"Trust and Obey"
2 Corinthians 4:7-18
Four expectant fathers were in a Minnesota hospital waiting room while their wives were in labor. The nurse comes in and tells the first man, “Congratulations, you’re the father of twins.” “What a coincidence!” the man exclaims. “I work for the Minnesota Twins baseball team!” The nurse returns a short while later and tells the second man, “You are the father of triplets.” “Wow, what a coincidence!” he replies. “I work for the 3M Corporation.” When the nurse comes again, she tells the third man that his wife has given birth to quadruplets. “Another coincidence!” he tells her. “I work for the Four Seasons Hotel!” At this point, the fourth guy faints. When they finally get him to regain consciousness, they ask him what was wrong. He moans, “Because I work for Seven-Eleven!” Sometimes, our troubles come to us in multiples. But could there be a good side to all our troubles?
The apostle Paul faced practically every kind of suffering and trial and distress while he preached the Gospel. In this chapter, he told how he’d been surrounded and battered by troubles, but not demoralized. He told how he’d been unsure about what to do, but he knew that God always knows what to do. He told how he’d been spiritually terrorized, but God hadn’t left his side. He told how he’d been thrown down, but he hadn’t been broken. In the end, he told how his trials would one day be over, and he would obtain God’s rest and reward. Whatever his personal circumstances, the focus of Paul’s preaching was Christ—and not himself.
And there’s a lesson about our own evangelistic work here: When we witness, we really ought to tell people about what Christ has done and not about our abilities or our accomplishments or our successes. People need to be introduced to Jesus Christ, not to us. That, of course, is the real goal of evangelism.
The apostle knew—and wrote about—how the supremely valuable message of salvation through Jesus had been entrusted by God to frail and fallible human beings—just like himself. But Paul’s focus was not on the perishable, temporary container. His focus was on the container’s priceless contents—God’s power dwelling in us. For though we’re weak, hard-pressed, and sometimes stressed-out vessels, God still uses us—whatever shape we’re in—to spread His Good News. He still gives us power to do His work! And knowing that the power is His, not ours, ought to keep us from getting spiritually prideful and vain and egotistical. On the positive side, knowing that the power is His ought also to motivate us to keep daily contact with God, to keep plugged in to our power source. For when all is said and done, our responsibility is to let people see God through us.
Which leads me to tell you this: Though you may think you’re at the end of your rope, you’re never at the end of your rope! These aging and sometimes aching and tested and stressed-out bodies we live in are subject to sin and suffering, but God never abandons us. Don’t forget that! And because Christ has won the victory over death, we have the promise of eternal life. So in the end, all our risks, all our humiliations, and all our trials are opportunities for Christ to demonstrate His power and His presence in us and through us. In the spiritual reality—please believe me here, for this is what the Bible says—the pressures and perplexities and despair and persecution and troubles that we face in this life are actually opportunities very cleverly disguised as obstacles!
When we face tough times, it’s easy to focus on the pain rather than on our ultimate goal. But just as a marathon runner concentrates on the finish line and ignores his discomfort, we too must focus on the reward for our faith and on the joy that will last forever. No matter what happens to us in this life, we have the assurance of eternal life, when all suffering will end and all sorrow will flee away.
Now I know that it’s easy to lose heart and quit. Every one of us has faced problems in our relationships or in our work or in our school that have surely caused us to think about giving up. But rather than quitting when persecution wore him down, Paul concentrated on the inner strength that came from the Holy Spirit. So be like Paul! Don’t let fatigue or pain or criticism force you off your Christian job site. Renew your commitment to serving Christ! Don’t forsake your eternal reward because of the intensity of today’s pain. Your very weakness can allow the resurrection power of Christ to strengthen you moment by moment.
And don’t let your troubles diminish your faith or disillusion you. Remember that the Word of God says that there is a purpose in your suffering! Want to know about one or two? Without mentioning any of our specific circumstances, I can tell you that problems and pains and persecutions remind us of Christ’s suffering for us. And they keep us from pride. And they cause us to look beyond this brief life. And they give us opportunities to prove our faith to others. And they give God the opportunity to demonstrate His power. Your troubles are actually opportunities! It all depends on how you handle them!
Daniel Towner traveled as a singer with the evangelist D.L. Moody back in the late 1800s. One night, while Moody was conducting a series of meetings in Brockton, Massachusetts, a young man rose and testified, “I am not quite sure—but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey.” Towner jotted that sentence down, and sent it with the little story to John Sammis, a Presbyterian minister. Sammis wrote a poem based on that phrase “trust and obey”—and one of the verses said this: “Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, but His smile quickly drives it away; not a doubt nor a fear, not a sigh nor a tear, can abide while we trust and obey.” Sammis sent his poem back to Towner, who went to work on the music.
But while working on the music, Towner grew discouraged. That evening in his home, he crumpled up the paper and threw the manuscript into the wastebasket. The next morning, as his wife was straightening his office, she retrieved the crumpled paper and sang over the words and melody to herself. She left it on the organ and encouraged her husband to work on it some more, telling him, “I feel the melody you have written is just what is needed to carry the message.” She was right.
In the midst of your difficult circumstances, can you hold on long enough to change the thing that’s bringing the pain? When things are at their worst, do you get better and make things better around you? Persevere! Endure! Persist! Tough it out!
Some of Andrew Jackson’s boyhood friends just couldn’t understand how he became a famous general and then president of the United States. They knew of other boys who had greater talent but who never succeeded. One of Jackson’s friends said, “Why, Jim Brown, who lived right down the pike from Jackson, was not only smarter, but he could throw Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match. But look where Andy is now!” Another friend responded, “How did there happen to be a fourth time? Didn’t they usually say three times and out?”
“Sure, they were supposed to, but not Andy. He would never admit he was beat—he would never stay ‘throwed.’ Jim Brown would get tired, and on the fourth try Andy would throw him and be the winner.”
Picking up on that idea, someone has said, “The thing that counts is not how many times you are ‘throwed,’ but whether you are willing to stay ‘throwed.’” We will face setbacks, but we must take courage and go forward in faith. Eventually, through the Holy Spirit’s power, we will gain the victory over sin and the world. The battle is the Lord’s! So there’s no excuse for us to stay “throwed”!
Our ultimate hope when we’re experiencing terrible illness, persecution, or pain is the realization that this life is not all there is—there is life after death! Indeed, knowing that we will live forever with God in a place without sin and suffering can help us live above the pain we deal with in this life. In the meantime, though hard pressed on every side, God will keep you from being crushed. Though perplexed, God will keep you from slipping into despair. Though persecuted, God will not abandon you. Though struck down, God will not let you be destroyed. Do not lose heart; God is working in and through you for His holy purposes.
Just remember that in your happy moments, the Holy Spirit will urge you to praise God; in your difficult moments, the Holy Spirit will urge you to seek God; in your quiet moments, the Holy Spirit will urge you to worship God; in your painful moments, the Holy Spirit will urge you to trust God; and in all the moments of your life, the Holy Spirit will urge you to thank God. Just trust and obey; trust and obey.
Let us pray: In the midst of all our struggles, Lord, help us to stand firm for You. In the midst of all our trials, help us to stand firm for You. In the midst of all our pain, help us to stand firm for You. In the midst of adversity and persecution, help us to stand firm for You. When life seems at its worst—or at its best—help us to stand firm for You. As You help us day by day to turn our troubles into opportunities, may we also look toward the day when You will turn the mourning of this life into joyful dancing for all eternity. For we ask it in Jesus’ name.
2 Corinthians 4:7-18
Four expectant fathers were in a Minnesota hospital waiting room while their wives were in labor. The nurse comes in and tells the first man, “Congratulations, you’re the father of twins.” “What a coincidence!” the man exclaims. “I work for the Minnesota Twins baseball team!” The nurse returns a short while later and tells the second man, “You are the father of triplets.” “Wow, what a coincidence!” he replies. “I work for the 3M Corporation.” When the nurse comes again, she tells the third man that his wife has given birth to quadruplets. “Another coincidence!” he tells her. “I work for the Four Seasons Hotel!” At this point, the fourth guy faints. When they finally get him to regain consciousness, they ask him what was wrong. He moans, “Because I work for Seven-Eleven!” Sometimes, our troubles come to us in multiples. But could there be a good side to all our troubles?
The apostle Paul faced practically every kind of suffering and trial and distress while he preached the Gospel. In this chapter, he told how he’d been surrounded and battered by troubles, but not demoralized. He told how he’d been unsure about what to do, but he knew that God always knows what to do. He told how he’d been spiritually terrorized, but God hadn’t left his side. He told how he’d been thrown down, but he hadn’t been broken. In the end, he told how his trials would one day be over, and he would obtain God’s rest and reward. Whatever his personal circumstances, the focus of Paul’s preaching was Christ—and not himself.
And there’s a lesson about our own evangelistic work here: When we witness, we really ought to tell people about what Christ has done and not about our abilities or our accomplishments or our successes. People need to be introduced to Jesus Christ, not to us. That, of course, is the real goal of evangelism.
The apostle knew—and wrote about—how the supremely valuable message of salvation through Jesus had been entrusted by God to frail and fallible human beings—just like himself. But Paul’s focus was not on the perishable, temporary container. His focus was on the container’s priceless contents—God’s power dwelling in us. For though we’re weak, hard-pressed, and sometimes stressed-out vessels, God still uses us—whatever shape we’re in—to spread His Good News. He still gives us power to do His work! And knowing that the power is His, not ours, ought to keep us from getting spiritually prideful and vain and egotistical. On the positive side, knowing that the power is His ought also to motivate us to keep daily contact with God, to keep plugged in to our power source. For when all is said and done, our responsibility is to let people see God through us.
Which leads me to tell you this: Though you may think you’re at the end of your rope, you’re never at the end of your rope! These aging and sometimes aching and tested and stressed-out bodies we live in are subject to sin and suffering, but God never abandons us. Don’t forget that! And because Christ has won the victory over death, we have the promise of eternal life. So in the end, all our risks, all our humiliations, and all our trials are opportunities for Christ to demonstrate His power and His presence in us and through us. In the spiritual reality—please believe me here, for this is what the Bible says—the pressures and perplexities and despair and persecution and troubles that we face in this life are actually opportunities very cleverly disguised as obstacles!
When we face tough times, it’s easy to focus on the pain rather than on our ultimate goal. But just as a marathon runner concentrates on the finish line and ignores his discomfort, we too must focus on the reward for our faith and on the joy that will last forever. No matter what happens to us in this life, we have the assurance of eternal life, when all suffering will end and all sorrow will flee away.
Now I know that it’s easy to lose heart and quit. Every one of us has faced problems in our relationships or in our work or in our school that have surely caused us to think about giving up. But rather than quitting when persecution wore him down, Paul concentrated on the inner strength that came from the Holy Spirit. So be like Paul! Don’t let fatigue or pain or criticism force you off your Christian job site. Renew your commitment to serving Christ! Don’t forsake your eternal reward because of the intensity of today’s pain. Your very weakness can allow the resurrection power of Christ to strengthen you moment by moment.
And don’t let your troubles diminish your faith or disillusion you. Remember that the Word of God says that there is a purpose in your suffering! Want to know about one or two? Without mentioning any of our specific circumstances, I can tell you that problems and pains and persecutions remind us of Christ’s suffering for us. And they keep us from pride. And they cause us to look beyond this brief life. And they give us opportunities to prove our faith to others. And they give God the opportunity to demonstrate His power. Your troubles are actually opportunities! It all depends on how you handle them!
Daniel Towner traveled as a singer with the evangelist D.L. Moody back in the late 1800s. One night, while Moody was conducting a series of meetings in Brockton, Massachusetts, a young man rose and testified, “I am not quite sure—but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey.” Towner jotted that sentence down, and sent it with the little story to John Sammis, a Presbyterian minister. Sammis wrote a poem based on that phrase “trust and obey”—and one of the verses said this: “Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, but His smile quickly drives it away; not a doubt nor a fear, not a sigh nor a tear, can abide while we trust and obey.” Sammis sent his poem back to Towner, who went to work on the music.
But while working on the music, Towner grew discouraged. That evening in his home, he crumpled up the paper and threw the manuscript into the wastebasket. The next morning, as his wife was straightening his office, she retrieved the crumpled paper and sang over the words and melody to herself. She left it on the organ and encouraged her husband to work on it some more, telling him, “I feel the melody you have written is just what is needed to carry the message.” She was right.
In the midst of your difficult circumstances, can you hold on long enough to change the thing that’s bringing the pain? When things are at their worst, do you get better and make things better around you? Persevere! Endure! Persist! Tough it out!
Some of Andrew Jackson’s boyhood friends just couldn’t understand how he became a famous general and then president of the United States. They knew of other boys who had greater talent but who never succeeded. One of Jackson’s friends said, “Why, Jim Brown, who lived right down the pike from Jackson, was not only smarter, but he could throw Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match. But look where Andy is now!” Another friend responded, “How did there happen to be a fourth time? Didn’t they usually say three times and out?”
“Sure, they were supposed to, but not Andy. He would never admit he was beat—he would never stay ‘throwed.’ Jim Brown would get tired, and on the fourth try Andy would throw him and be the winner.”
Picking up on that idea, someone has said, “The thing that counts is not how many times you are ‘throwed,’ but whether you are willing to stay ‘throwed.’” We will face setbacks, but we must take courage and go forward in faith. Eventually, through the Holy Spirit’s power, we will gain the victory over sin and the world. The battle is the Lord’s! So there’s no excuse for us to stay “throwed”!
Our ultimate hope when we’re experiencing terrible illness, persecution, or pain is the realization that this life is not all there is—there is life after death! Indeed, knowing that we will live forever with God in a place without sin and suffering can help us live above the pain we deal with in this life. In the meantime, though hard pressed on every side, God will keep you from being crushed. Though perplexed, God will keep you from slipping into despair. Though persecuted, God will not abandon you. Though struck down, God will not let you be destroyed. Do not lose heart; God is working in and through you for His holy purposes.
Just remember that in your happy moments, the Holy Spirit will urge you to praise God; in your difficult moments, the Holy Spirit will urge you to seek God; in your quiet moments, the Holy Spirit will urge you to worship God; in your painful moments, the Holy Spirit will urge you to trust God; and in all the moments of your life, the Holy Spirit will urge you to thank God. Just trust and obey; trust and obey.
Let us pray: In the midst of all our struggles, Lord, help us to stand firm for You. In the midst of all our trials, help us to stand firm for You. In the midst of all our pain, help us to stand firm for You. In the midst of adversity and persecution, help us to stand firm for You. When life seems at its worst—or at its best—help us to stand firm for You. As You help us day by day to turn our troubles into opportunities, may we also look toward the day when You will turn the mourning of this life into joyful dancing for all eternity. For we ask it in Jesus’ name.
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