Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

January 14
Wednesday


IT'S WORTH IT

READ:
2 Corinthians
11:24-35
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If I must boast, I will
boast in the things
which concern my
infirmity.
__2 Corinthians 11:30
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I can't do it, " Robert said, throwing his pencil down in despair. "It's just too hard!" Reading, writing, and spelling seemed impossible to our dyslexic 9-year-old. At last, a solution was offered. But it was tough. We had to do reading and spelling practice with him for 20 minutes every evening__without exception. Sometimes we just didn't feel like doing it, and at times we despaired of seeing progress. But we were committed to getting Robert's reading age and his chronological age to match, so we battled on.

After 2 1/2 years, all the tears and struggles seemed infinitely worthwhile. Robert learned to read and spell. And we all learned patient endurance.

The apostle Paul suffered all sorts of hardships as he pursued his goal of sharing the good news of Jesus with those who had never heard. Persecute, beaten, imprisoned, and misunderstood, sometimes he faced death itself (2 Cor. 11:25). But the joy of seeing people respond to his message made it all worthwhile.

If you feel that the task God has called you to is too hard, remember that the spiritual lessons and joy that are wrapped up in the journey may seem hidden at first, but they are certainly there! God will help you find them __Marion Stroud

```````````````````````Sometimes we learn that hardships```````````````````
```````````````````````````Were blessings in disguise,``````````````````````
``````````````````````That earnest work and faith in God````````````````````
```````````````````````Were proven to be wise. __Hess``````````````````````
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The journey is as important as the destination.


*******************************Today's Bible Reading __ 2 Corinthians 11:24-33**********************************

24 From the Jews five
times I received forty
stripes minus one. 25 Three
times I was beaten with
rods; once I was stoned;
three times I was
shipwrecked; a night and a
day I have been in the deep;

26 in journeys often, in
perils of waters, in perils of
robbers, in perils of my
own countrymen, in perils
of the Gentiles, in perils in
the city, in perils in the
wilderness, in perils in the
sea, in perils among false
brethren; 27 in weariness
and toil, in sleeplessness
often, in hunger and thirst,
in fastings often, in cold
and nakedness__ 28 besides
the other things, what
comes upon me daily: my
deep concern for all the
churches. 29 Who is weak,
and I am not weak? Who is
made to stumble, and I do
not burn with indignation?

30 If I must boast, I will
boast in the things which
concern my infirmity. 31 The
God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who is blessed
forever, knows that I am not
lying. 32 In Damascus the
governor, under Aretas the
king, was guarding the city
of the Damascenes with a
garrison, desiring to arrest
me; 33 but I was let down in
a basket through a window
in the wall, and escaped
from his hands.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
As paul recounts some of the things he has endured in the service
of Christ, the scene from Damascus (vv.32-33) is of special
interest. There, Paul's aggressive preaching ministry created great
tension in the Jewish community, resulting in his novel escape (see
Acts 9:22-25).