Life’s not always going to be easy
you are still called to live it out righteously…
3 We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. 4 In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. 5 We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. 6 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us and by our sincere love. 7 We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. 8 We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. 9 We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. 10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.
verse 3 - i can only hope that the way i live my life would not allow someone to stumble, whether they know The Lord or not. as that would be so very painful to hear and know, pretty sure i would be devastated for a while by failing so poorly. it would be a reminder that instead of having lifted someone up, i brought them down; what a burden to carry, especially if they fall away or never come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
verse 4 & 5 - while the apostles had gone through tremendous hardships and had been killed for following The Lord, i haven’t even been remotely persecuted which sometimes makes me wonder if my faith, and certainly my walk, is something others see and actually don’t want any part of it. i’ve heard from a bunch of pastors that the devil puts the heat and pressure on those who he doesn’t want God to use for Kingdom purposes; the greater the trials the closer the relationship you have with Jesus. not that i haven’t had my share of valley moments, nor do i really care to have many more of them and staying there.
verse 6 & 7 - definitely a work-in-progress in these areas and strive to continue improving each and every day as i work on my relationship with God the Father, and Lord Jesus The Christ.
verses 8-10 - this one is, for the most part, a hard thing to swallow for most people. to be made fun of, forgotten, even beaten & killed. if i ever got treated this way, my hope is that i would “count it all as pure joy” to be thought worthy of punishment for following Jesus and teaching who He is.
may i strive to work on the areas of my life that do not seem attractive from believing, following, and teaching of who you are Lord Jesus. let verses 6 & 7 ring strongly, 100% committed, and fully determined to be lived out as such. want others to come to know you, Jesus, as their Lord and Savior. and don’t want to be the reason they stop believing or that it never happens.
dear Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me the opportunity to recognize my faults and failures, the courage to change, the endurance to persevere, the strength to continue, and your love that drives me to finish the race. want to be used for Kingdom purposes where others want to have a relationship with you, that conversations will occur and your Holy Spirit will provide the proper words to be spoken, don’t want any of my friends and family to not know of who you are. help me that The Name of Jesus reigns and rules supreme in my life, family, and house. in Jesus’ mighty and wonderful name i pray, amen!