Post by _Tope_24 on Jun 21, 2007 22:52:44 GMT -5
"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10, ESV).
At what point should you give up? When do you stop trying? The answer to those questions depends a lot on what you're trying to do. But it also depends on why you're trying to do it.
Reality TV shows do a good job exploring these questions. They put men and women in various extreme situations, and we watch to see how far they'll go for, say, a million dollars. Usually, the winner is the one who decides early on that they'll do whatever it takes to reach the goal. That no matter what hardships they have to face today, the payoff tomorrow makes it all worthwhile.
If the goal were a million dollars, how hard would you push yourself? Probably pretty hard.
But let's change the question: If the goal were one soul saved for Christ, what would you be willing to endure?
The Bible tells us about the apostle Paul, possibly the greatest missionary ever. He became a believer shortly after Christ returned to heaven (Acts 9). If you look at a map of the Mediterranean region and follow the coast from Israel to Italy, Paul and his partners were largely responsible for bringing the Gospel to all the lands in between (and possibly as far as Spain).
It wasn't an easy life. In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul takes a moment to describe some of the hardships he experienced: "Imprisonments, with countless beatings, and [was] often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers" (2 Corinthians 11:23-27, ESV).
Why did he do it? What could possibly be worth all that?
Paul tells us why, "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10, ESV).
Consider It
As you read through 2 Corinthians 11:23-12:10, think about the following questions.
What was Paul given to keep him from becoming proud? (See 12:7).
How did Paul react? How did God respond?
How is weakness shown as a good thing?
Why is it important that we draw our strength from God?
Apply It
Paul could have had an easy life, but he chose a hard one because he knew it was worth it. In America, we may not face the kind of difficulties Paul did, and that's both a good thing and a bad thing. The good is obvious, but it's bad because sometimes we don't value our relationship with God as much as we should.
Take some time today and pray for the missionaries and Christians around the world whose lives are literally in danger because they believe in Jesus. Pray that their faith would remain strong and that people would hear their testimony.
Express It
It's not wrong to be grateful for the blessings you have, so praise God for them today. Ask Him also to keep you from taking these blessings for granted, and that He would show you how to use them for His sake. Pray for the strength you need to continue even if when life gets tough.
- from not religion.com