“As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in
great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings,
imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity,
understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;
in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in
the right hand and the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good
report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known yet regarded as unknown;
dying, and yet we live on; beaten and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always
rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing yet possessing
everything.” 2 Corinthians 6: 3-10
How do you view life? Is the glass half empty or half full?
In everything, Paul always considered what his actions and words communicated
about Christ. If you are a believer,
people who do not know Christ observe you.
Are you always complaining? Is
life never going your way? Is something always wrong? Don’t
let careless words or actions be someone’s excuse for not coming to know the
One, the only One, who matters in this world.
Being put in jail would cause many people to give up, grumble, be
discouraged; however, Paul saw it as a great time to spread the gospel! We might not be in prison, but we can
definitely find ways to be discouraged—struggling relationships, not having a
relationship, being away from friends and family, financial burdens, lose of a
job, not getting a job, family issues, church conflict, and times of
indecision. How we react in these
situations will reflect what we believe.
Often when discouraging times occur in our life, we begin to vent to
others about it publicly and pray privately.
In this time, we need to privately talk to the Lord about the issues and
publicly declare God’s glory, grace, wonder, and beauty.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have
peace. In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have overcome
the world.” John 16:33
Living in Haiti the glass could always be half empty or even
at times completely empty. I could make
a LONG list about complaints, but then I just seem silly and having a pity
party for myself. Every day I am to make
a choice. And so I choose… love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-
control (Galatians 5:22). I am to live
this way because the Holy Spirit lives in me.
I am to glorify my Father in every way I can. Rather than complaining about something
taking too long, I will thank God for the extra moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new
assignments, jobs, or tasks, I will face them with joy and courage knowing I am
not alone. The way my Father loves and
treats me is how I choose to love and treat others. If I succeed, I will give thanks to the
Lord. If I fail (which happens more
often than when I succeed), I will seek His grace =)
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