Paul...he's a man

I've gone back and reread these verses from 2 Corinthians chapter 11 the past couple of days and wonder how would I withstand these intense trials. Would I give up or would I persevere? I've never endured this type of physical pain or discomfort...not even remotely close.

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶ on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

One of his last verses he adds...

²⁸ And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

I am amazed at how he was able to stay focused and still express concern for individuals and their ability to remain true to the gospel. He is barely alive, yet he is worrying about others. These verses provide an excellent example of empathy, faith, and commitment to serving the Lord.

Every thought captive . . .

One of my favorite parts of 2 Cor. is where Paul defends his ministry by explaining that he is waging a spiritual, and not worldly, warfare. He needed no earthly weapons or methods, as his weapon was simply the power of the gospel, which is powerful enough to overtake anything raised up against it.

In v. 5 he says, We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ . . . . I like how the Holy Spirit uses that phrase to describe the power of the gospel to captivate people's minds.

As we will be called to account for all of our words and actions, the best way to change those things is to start with our thoughts. We should try to make sure every thought is captive to the obedience of Christ. We ought to filter every thought and make sure it is a slave to Christ and is in accordance with God's word. This will lead to words and actions that are also slaves to Christ.

"Our Proud Confidence"

In defending his character and behavior, Paul says in v. 12, For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.

Though I have failed and will fail at it, I hope one day I can look back and say that my only reason to be proud is that I know I acted (or tried to act) properly toward everyone. I hope that, like Paul, I can look back and say I tried my best to act in holiness and godly sincerity toward those in the world and especially to my brethren. Paul made sure his character and behavior were such that he would lead no one into worldly ways, but would only advance the cause of the Gospel.

It's hard to do, but I hope we can all follow his example.