Situations, the human heart and pride by Gary Rose

Being a Christian is wonderful; but it isn’t easy. If you have been a Christian for a long time there is always the danger of becoming complacent or high minded, or worse yet – “a know it all”. Also, if you have been blessed by doing “professional” service, such as a preacher or missionary, I could see where one could brag about their accomplishments. As a former supervisor of mine used to say: “Its hard to be humble when you are this talented”.

If ever a man had ample material to brag about, it would be the apostle Paul. His intellect, enthusiasm and the sheer effort his expended were enormous! I am in awe of such a man as him, but his single mindedness must have made him very difficult to work with.

Two passages from the book of Second Corinthians will aid in our understanding of this man that Jesus, himself chose!

2 Corinthians 11 (World English Bible)

 ¹ I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you do bear with me.  ² For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I married you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.  ³ But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  ⁴ For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if you receive a different spirit, which you did not receive, or a different “good news”, which you did not accept, you put up with that well enough.  ⁵ For I reckon that I am not at all behind the very best apostles.  ⁶ But though I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not unskilled in knowledge. No, in every way we have been revealed to you in all things.  ⁷ Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached to you God’s Good News free of charge?  ⁸ I robbed other assemblies, taking wages from them that I might serve you.  ⁹ When I was present with you and was in need, I wasn’t a burden on anyone, for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my need. In everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and I will continue to do so.  ¹⁰ As the truth of Christ is in me, no one will stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia.  ¹¹ Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows.  ¹² But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them that desire an occasion, that in which they boast, they may be found even as we.  ¹³ For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ’s apostles.  ¹⁴ And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.  ¹⁵ It is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. 

  ¹⁶  I say again, let no one think me foolish. But if so, yet receive me as foolish, that I also may boast a little.  ¹⁷ That which I speak, I don’t speak according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.  ¹⁸ Seeing that many boast after the flesh, I will also boast.  ¹⁹ For you bear with the foolish gladly, being wise.  ²⁰ For you bear with a man, if he brings you into bondage, if he devours you, if he takes you captive, if he exalts himself, if he strikes you on the face.  ²¹ I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet however any is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also.  ²² Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I.  ²³ Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I am more so; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths often.  ²⁴ Five times from the Jews I received forty stripes minus one.  ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep.  ²⁶ I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brothers;  ²⁷ in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness. 

  ²⁸  Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily, anxiety for all the assemblies.  ²⁹ Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and I don’t burn with indignation?  ³⁰ If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness. 

2 Corinthians 12 (World English Bible)

  ¹ It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. For I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.  ² I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I don’t know, or whether out of the body, I don’t know; God knows), such a one caught up into the third heaven.  ³ I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of the body, I don’t know; God knows),  ⁴ how he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.  ⁵ On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weaknesses.  ⁶ For if I would desire to boast, I will not be foolish; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, so that no man may think more of me than that which he sees in me, or hears from me. ⁷ By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively.  ⁸ Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  ⁹ He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.

Paul persecuted the church, so much so that Jesus personally rebuked him. And that rebuke worked. Paul changed, spectacularly! His writings about his interactions with the early church comprise a great deal of our New Testament. Jesus inaugurated the church and Paul helped mold it with the aid of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s efforts affected many congregations on several continents during his lifetime and helped form Christian theological thought into a model for us in the 21^st century.

To prevent excessive pride, Paul had a thorn in the flesh. And perhaps that “thorn” was a blessing in disguise. It seems reasonable to me that almost anyone who knew what Paul knew, who did the things he did and was given the insights through the revelations which he saw- would be VERY PRIDEFUL!

So, the next time you encounter hardships or do your very best for God, remember to put it into perspective and remember where the real power is - with God!!

One last thing: For many years we had a magnet on our refrigerator which said: “Please be patient, God isn’t finished with me yet”!

In short, we are all “works in progress”, for God is continually working on our hearts in order to perfect us!!!