#DailyDevotion Your Christian Life May Not Be Attractive To The World
2 Cor. 6:3-8a 3We’re not in any way giving people a reason to turn away, to keep them from finding fault with our work. 4Instead we’re in everything showing we’re God’s good workers by great endurance in suffering, in need, and in hardships; 5when we’re beaten or put in prison, when there are riots; when we’re overworked and go without sleep and food; 6by being pure, by knowledge, by patience and kindness; by the Holy Spirit; by sincere love; 7by telling the truth; by God’s power; with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and the left;
So, to modern evangelical American mind, Paul may be out of his mind here. He and his companions do not look like the super preachers we may see on tv or radio. Yet he tells the Corinthians he has not given people a reason to turn away. Instead what he has been undergoing, what looks like weakness to the world commends his work as genuine. Paul was having to deal with super-apostles causing the disciples to Christ, who he had won for Christ, to depart from his teaching. I’m guessing his opponents were full of ad hominems (attack against his person).
Yet he says what he has been going through shows he and his companions were God’s good workers. They had by great endurance experienced suffering, need and hardships. Satan was working hard to make Paul’s mission as difficult as possible. Jesus had told Annanius before he healed Paul’s blindness, “he will suffer much for my name.” You too, because you are a disciple of Jesus will most likely experience many crosses in your life. The Christian life if rife with them.
People opposed Paul at every turn. He was beaten, put in prins and experienced riots. So we see Paul’s experience in Ephesus and in Jerusalem particularly. When he got started in Damascus, he had to let down the wall at night in a basket because people were trying to kill him. I’m certain Acts does not list all the troubles Paul experienced at people’s hands. You too should be prepared to experience troubles at the hand of unbelievers because of your confession of faith in Jesus. Don’t think it strange. Paul and his companions were overworked and went without sleep and food. Well you may not experience this for Christ’s sake, but you never know.
Starting at verse six through eight we have a bit of a sandwich of “By-through.” The meat of the sandwich is the power source of these “bys-throughs.” The bys are “by being pure, by knowledge, by patience and kindness.” These four are actions seen by others. The meat that powers these and what follows is the “by the Holy Spirit.” It is only by his power Paul and you can manifest these things in our lives. These also are in the center, “by sincere love; 7by telling the truth; by God’s power.” The Holy Spirit generates these which are the meat of the Christian life. Finally there is the through, “with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and the left.” Christ’s righteousness is our weapons for getting through all these things. A righteousness freely given us through faith are our offensive weapons. We charge forward with it knowing in the world to come it is not our works that stand before God but Jesus’. Paul’s Christian life may not always seem that attractive. Your life as a Christian may not always seem attractive, to others or even yourselves. It is nevertheless the life Christ has called us to live. When in doubt of your Christian life, look to the Cross of Jesus and see what your life is going to be like.
Heavenly Father, grant us your Holy Spirit that with Christ righteousness we may live our lives here, enduring all, so we may give glory to Jesus whe he returns in glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.