chapter… it’s sharp and soft at the same time. It feels like a father trying to correct a child he loves deeply, but the child is stubborn, confused, sometimes hurt. And Paul, honestly, he sounds tired here—not tired of them, but tired for them. And maybe tired of seeing chaos in a church that should be a place of warmth and truth. Anyway, let's go verse by verse. Verse 1 – “This will be my third visit to you. ‘Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’” Paul starts off sounding like someone who’s had to repeat the same advice again and again. You know that tone—like when your mom said, “I’ve told you thi...
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2 Corinthians Chapter 12 – Commentary and Reflection (Verse by Verse)

By Ekombe Hau -
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2 Corinthians Chapter 12 – Commentary and Reflection (Verse by Verse) Photo by  Simon Ray  on  Unsplash This chapter always hits me differently. Paul gets personal, like really personal. He talks about visions, revelations, and yes — his struggles, the ones that leave marks you can’t see on the outside. Reading it, you can feel his heart almost trembling as he writes — like he’s leaning close and whispering, “Look… even I have weakness, even I have pain.” It’s honest, raw, and strangely comforting. Verse 1 – “I must go on boasting. Though it is not profitable, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.” Paul’s opening line feels almost hesitant. He knows boasting isn’t supposed to be nice, but he’s doing it out of necessity. He wants the Corinthians to understand why he speaks and acts the way he does. It’s funny how honesty sometimes looks like pride. But really, he’s just saying, “You need to know what God has done through me, because it explains everyth...
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2 Corinthians Chapter 11 – Commentary and Explanation (Verse by Verse)

By Ekombe Hau -
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2 Corinthians Chapter 11 – Commentary and Explanation (Verse by Verse) Photo by  Simon Ray  on  Unsplash When you read this chapter, it kinda feels like Paul’s voice trembles. He’s defending himself again — not because he wants to boast, but because people in Corinth had started listening to fake teachers who looked impressive and sounded smooth. You can almost feel Paul’s pain — he had loved these people, prayed for them, cried for them, but now they were turning to others. This chapter… it’s raw, personal, and almost heartbreaking. Verse 1 – “I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me!” Paul starts with a tone that sounds both tired and sincere. He’s saying, “Please just bear with me while I speak my heart.” He knows defending himself might sound like foolish boasting, but he’s doing it because the truth matters. You ever been in that place — where you don’t want to talk about yourself, but you have to because people twiste...
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2 Corinthians Chapter 10 – Commentary and Explanation (Verse by Verse)

By Ekombe Hau -
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2 Corinthians Chapter 10 – Commentary and Explanation (Verse by Verse) Photo by  Simon Ray  on  Unsplash Sometimes when you read Paul’s letters, you can almost feel his emotions behind the words — frustration, love, courage, a bit of pain. In this chapter, he sounds like a man trying to defend himself not for pride, but for truth. People had been talking behind his back, saying he’s bold in letters but weak in person. You can sense his heartache — it’s not about reputation; it’s about protecting the message of Christ. Let’s walk through it slowly. Verse 1 – “By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am ‘timid’ when face to face with you, but ‘bold’ toward you when away!” You can hear his tone right? A bit of sarcasm but gentle. They said Paul was weak in person. He admits, yes, he’s not loud or flashy. But his strength comes from Christ’s gentleness, not from shouting or showing off. I love that. The meekness of Christ is not weakness. I...
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2 Corinthians Chapter 8 – Commentary and Explanation

By Ekombe Hau -
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2 Corinthians Chapter 8 – Commentary and Explanation Photo by  Simon Ray  on  Unsplash Sometimes, when you read this chapter, you can almost hear Paul smiling a little. It’s not the heavy tone like earlier chapters — this one breathes hope. It talks about giving, but not in that cold way where people count coins. No, this is about the heart behind the hand. Paul starts talking about the churches in Macedonia — poor, struggling, yet unbelievably generous. It’s like he’s saying, “Look at them. Look how love looks when it costs something.” Verse 1 – “And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.” I love that he calls generosity a grace . It’s not natural, not forced — it’s something God gives . The Macedonians didn’t give because they had a lot. They gave because they had been touched by grace. You can tell when someone gives from grace. There’s no show-off, no grumbling, no guilt. It’s joy. Real givin...
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2 Corinthians Chapter 7 – Commentary and Explanation (Personal Study)

By Ekombe Hau -
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2 Corinthians Chapter 7 – Commentary and Explanation (Personal Study) Photo by  Simon Ray  on  Unsplash When I read this chapter, it feels like Paul is breathing again. Like after crying hard for too long, he finally catches his breath. It’s tender now. His words carry both pain and peace. The tone changes from correction to comfort, from sternness to soft gratitude. It’s a letter soaked in emotion — relief, joy, even tears. Verse 1 – “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” Paul begins with promises . Not fear. Not guilt. Promises. Because that’s the base of our faith — not what we do first, but what He already said. We’re His children. We belong to Him. He lives in us. And Paul says, since this is true, let’s stay clean. But not like trying to impress God — it’s more like… love responding to love. When you love someone deeply, you want t...
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2 Corinthians Chapter 6 – Commentary and Explanation (Personal Study)

By Ekombe Hau -
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2 Corinthians Chapter 6 – Commentary and Explanation (Personal Study) Photo by  Simon Ray  on  Unsplash Sometimes when I read this chapter, I stop after just a few verses and stare at the page. Paul sounds tired but still hopeful, you know? Like someone who’s been through too much but can’t stop believing anyway. There’s a weight in his voice, a kind of sacred exhaustion, but also this deep love that never burns out. He starts by saying, “We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” That line—it’s like a holy shake. He’s begging us, Don’t waste grace. I think about that sometimes… how many times I took grace for granted. Treated it like a soft blanket when it was meant to be fuel. Paul knew how easy it is to grow lazy with mercy—to just sit on blessings and never walk them out. Grace is supposed to make us live different, not just feel safe. Now Is the Time Then Paul says, “Now is the accepted time, now is t...
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