In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us imposters. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything. (2 Cor. 6:4-5, 8-10 [NLT])
Do you ever feel
like the donkey harnessed to a mill walking in circles all day every day to
grind the farmer’s grain? That’s how it can seem when you are working hard, and
no one notices. Consider the devotional below to understand what Paul teaches about
this.
How is your devotion
to God? Did you receive His vision of the task to which He calls you? Did you
begin to do it, but after a while decide it was rote and mundane, and then
forget to keep your eyes on God? The physical aspect became drudgery and,
possibly, you became bitter about why you, you of all people, had to do this
work. You then stumbled, found yourself attacked by other people questioning
your motives, and really began wondering why you were doing these things.
Paul spoke about this.
He wrote about continuing to do what Jesus told him to do, proclaim the gospel
of Jesus Christ. For that, Paul said he suffered. In 2 Corinthians 6:3-10, he
listed some things he and his companions endured. By writing of his travails,
Paul encouraged other believers to continue keeping their eyes on Christ. These
verses told other Christians what happens when they follow Jesus.
Remember, Paul was a
persecutor before he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. He actively sought
to imprison or kill Jesus-followers so they would not lead the Jews away from
the true faith. After Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he became one
with other Christ-followers. He suffered torture, imprisonment, attempts to
kill him, poverty, hunger, etc. In reading each of Paul’s letters in the New
Testament, we realize he never stopped telling people about Jesus Christ. He
never declared being poor, touching the sick, or being imprisoned was beneath
him, a Jew of Jews trained by Gamaliel. (Acts 22:3, Philippians 3:3-6)
Never once do we
read in the Bible that Paul turned his back on Jesus. His hardships, troubles,
and calamities did not cause his zeal to disappear, but served as a reminder to
him that he was a true Christ-follower. Paul suffered as Jesus suffered. Jesus
said His followers would experience what He did and more. (Matthew 24:9,
Matthew 10:17, 22, John 15:19, 21, John 16:2) Paul took this to heart as an
encouragement. Though he asked God to relieve him of the thorn in his side, he
endured in his own weakness because God said His “power is perfected in
weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9) Paul willingly endured many things for the
sake of Christ to reach all people with the gospel so that none would perish.
What are we willing
to endure for Christ? Drudgery? Unimportance? Exhaustion? Persecution? Mockery?
Poverty? Death? Do we think about these things and become upset by them? Do we
consider them undeserved and rail against them? Do we consider it a badge of
honor for people to misuse us for the sake of the gospel of Christ?
The donkey at the
mill sees the ground, carrot, and grinding stones all day every day. He doesn’t
see the final product, the meal. Don’t consider yourself like this donkey who
doesn’t have an end-goal perspective. Consider the meal from the mill that will
come as you continue to keep your eyes on God and gain His perspective. People
will be saved.
Perspective is everything. At whom you look is most
important.
Looking at yourself can cause anger and feelings
of insignificance.
Looking to God causes you to have His perspective.
He desires all people be saved from sin and death.
God is greater than our circumstances.
Keep your eyes on Jesus.
Keep His perspective; though He was rich, He
became poor so all people may be saved.
Keep your eyes on
God.
Keep God’s
perspective.
Lord, I have done
it again. I came to You and gave myself to You for Your service, heard Your
call and began doing what You said. Next thing I knew, I felt unrecognized and
taken for granted. I felt people taking advantage of me. Now I realize I took my
eyes off You and had a worldly perspective. Please forgive me for not seeking You
each moment of the days. Forgive me for walking in my own strength and getting
upset because of what other people said or did or didn’t say or do. This work
is not about me, but about You. I can do nothing to save people, nor can I do anything
in my own strength. I need You, Lord. I need You to guide me, give me Your
strength and peace, and make me able to do the work You called me to do. Lord,
clothe me fully with Yourself and remove the tatters of the old nature from me.
I surrender myself fully to You right now. Guard me against my right to myself
and help me to be humble. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
