I spoke with a new friend recently. Interestingly, I called to check on her and to encourage her so I thought. In fact, my new friend educated me on what it means to be encouraged. She reminded me that my ultimate goal in this life is to be like my Father and to be about doing His business. She encouraged me to forgive, to stop having expectations of people and to focus on the power of God to change my situation through prayer and supplication. After our conversation my heavy burden was lifted.
My burden was hurt plain and simple. Like so many Christians, I had been hurting and unable to let it go. I had been blinded by it and started feeling justified in my destructive behavior because afterall, I was the victim. But my friend spoke the Word of life that jarred me back like being shocked with a spiritual defribultor. Our conversation's focus was no longer about my ache to be accepted, understood and comforted by people, but it turned to a question that God had put in my heart months ago; who do I serve? I came to the conclusion that if I say and believe that I serve the one true and living God, then it is for God that I live and for God that I die and I will no carry the burden of hurt and disappointment.
God brought 2 Corinthians 10 to my heart. Consider the first 8 verses of this scripture:
1Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:
2But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
7Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? if any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.
8For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:
This scripture, while familiar, now seems so new to me. As I read it I observed the undertones of what Paul was saying. People were talking about him. They were talking about how unimpressive Paul was in person. They were saying that he looked frail and didn't speak as well as his letters presented him. That maybe he wasn't living in the full power of God. But Paul retorted, "It doesn't matter how I look, and while I am tethered to a physical body, my weapons and my fight are spiritual."
These weapons that Paul shared are obedience, forgiveness and love. Like Paul realized when he was penning this letter, I now understand that in order for God's will to be manifested in my life, I must focus all of who I am on obtaining and detinating these weapons of mass destruction. In verse 8 Paul advises that he could boast about the power of God in his life, but that's not the point. The power is for the edification and uplifting of the body of Christ. In verse 7 Paul emplores good Christian people to look toward more than the outward appearance of a person to know if they belong to Christ. He asks people to realize that if you in your own imperfection can say that you belong to Christ then perhaps so can others. Verse 6 advises that upon the total completion of our own obedience to God then we can judge someone else's disobedience.
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