The Paradox of the Christian Life – kenbarnes.us
through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. 2 Corinthians 6: 8-10 ESV
Once, while I was home from my missionary work, I met a neighbor on the street. He said, Kenny, I thought you were a good boy? He was referring to how I had given up my teaching career and home to pursue my calling. He was okay with being a respectable Christian, but this thing of taking up your cross and following Christ was a bit much for him. Jesus himself said, “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you” Luke 6:26a ESV.
Loren Cunningham, co-founder of Youth With A Mission, would often say that no one who has done anything significant for God, who has not first lost their reputation. It is one thing to lose our reputation for doing wrong things, but another to lose it for doing the right thing. Think about Mary, the mother of Jesus. The bigger Mary got in her pregnancy, the more people talked. If we care too much about what people believe about us, we will never be servants of Christ (Galatians 1:10 ESV).
The Apostles met with honor and dishonor, good reports and bad ones. They needed the grace of God to ward off the temptation that comes with a good report as well as with a bad one. When people say good things about us, pride can get us thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. When people say unflattering things about us, it is easy to move into self-pity or condemnation. The Bible says that “There is therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” Romans 8:1 ESV. Seeing ourselves better or worse than we are is not how God sees us. Humility is knowing who we really are, not more or less.
The image is provided by Microsoft.
Ken Barnes, the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places” YWAM Publishing and Broken Vessels through Kindle Direct Publishing.
Ken’s Website— https://kenbarnes.us/
Ken blogs at https://kenbarnes.us/blog/
Email- [email protected]
