2 Corinthians 6:3-10 PHILLIPS As far as we are concerned we do not wish to stand in anyone’s way, nor do we wish to bring discredit on the ministry God has given us. Indeed we want to prove ourselves genuine ministers of God whatever we have to go through—patient endurance of troubles or even disasters, being flogged or imprisoned; being mobbed, having to work like slaves, having to go without food or sleep. All this we want to meet with sincerity, with insight and patience; by sheer kindness and the Holy Spirit; with genuine love, speaking the plain truth, and living by the power of God. Our sole defence, our only weapon, is a life of integrity, whether we meet honour or dishonour, praise or blame. Called “impostors” we must be true, called “nobodies” we must be in the public eye. Never far from death, yet here we are alive, always “going through it” yet never “going under”. We know sorrow, yet our joy is inextinguishable. We have “nothing to bless ourselves with” yet we bless many others with true riches. We are penniless, and yet in reality we have everything worth having.
When It’s All Been Said and Done
Robin Mark Songwriters: Jim Cowan. For non-commercial use only.
When it’s all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth
Did I live my life for You
When it’s all been said and done
All my treasures will mean nothing
Only what I’ve done for love’s reward
Will stand the test of time
Lord Your mercy is so great
That You look beyond our weakness
And find purest gold in miry clay
Making sinners into saints
I will always sing Your praise
Here on earth and ever after
For You’ve shown me Heaven’s my true home
When it’s all been said and done
You’re my life when life is gone
Lord I’ll live my life for You
Observation
The Apostle Paul went through it without going under (2 Cor 11:22-30). “ I have faced danger in city streets, danger in the desert, danger on the high seas, danger among false Christians. I have known exhaustion, pain, long vigils, hunger and thirst, going without meals, cold and lack of clothing.” He encourages us to respond always “with sincerity, with insight and patience; by sheer kindness and the Holy Spirit; with genuine love, speaking the plain truth, and living by the power of God” – whatever the circumstances we face, trouble we meet or sacrifices required of us. We could say that this is impossible, but Paul actually did it “living by the power of God.”
The power of God is the same power that flowed through Jesus to redeem, heal and even raise the dead – when Jesus was walking this earth in human flesh. When we receive Jesus Christ as Messiah, Savior, the Love that Redeems, we begin to become like Him. He was and is God in human flesh and, because He lives in us, we can choose to allow the power of God to change us into one who lives a life with and for Him. How deep, wide and full we allow Him to live in and flow through us is up to us alone. He died so we could be transformed from sinner into saint, finding His strength in our places of weakness and bringing out the gold from the miry clay of our lives.
Impact on Me
I have been considering how to be proven as “a genuine minister of God” when it’s all been said and done in my life. While I don’t expect to share many of Paul’s experiences and sacrifices, there will be experiences and sacrifices I must have and make to live a life of integrity that honors and serves God and others. I am sure my pride and selfishness will take a beating because they are major barriers to living with humility, integrity, generosity and kindness, to putting the needs of others before my own, to that patience endurance of which Paul speaks.
When it’s all been said and done in my life, I want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Servant (or slave) is not a popular word today. It is seen as a word that strips us of rights and the ability to control our own lives. In Paul’s time, slaves were completely subject to and at the mercy of their masters. There was no guarantee of a good master. As I submit each aspect of my life to Jesus and lay aside my rights in that area, I do have a guarantee of a Master Who I can trust absolutely because did the same for me on the Cross. Why do I ever hesitate?
Prayer
Almighty God and Father, Redeemer, Loving Savior, I worship You and give You praise. Help me to find and empty those pockets of pride and selfishness in me that keep me from submitting to You in all areas of my life. I pray that I will be one who listens carefully for You to speak and quickly chooses to obey regardless of the cost to me. Help me to live my life by Your power in and through me. Make it so in Jesus’ name.
Pressing On In His Footsteps 