DAILY REMINDER – Today, December 6’s Bible reading is 2 Corinthians 10-13.
NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, December 7’s Bible reading is Galatians
1-3. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.
2 CORINTHIANS MOMENT – (06DEC19)
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets
itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to
make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). “For such people are false
apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
And no wonder, for Satan himself
masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising,
then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end
will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
The Apostle Paul had been up to the
third heaven and had seen and heard things that he was not allowed to reveal to
others. To keep him humble, however, God gave him a thorn in his side. Many Christians
have debated as to what type of thorn this was, but it may have been a person
or people that God allowed the devil to use to keep Paul humble. Paul wrote: “Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given
a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it
away from me. But he said
to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness’ ” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Paul
had not walked with the Twelve, but the Lord did something with Paul that had
not been done with the others. Therefore, Paul was able to speak in authority,
but not in arrogance. The Lord saw to it that he would not become conceited due
to whatever thorn it was that bothered Paul and God allowed rather it was, as some biblical
scholars have debated, a health ailment, sexual urges, an enemy, or something
else that tried to torment him. Whichever it was, Paul had to rely totally on God
to overcome the enemy’s attacks and have the heart of a servant.
One of the things that we know was
a possible thorn in Paul’s side were the false teachers who sought to undo the
work that he had done in the church. They were false apostles who wanted to
always challenge and accuse Paul of various things, but Paul’s life spoke for
itself. They accused him of not being as bold in person as he was in his
letters, but the apostle let them know that he was what he needed to be when it
was required, so they were not to judge him on mere appearances. His letters
may have seemed harsh as they accused him of, but it was not for his enjoyment,
but to help draw the church closer to Christ.
Paul boasted not of himself, but
the sufferings that he had to go through for the sake of Christ in order to
make the church strong. Although he was compared to who he called the super
apostles, Paul did not allow that to deter him nor make him jealous because he
knew the call that was on his life and jealousy and envy had no place in it. Paul
had the dedication and humility of a shepherd who got dirty with the sheep to keep the wolves out
of the pen. Therefore, his heart was for the people and not to elevate himself.
Paul wrote: “We do not dare to classify or compare
ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by
themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We,
however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to
the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also
includes you” (2 Corinthians 10:12-13).
The modern church and its leaders
can gain a lot of wisdom from the life of Paul, but many are masquerading as
angels of light without having the Light in them. Humility is important for the
church to operate in when leading souls to Christ. A good leader is a humble
leader, and a humble leader is a Godly leader. Paul did not brag because he was
chosen to be an apostle, but he bragged as a persecuted soldier for Christ so
that the church could have courage during difficult times. Many pastors in
today’s time would not be able to endure the hardships that Paul went through,
and yet, they brag about their fancy buildings, six-figure salaries, fancy
cars, and celebrity status. The day, nevertheless, is coming where the true
leaders will be known because the fake ones will fall by the wayside when
calamity strikes this nation. How many pastors would lead without a building?
How many would preach without a stage? How many would travel without a car? How
many would prophesy without an income? How many would give without a salary? Paul
wrote: “Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to
elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge?
I robbed other churches by receiving
support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a
burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I
needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will
continue to do so. As
surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will
stop this boasting of mine” (2 Corinthians 11:7-9). Paul was not in the ministry for self-gain. Instead, he ministered
to others so that he could offer to them, through Christ, what had been
sacrificially given to him. What was that? The gift of salvation.
As members of
Christ body, we are to be self-sacrificing and willing to give up anything for
the sake of the Gospel. Our material possessions, degrees on the wall, money in
the bank, or online status will not be what God is looking for. He is searching
for those who will be humble ambassadors for Christ. Something to ponder….
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