May the mumbling commence!
Are you in too deep? Sometimes, as we serve our Lord in love, we
feel like we are buried alive. If you
feel or have ever felt like you were drowning in the deep end of the pool of
ministry, take some comfort from the words of the Apostle Paul to the
Corinthian church as recorded in Second Corinthians chapter one:
Praise be to God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who
comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those with the comfort
we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ,
so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort
and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in
you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you
is firm,
because we know that
just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
We do not want you to be
uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the
province of Asia. We
were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we
despaired of life itself. Indeed, we
felt we had received the sentence of death.
But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who
raises the dead. He has delivered us
from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will
continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for
the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. (Verses 3-11)
We are buried with Christ – buried in his
sufferings. Together we share those
sufferings. But, just as we share in the
sufferings, we also share in the glory of the resurrection. Take comfort in the power of the
resurrection!
Do you and I feel overwhelmed by our
ministries in the Lord? That is a good
thing! Remember that even Paul felt
overwhelmed at times – beyond the ability for Paul and his companions to
endure.
Paul tells us to rejoice when we feel
stretched beyond all our limits for the sake of the gospel of Christ
Jesus. It is when we are overwhelmed
that we best learn to rely on God and not ourselves. O Lord show us the way!
And Paul reminds us about the power of
prayer. We deliver one another from all
temptations and strife by our prayers for one another. Thanks will arise from all corners of the
Christian world. The grace of God will
be extended to the world as we get in over our heads, as we rely upon God, and
as we pray.
So, let’s dive into the deep end today – and
all days henceforth!
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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