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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance...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 in the left.
2 Corinthians 6:4, 6-7
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Carrying out Jesus’ call to take the Gospel message to the world and make disciples is a call wrought with potential peril and certain hard work. Through the first two devotions of this series, we have seen that it takes perseverance and an unwavering trust in the Savior who promised to give us strength (Philippians 4:13) and be with us to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20) to endure troubles, hardships, and distresses that could include beatings, imprisonment, and riots. We also were reminded that it is simply tough when you labor for the Lord with lots of sleepless nights and hunger. Again, in these circumstances, we rely on Jesus to grant us rest and food when it’s needed.
Yes, staying the Gospel course isn’t easy work. There is no question about this. It wasn’t easy for Jesus and it won’t be easy for someone who chooses to walk in His footsteps either. But there is so much more to talk about when it comes to persisting in sharing the good news of Jesus with longevity, especially in regard to the qualities a missionary should display while representing the Lord.
As we see in this message, the third of this series, the Apostle Paul invests time talking about the traits that were found in him and those who served alongside him for the cause of Christ. Look again at what he said here:
Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance...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 in the left. 2 Corinthians 6:4, 6-7
Here we find Paul presenting a laundry list of special spiritual principles that defined his Gospel work. Let’s take a micro-look at what he said.
First, I think we should
center our attention on three items in particular because I feel everything
else was a byproduct of them. For we find Paul professing that his ministry
work was done as a servant of God who gave him the power to do the work he was
called to do by way of the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This should be the way we describe ourselves as we go forward to carry on the work of Jesus ourselves. We should let everyone know that we are first servants of God, submitting to His will and way. In turn, God then empowers us to carry out that will and way, providing us the Holy Spirit to guide and counsel us along the way.
When Paul did this, here’s what happened:
1. He served with purity.
In other words, when he was empowered by God and committed himself to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, his work was unblemished. His service was pure because the Lord made it so.
2. He served with understanding.
We read this from the word of God found in Proverbs, chapter 3:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
Paul submitted his ways to Jesus and the calling He gave. He went where the Lord led to do what the Lord wanted him to do, not leaning on his own understanding. He placed his full trust in his Lord and in turn, his Lord gave him understanding and made his paths straight.
3. He served with patience, kindness, and sincere love.
Paul would write this in regard to spiritual qualities that all Christian believers should display in life:
“...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22
Paul allowed the Holy Spirit to guide him throughout his four missionary journeys and as a result, he produced a rich harvest of the Spirit’s fruits, fruits which included patience, kindness, and love.
4. He served using truthful speech.
When we allow the Lord Jesus to give us the words to speak, then and only then can we ensure that we are speaking truthfully because He professed that He was the Truth (John 14:6). Paul did this in his ministry and confessed so.
5. He served with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left.
When a spiritual warrior has a weapon, he or she wields it in such a way to gain an effective outcome. Paul always wanted his Gospel work to have a reputation of legitimacy. He never wanted the work of Jesus to be impacted by wicked behavior that would discredit the power of the good news.
And so he willfully and willingly wielded the weapons of righteousness and did so completely (reflected in the imagery of using weapons in both hands). As a result, all his missionary work was right and righteous, bringing honor and glory to the Lord who sent him.
As we go about answering Jesus’ Great Commission, it’s critical that we remember we are flawed people carrying a flawless message to those who need saved. We can’t afford to mess up the work Jesus called us to do. There’s too much at stake. This is why we need to read about the way Paul carried out his ministry work and stayed the Gospel course in uprightness and honesty, all because he surrendered himself to the Lord in servitude, allowed God to give him the power to carry out His will and way, and then submitted to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit. If we do this, no one will ever be able to question the validity of the work we do in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a
comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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