2 Corinthians 4  Present Weakness and Resurrection Life 1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 4:2 Preachers, teachers, and anyone else who talks about Jesus Christ must remember that they stand in God’s presence - he hears every word. When you tell people about Christ, be careful not to distort the message to please your audience. Proclaim the truth of God’s word. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 4:3,4 The gospel is open and revealed to everyone, except to those who refuse to believe. Satan is “the god of this age”. His work is to deceive, and he has blinded those who don’t believe in Christ. The allure of money, power and pleasure blinds people to the light of Christ’s gospel. To those who reject Christ and prefer their own pursuits have unknowingly made Satan their god. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 4:5 The focus of Paul’s teaching was Christ and not himself. When you witness, tell people about what Christ has done, and not about your abilities and accomplishments. People must be introduced to Christ and not to you. And if you hear someone preaching himself or his own ideas rather than Christ, beware - he is a false teacher. 4:5 Paul willingly served the Corinthian church even though the people must have deeply disappointed him. Serving people requires a sacrifice of time and personal desires. Being Christ’s follower means serving others, even though they do not measure up to our expectations. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 4:7 The supremely valuable message of salvation in Jesus Christ has been entrusted by God to frail and fallible human beings(jars of clay). Paul’s  focus, however, was not on the perishable container but on its priceless contents - God’s power dwelling in us. Though we are weak, God uses us to spread his Good News, and he gives us power to do his work. Knowing that the power is his, not ours, should keep us from pride and motivate us to keep daily contact with God, our power source. Our responsibility is to let people see God through us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 4:8-12 Paul reminds us that though we may think we are at the end of the rope, we are never at the end of the rope. Our perishable bodies are subject to sin and suffering, but God never abandons us. Because Christ has won the victory over death, we have eternal life. All our risks, humiliations, and trials are opportunities for Christ to demonstrate his power and presence in and through us. 13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 4:15-18 Paul had faced sufferings, trials, and distress as he preached the Good News. But he knew that they would one day be over, and he would obtain God’s rest and rewards. As we face great troubles, it’s easy to focus on the pain rather than our ultimate goal. Just as athletes concentrate on the finish line and ignore the discomfort, we too must focus on the reward for our faith and the joy that lasts forever. No matter what happens to us in this life, we have the assurance of eternal life, when all suffering will end and all sorrow will flee away. 4:16 It is easy to lose heart and give up. We have all faced problems in our relationships or in our works that have caused us to want to think about laying down the tools and walking away. Rather than giving up when persecution wore him down, Paul concentrated on experiencing  the inner strength from the Holy Spirit. Don’t let fatigue, pain, or criticism force you off the job. Renew your commitment to serving Christ. Don’t forsake your eternal reward because of the intensity of today’s pain. Your very weakness allows the resurrection power of Christ to strengthen you moment by moment. 4:17 Our troubles should not diminish our faith or disillusion us. We should realise that there is a purpose in our suffering. Problems and human limitations have several benefits; they remind us of Christ’s suffering for us; they keep us from pride; they cause us to look beyond this brief life; they prove our faith to others; and they give god the opportunity to demonstrate the power. See your troubles and opportunities! 4:18 Our ultimate hope when we are experiencing terrible illness, persecution, or pain is the realisation that this life is not all there is - there is life after death! Knowing that we will live forever with God in a place without sin and suffering can help us live above the pain that we face in this life.
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