Weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. What is your natural inclination toward these things? What does our world tend to say we should do in regard to these things?

Weaknesses? Hide them. Draw attention away from yours. Draw attention to others’. Insults and persecutions? Avoid them at all costs. Keep your head down and fly under the radar. Or return fire with fire. Calamities? Fear them. Insulate yourself from them. Live by the motto “Safety first!”

This Sunday, Paul makes a radically different appeal to us. And not in a “do as I say and not as I do” manner. His own life was evidence that he had put his money where his mouth was.

If we really have concluded with him, “That one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised (2 Corinthians 5:14–15)” then like Paul, we are also servants of Christ. Which means we’re servants of the One who redeemed us from sin and death and conquered our greatest enemies through weakness. And as Jesus himself told us, “A servant is not greater than his master (John 15:20).”

This Sunday Kenny Clark will be preaching 2 Corinthians 11:21b-12:10 and Caleb Bilti will be leading our sung worship. Would you pray for each as they prepare? And let’s make Hebrews 13:7 our prayer for one another:

Father, as we remember our leader Paul, who spoke to us the word of God, help us to consider the outcome of his way of life and imitate his faith!

See you Sunday, Grace. Come hungry!

 

Song Link of the Week

How Firm a Foundation sung by Nathan Drake (Reawaken Hymns)

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie
My grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply
The flame shall not hurt thee, I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine”