The power of “all y’all”

Pastor Mike Novotny

Unless you read Greek, you might have missed the powerful principle Paul shared with the Corinthians: “But when you are tempted, [God] will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). What’s easy to miss in modern English is the number of yous contained in Paul’s “you.”

Up where I live in Wisconsin, we use the same word for talking to one person or lots of people: you singular and you plural. But Greek is more like the American South. Greeks had a special word for y’all when speaking to more than one person, which Paul uses here multiple times. In this passage, Paul is literally saying, “But when y’all are tempted, God will also provide a way out so that y’all can endure it.”

What’s the difference? Paul knows little of a “personal relationship with Jesus” that can handle the crushing weight of temptation. He knows everything of a community in relationship with Jesus that battles temptation together. And that is how you say no to sin, whether gossiping about relatives or self-medicating with food or alcohol. By myself the weight of this temptation is too much. But not with y’all. With all y’all’s wisdom and prayers and accountability and forgiveness, this is not more than I can handle. This is not more than I can bear.

So leverage Paul’s powerful method of resisting temptation. Reach out and involve others. Tell them your struggles and ask for their prayers. Harness the power of “all y’all”!

Devotion used by permission of Time of Grace®. For more information, visit timeofgrace.org