Fooled Me!

There are some delightful and somewhat quirky things Paul wrote about to the churches he cared about and shepherded.

I specifically have to laugh as I read through Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth, because although Paul left an incomparable, un-matched legacy, he too had his moments of pastoral quirks!  In this second letter, we get a view into just how much Paul cared about this church, just how sensitive he was to the little things, and just how intimately involved he was in their daily lives and attitudes.

All the way through the letter, Paul responds to the pains and grief the church has caused him, in addition to the complaints they have made against him.  Particularly, in chapters 10-12, Paul defends himself and works to validate his ministry--eventually to the point that he lays out an entire history of his sufferings, sacrifices, and woes.  As I read, I'm reminded that there are few times for pastors and others when this is actually appropriate.  But, I'm thankful he had a lapse in better judgement, because of the lesson it teaches us:

Not everything is going to go well just because we have devoted ourselves to a life with and serving Jesus.  Paul acknowledges this and even refers to himself as a fool, willing to play to fool's part for the life he has chosen to live.  

If we truly desire to follow God and live into the ministry He has called us to, we can't expect it to be entirely successful.  So many times, we see the results of our work as the desired outcome God has called us to.  But more than anything else, God desires that each of us join Him in our heart and soul over the course of our lives.  In the meantime, we will fail and make mistakes, and not everyone will be pleased with what we do.

But if we have our eyes and hearts set on the goal of Jesus, many other things simply won't matter.


More to come!

Jason <><