2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

 

WHEN MINISTRY GETS HARD

 

You've read 1 Corinthians. Paul confronted the church's problems head on: division, sexual immorality, lawsuits, confusion about spiritual gifts. It was a tough letter. Necessary, but tough.

 

Now Paul writes again. And this time, it's personal.

 

Between the two letters, something happened. False teachers arrived in Corinth questioning Paul's authority, attacking his character, and undermining his ministry. Some believers turned against him. They accused him of being weak in person but bold from a distance, of being manipulative with money, of lacking credentials.

 

Paul is hurt. Deeply hurt. You can hear it in every chapter.

 

But 2 Corinthians isn't just Paul defending himself. It's the most vulnerable, honest look at what ministry actually costs. Paul pulls back the curtain on suffering, weakness, persecution, and the constant pressure of caring for churches. He talks about being crushed, perplexed, struck down. He describes a physical affliction that God refused to heal. He lists beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, sleepless nights, hunger.

 

And through it all, he insists that God's power is made perfect in weakness.

 

If you've ever felt weak, inadequate, or attacked for following Jesus, this letter is for you. If you've wondered whether suffering means God has abandoned you, read this. If you're confused about why ministry is so hard, Paul answers that question with brutal honesty.

 

Second Corinthians is raw, emotional, and deeply encouraging. It reminds you that weakness isn't disqualification. It's the place where God's power shows up most clearly.

 

A note before we begin:

Second Corinthians is thirteen chapters of deeply personal, theologically rich content. This summary hits the major themes, but there's so much more here. Don't just rely on this overview. Open your Bible and read 2 Corinthians yourself. Let Paul's honesty about suffering and God's sufficiency speak to you directly.

 

Paul's Defence and God's Comfort

Paul opens by identifying himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. He's addressing the attacks on his authority immediately. He didn't appoint himself. God called him.

 

He greets the church and immediately goes to a theme that runs through the entire letter: comfort in suffering.

 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

 

Paul's been through hell. Literally. He'll detail it later. But he starts with this truth: God comforts us in our suffering so we can comfort others. Your pain isn't wasted. It becomes a tool to help others who suffer.

 

If we're distressed, it's for your comfort and salvation; if we're comforted, it's for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

 

Paul's suffering serves the church. His comfort serves the church. He's not suffering for nothing. Neither are you.

 

We don't want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we'd received the sentence of death. But this happened so that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

 

Paul almost died. The pressure was so intense that he despaired of life. He thought he was done. Why did God allow it? So he wouldn't rely on himself but on God.

 

That's the pattern. God allows you to be pressed beyond your ability so you learn to rely on His ability, not yours.

 

Paul's Changed Plans

Paul addresses accusations that he's flaky and unreliable. He'd planned to visit Corinth but changed his plans. His opponents used this to attack his character.

 

Paul explains: he changed his plans out of love, to spare them another painful visit. He didn't want to come in sorrow again.

 

I call God as my witness, and I stake my life on it, that it was in order to spare you that I didn't return to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it's by faith you stand firm.

 

He's not manipulating them. He's not avoiding them out of cowardice. He changed plans because he cares about them.

 

So I made up my mind that I wouldn't make another painful visit to you. For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I've grieved?

 

Paul had already made one painful visit. It didn't go well. He didn't want to come again in conflict. He wanted the issues resolved first so his next visit could be joyful.

 

If anyone has caused grief, he hasn't so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he won't be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.

 

Someone in the church had opposed Paul severely. The church disciplined him. Good. But now Paul says it's enough. Forgive him. Restore him. Don't let discipline become destruction.

 

This is crucial. Church discipline exists to restore, not destroy. When someone repents, welcome them back. Reaffirm your love.

 

Ministers of the New Covenant

Paul contrasts his ministry with the old covenant ministry of Moses. Moses ministered the law, which brought condemnation. Paul ministers the gospel, which brings life.

 

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites couldn't look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, won't the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

 

The old covenant was glorious. But the new covenant is more glorious. The law showed you your sin. The gospel saves you from it.

 

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

 

You're being transformed. Not instantly, progressively. From glory to glory. Into the image of Christ. That's what the Spirit does.

 

Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we don't lose heart. Rather, we've renounced secret and shameful ways; we don't use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.

 

Paul's opponents accused him of being deceptive. He flatly denies it. He's been honest, transparent, truthful. No manipulation. No distortion.

 

And even if our gospel is veiled, it's veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

 

If people don't believe the gospel, it's not because Paul preached it poorly. It's because Satan has blinded them.

 

For what we preach isn't ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, let light shine out of darkness, made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.

 

Paul doesn't preach himself. He preaches Christ. And he serves the church for Christ's sake.

 

Treasure in Jars of Clay

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.

 

This is one of the most important verses in the letter. The treasure is the gospel, the knowledge of God's glory. The jar of clay is Paul. Fragile. Breakable. Weak.

 

Why put infinite treasure in a fragile jar? To make it obvious that the power comes from God, not from the messenger.

 

We're hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

 

Paul's list of hardships is staggering. Hard pressed. Perplexed. Persecuted. Struck down. But never crushed, never in despair, never abandoned, never destroyed.

 

Why? Because he carries Jesus' death in his body, so Jesus' life can be revealed.

 

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that His life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

 

Paul's suffering produces life in the church. His weakness displays God's power. His near death experiences result in spiritual life for others.

 

Therefore we don't lose heart. Though outwardly we're wasting away, yet inwardly we're being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

 

This is how Paul survives. He doesn't focus on present suffering. He focuses on future glory. The troubles are light and momentary compared to the eternal weight of glory they're producing.

 

Outwardly, he's wasting away. Beatings, stress, persecution take their toll. But inwardly, he's being renewed daily. That's where the real action is.

 

Our Heavenly Dwelling

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

 

Your body is a tent. Temporary. Fragile. It will be destroyed. But you have a permanent dwelling waiting: a resurrection body, built by God, eternal.

 

Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we're clothed, we won't be found naked. For whilst we're in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we don't wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

 

You groan now. Your body fails you. You experience pain, weakness, decay. That groaning is longing for your resurrection body, when mortality is swallowed up by life.

 

Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

 

The Holy Spirit is your guarantee. Your down payment. Proof that God will complete what He started.

 

Therefore we're always confident and know that as long as we're at home in the body we're away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We're confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

 

Paul would rather die and be with Jesus. But whilst he's alive, he lives by faith, not sight.

 

So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we're at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due to us for the things done whilst in the body, whether good or bad.

 

Everyone will stand before Christ and give account. What you do in the body matters. You'll be rewarded or lose reward based on how you lived.

 

The Ministry of Reconciliation

Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it's also plain to your conscience.

 

Paul's opponents say he's commending himself again. He's not. He's simply being honest about his motives.

 

For Christ's love compels us, because we're convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

 

This is what drives Paul: Christ's love. Jesus died for all. Therefore, those who live should live for Him, not themselves.

 

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!

 

If you're in Christ, you're a new creation. The old you is gone. The new you is here. This isn't metaphor. It's reality.

 

All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We're therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: be reconciled to God.

 

This is your job as a believer: you're an ambassador. You represent Christ. You carry the message of reconciliation. You tell people that God isn't counting their sins against them because Jesus paid for them.

 

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

 

This is the great exchange. Jesus became sin so you could become righteous. He took your guilt. You receive His righteousness.

 

Paul's Hardships

As God's co workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.

 

Don't waste grace. Don't receive it and then live like it doesn't matter.

 

Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonour, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

 

This is Paul's resume. Not impressive credentials. Suffering. Beatings. Imprisonments. Riots. Sleepless nights. Hunger. Dishonour. Bad reports. Regarded as an impostor.

 

But also: purity, patience, kindness, sincere love, truthful speech, the power of God. Always rejoicing. Making many rich. Possessing everything.

 

Ministry isn't glamorous. It's hard. Costly. Painful. But it's worth it.

 

We've spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We're not withholding our affection from you, but you're withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange, I speak as to my children, open wide your hearts also.

 

Paul loves them. He's been vulnerable with them. He's opened his heart. Now he asks them to do the same. Open your hearts to me.

 

Don't Be Yoked With Unbelievers

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?

 

This isn't about being friends with non Christians. It's about partnerships that compromise your faith. Don't enter into binding relationships that pull you away from Christ.

 

For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will live with them and walk amongst them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. Therefore, come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. And, I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

 

You're God's temple. He lives in you. Be separate. Not isolated, but distinct. Don't let the world's values corrupt you.

 

Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

 

Pursue holiness. Not to earn God's love, but out of reverence for Him.

 

Godly Sorrow Brings Repentance

Paul wrote a previous letter that caused pain. The Corinthians were grieved. But he doesn't regret it, because their grief led to repentance.

 

Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I don't regret it. Though I did regret it, I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while, yet now I'm happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so weren't harmed in any way by us.

 

There's a difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow. Worldly sorrow is just feeling bad about getting caught. Godly sorrow leads to repentance.

 

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.

 

Their godly sorrow produced real change. Earnestness. Eagerness to clear themselves. Indignation at sin. Concern. Readiness for justice. That's what true repentance looks like.

 

Generosity in Giving

Paul addresses the collection for the Jerusalem church. The Macedonian churches, though extremely poor, gave generously. Paul uses them as an example.

 

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people.

 

Read that again. Extreme poverty. Severe trial. And yet, overflowing joy and rich generosity. They begged for the privilege of giving.

 

They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.

 

That's the key. They gave themselves to the Lord first. Then they gave their money.

 

But since you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you, see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

 

Generosity is a grace. It's something you grow in.

I'm not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

 

Jesus became poor so you could become rich. Not materially, spiritually. He gave up everything for you. Let that motivate your generosity.

 

Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you've decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

 

Give generously. Give cheerfully. Not because you're guilted into it, but because you want to.

 

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you'll abound in every good work.

 

God provides so you can be generous. He doesn't bless you so you can hoard. He blesses you so you can give.

 

Paul Defends His Ministry

Paul shifts tone. His opponents have forced him to defend his ministry. He hates doing it, but he will.

 

By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you, I, Paul, who am timid when face to face with you, but bold towards you when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be towards some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.

 

His opponents say he's weak in person but bold from a distance. Okay, Paul says. When I come, I'll show you bold.

 

For though we live in the world, we don't wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with aren't the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

 

Paul's warfare isn't physical. It's spiritual. He fights with truth, prayer, and the power of God.

 

I hope you'll put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! I'm jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him. But I'm afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

 

Paul's jealous for them. Not selfishly, but godly jealousy. He wants them to remain faithful to Christ.

 

For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

 

False teachers have come preaching a different Jesus, a different spirit, a different gospel. And the Corinthians are tolerating it.

 

I don't think I'm in the least inferior to those super apostles. I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge.

 

His opponents claim superior credentials. Paul sarcastically calls them super apostles. He's not inferior to them in any way that matters.

 

Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge?

 

Paul refused financial support to remove any barrier to the gospel. His opponents twisted this, saying it proved he wasn't a real apostle.

 

And I'll keep on doing what I'm doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

 

Strong words. The false teachers aren't just mistaken. They're deceitful. They're serving Satan, not Christ.

 

Paul's Sufferings

I repeat: let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting.

 

Paul hates boasting. But since his opponents boast about their credentials, he'll boast about his sufferings.

 

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I'm out of my mind to talk like this. I am more. I've worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.

 

Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I've been constantly on the move. I've been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.

 

I've laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I've known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I've been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

 

This is Paul's resume. Not impressive credentials. Scars. Beatings. Shipwrecks. Stoning. Imprisonment. Hunger. Cold. Sleepless nights. Constant danger. Daily pressure.

 

If I must boast, I'll boast of the things that show my weakness.

 

That's the point. Paul boasts in weakness, not strength. Because that's where God's power shows up.

 

The Thorn in the Flesh

To keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.

 

Paul had some physical affliction. We don't know what it was. A chronic illness. An injury. Eye problems. Something painful that hindered his ministry.

 

He prayed three times for God to remove it. God said no.

 

Why? Because God's grace is sufficient. And His power is made perfect in weakness.

 

Therefore I'll boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That's why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

This is the paradox of the Christian life. When you're weak, you're strong. Not because weakness is strength, but because weakness forces you to rely on God's strength.

 

Paul's Concern for the Corinthians

I've made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I'm not in the least inferior to the super apostles, even though I'm nothing. I persevered in demonstrating amongst you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles.

 

Paul shouldn't have had to defend himself. They should have defended him. He demonstrated genuine apostleship through signs, wonders, and miracles.

 

This will be my third visit to you. Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it whilst absent: on my return I won't spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, since you're demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me.

 

Paul's coming. And he's not going to be soft this time. If they want proof that Christ speaks through him, they'll get it.

 

He isn't weak in dealing with you, but is powerful amongst you. For to be sure, He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God's power. Likewise, we're weak in Him, yet by God's power we'll live with Him in our dealing with you.

 

Jesus was crucified in weakness but lives in power. Same with Paul. He appears weak, but God's power is in him.

 

Examine yourselves to see whether you're in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you, unless, of course, you fail the test?

 

Stop examining Paul. Examine yourselves. Are you in the faith? Is Christ in you?

 

Final Warnings

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

 

Greet one another with a holy kiss. All God's people here send their greetings.

 

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

 

What This Means for You

Second Corinthians is Paul at his most vulnerable. He opens his heart about suffering, weakness, and the cost of ministry. He defends his calling whilst hating that he has to. He boasts about weaknesses because that's where God's power shows up.

 

Here's what 2 Corinthians teaches you:

God comforts you in suffering so you can comfort others. Your pain isn't wasted. It becomes a tool to help others.

 

You're a jar of clay containing infinite treasure. The fragility is intentional. It makes obvious that the power comes from God, not you.

 

Outwardly you're wasting away, but inwardly you're being renewed. Focus on what's unseen and eternal, not what's seen and temporary.

 

You're a new creation in Christ. The old has gone. The new is here. That's not metaphor. It's reality.

 

You're an ambassador for Christ. You carry the message of reconciliation. Tell people God isn't counting their sins against them.

 

Godly sorrow leads to repentance. Worldly sorrow just leads to death. True repentance produces real change.

 

Give generously and cheerfully. Not reluctantly or under compulsion. God loves a cheerful giver.

 

Your weapons aren't worldly. They're spiritual. You demolish arguments with truth, not violence.

 

When you're weak, you're strong. God's power is made perfect in weakness. His grace is sufficient.

 

Examine yourself, not others. Are you in the faith? Is Christ in you?

 

Your Next Steps

Second Corinthians challenges you to embrace weakness, trust God's sufficiency, and persevere through suffering.

 

Are you trying to appear strong when you're actually weak? Stop. Embrace your weakness. Let God's power rest on you.

 

Are you suffering right now? Remember: God comforts you so you can comfort others. Your pain has purpose.

 

Are you withholding your heart from God or others? Open wide. Be vulnerable. Let people in.

 

Are you generous? Not just with money, but with your time, energy, and love? Excel in the grace of giving.

 

Are you examining yourself or just critiquing others? Test yourself. Is Christ in you?

 

Read It Yourself

This summary covers the major themes, but 2 Corinthians is thirteen chapters of deeply personal, theologically profound content. Paul's honesty about suffering, his defence of his ministry, his teaching on giving, his thorn in the flesh, all of it deserves your careful attention.

 

Don't just read about 2 Corinthians. Read 2 Corinthians. Open your Bible to chapter 1 and work through all thirteen chapters. Let Paul's vulnerability encourage you. Let his teaching on weakness and God's power transform how you view your own struggles.

 

Weakness Isn't Disqualification

 

The world tells you to hide your weakness, project strength, never let them see you sweat. Paul says the opposite. Boast in your weaknesses. They're the platform for God's power.

 

You're a jar of clay. Fragile. Breakable. Weak. That's by design. The treasure inside you is what matters, and the fragility of the container makes it obvious where the power comes from.

 

Stop trying to be strong in yourself. Be strong in the Lord. His grace is sufficient. His power is made perfect in weakness.

 

That's the message of 2 Corinthians. That's what will sustain you when ministry, or life, gets hard.

 

 

Scripture paraphrased and quoted from various translations for clarity.

© The Unknown Believer