APOSTLE PAUL CHALLENGES US

 Reading II Corinthians 6:1-13 yesterday was an inspiring experience.  I’m copying it here in case you’d like to review it:

6 As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. ² For he says,

‘In the time of my favor I heard you,
    and in the day of salvation I helped you.’

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Paul’s hardships

³ We put no stumbling-block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. ⁴ Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵ in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶ in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷ in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸ through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹ known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

¹¹ We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. ¹² We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. ¹³ As a fair exchange – I speak as to my children – open wide your hearts also.

Paul opens with an exhortation to not receive God’s grace in vain.  I believe he also talks about this in I Corinthians 15:10, where he refers to doing so as wasted grace.  The Apostle wants us to maximize our faith as he clearly sought to do in his life!  After all, God has gone to great depths to pursue us, redeem us and empower us;  we should, therefore, seek to be all we can be for Him and His Kingdom! 

Yet, ‘losing our first love’ [Revelation 2:4] is so common.  In speaking to the Laodicean church [Revelation 3:16] Jesus indicates how repugnant lukewarm followers were to Him!  Then He goes on – in both passages – to demand repentance and to speak of rebukes and disciplines for those who continue to waste the grace of God. 

It makes you wonder how much of the pain and opposition we face is really God-initiated to try to bring us to repentance?  He – far more than the apostle Paul – wants us to MAXIMIZE our faith.  Doing so will bring us great blessings of peace, joy and in some cases, plenty. 

So, according to Paul’s admonition, how do we fully implement God’s great grace?

By staying faithful to God:

·        By exercising endurance in difficult times including trouble, hardships, distresses, beatings, imprisonments – even riots.  Enduring hard work, sleepless nights – even hunger.

·        By maintaining purity, understanding, patience and kindness through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as an expression of sincere love!  Through truthful speech and manifesting the power of God using the weapons of righteousness in our right hand and in the left! 

·        In times of honor and dishonor, bad report and good report – always being genuine, regardless of how others treat us.  Feeling, at times, like we might die – but pressing on toward eternal life in Christ!

·        Pushing forward through times of persecution and great sorrow;  even poverty, if necessary – knowing that ultimately we will gain a great reward that will last for all eternity! 

You surely see that this runs counter to what we hear and see in our culture.  This is the theology of a servant – to exist to serve and bless others.  This requires a CONSTANT denying of oneself while prioritizing the needs of those God brings us into contact with on a daily basis. Doing so will earn a great reward as well as an eternity of purpose, peace and joy!  It will be worth it all!  

Kind and Gracious Lord,

The only thing we feel that we’re good at is falling short of Your expectations for us.  Once again, we appeal to You for forgiveness and the strength to do better!

Your Call is a call to go beyond ourselves:  our wants and desires – and to be servants of those you cause us to interface with daily. 

Your patience with us amazes us!  You should have washed Your hands of us long ago, but You persevere in seeking to perfect us.  We have experienced no love greater than Yours!

So, we pray:

Make me a servant, humble and meek;

Lord, let me lift up those who are weak;

And may the prayer of my heart always be:

Make me a servant, make me a servant,

Make me a servant today.*

Amen.

*   [song by Kelly Willard]