Scripture

2 Corinthians 6:3-10 (NRSV)

We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Consider

When we accept the lordship of Christ in our lives, we also receive God’s commission to be ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). Like the apostle Paul, we becoming living advertisements for the miraculous new life that awaits anyone who will respond to God’s call to be loved and saved to eternal life. Whether we like it or not, people judge Christ by what they see in us. We become the incarnate gospel, the flesh that people can see and touch and evaluate. Our deeds are scrutinized for flaws; our words are sifted and weighed against worldly wisdom as people decide whether our Lord can deliver all that we profess.

Paul was no stranger to such scrutiny. Aware that how we live can either attract people to God or throw up stumbling blocks, he names three areas of life where our observed behaviors can bring either glory or shame to the Name we serve:

• Imposed hardships (vv. 4-5). People are quick to notice how Christians respond to disease, pain, and death; to crippling accidents and natural disasters, or to ethnic clashes and economic hardships. Our faith appears superficial, our testimonies hypocritical, when we allow calamity to turn us bitter or despondent or to harden our hearts against neighbors we come to regard as enemies.
• Quality of character (vv. 6-7a). Which virtues control our hearts? Do we demonstrate qualities of the Spirit in our relationships, such as purity, patience, love, and truthfulness? Or do we respond with “virtues” of the world, such as perfectionism, self-promotion, competitiveness, and deceit? A heart that belongs to God will show itself in gracious words and deeds that attract rather than repel.
• Coping with uncertainty (vv. 7b-10). When we are centered in God, we can face life’s ups and downs with calm assurance. Like Paul, we can find joy and peace even in the face of broken promises, shifting political and economic climates, and the personal pain of being misunderstood or maligned. When we are centered in the world—in our relationships, our financial portfolio, our reputation, our physical safety—we can be shaken and broken by life’s vicissitudes and our lack of control. Through our witness, people who have been similarly shaken or broken may find hope in the faith that stands firm in Christ.
  In all circumstances, our words and deeds proclaim Christ, whether to his glory or shame.

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Pray

FATHER, you have given me a great responsibility to represent you to the watching world. Grant me strength to hold fast to you in the face of hardships, a soft heart that can be gracious when life hurts and betrays me, and the assurance that you are steadfast and reliable when the world is not. Stop me when my sin makes me a stumbling block to others. Let me walk in such faith and love that others will judge my testimony to be true and my God to be the answer they are seeking.

Reflect

Matthew 12:33-37; Philippians 4:11-13

Ponder

Recall a recent experience in each of the three areas Paul mentions. How would observers judge your behavior in each situation?