Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving? My family had a wonderful time in Minnesota spending time with Justin's family. It's been a full week since I posted - a full week since I've been on the web. It's nice now & then to unplug & relax. To spend time with family - face-to-face instead of screen-to-screen. But now it's time to pick up where we left off with Paul.
Paul defends himself a lot in this book. Mainly because he left the Corinthians with some bad blood between them. Paul continues to emphasize that he is a servant to the Corinthians, that he loves them and wants what is best for them. Remember that love isn't telling someone what they want to hear, it's telling them what they need to hear in order to live the best life possible. Here Paul confirms that his ministry is not easy - there are many struggles and hardships, yet the rewards of serving God far outweigh the bad times. It reminds me that we need to be eternally minded. Don't get so stuck on the happenings of today. Look at the big picture. Yes, there is work & struggle, but there is also rest & peace.
Then Paul transitions into a bit of good advice - don't align yourself with non-believers. Does this mean that we are to never have contact with non-Christians? No! We are called to minister to our world. What this is saying is your close, intimate relationships should be with people who have the same belief system that you do. This goes for anyone, not just Christians. This advice doesn't set Christians up as superior to other people. It's not prideful advice. It's simple common sense. People with differing world views - be they Christians, Atheist, Mormon, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish - should not bind themselves together. I heard a great illustration concerning glasses. Everyone views the world through a particular set of glasses that bring everything into focus. Don't bind yourself to someone who focuses differently than you do. It will only bring struggle, strive, and pain. Relationships are difficult enough without having a totally different view of how to live. You will always be pulling at each other if you do.
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