4 ... as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. (2 Cor. 6:4b-10)
I never cease to be amazed at the Apostle Paul's example. Here, he lays out for us a way to turn even those negative aspects of ministry into a testimony!
Look at the list he lays out here - afflictions, beatings riots ... appear right alongside sleepless nights and hunger. The fruit of the Spirit is laid out as a lifestyle, alongside spiritual warfare. The contrasts he describes are profound. The bottom line for Paul is that all of these things are part of ministry - all of the struggles and efforts to respond in a godly way, all of the ways of being misunderstood - are all part of their acts as servants of God.
Nothing is too big - or too small - to be a part of your service to God. Whether you're facing blatant warfare, or a struggle to be patient at work ... whether your challenge is to endure a great calamity or a sleepless night ... whether you need endurance or are going hungry ... whatever the situation, whatever the struggle, whatever the need - it is part of your service to God. In everything, put yourself out before Him as His servant!
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