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CHAPTER 4 (ESV)
8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! 9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
REFLECTION:
- Paul mocks the Corinthian Christians’ claim that they’ve achieved spiritual perfection by contrasting their condition with his suffering for the gospel. Spiritual pride is an indication that we are insecure or afraid of life’s uncontrollable ambiguities. Trust in God’s absolute reliability will aid in times of sorrow and serves as a guide when all is well.
- What does “trust in God’s absolute reliability” mean to me? Have I experienced God’s faithfulness? What was it? Thank God for that experience again. Pray for the increase of my trust in God.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer.
