As difficulties arise each day, how are you dealing with them? Are you becoming overwhelmed by the stress and anxiety of contracting Covid-19? Has the racial tension across our great country caused uneasiness in you? Has isolation from interacting with people caused you to become despondent or depressed? Everyone is dealing with these things at least at some level. How are you doing? This morning, we’re going to divert from our study in 1 John to spend a few moments thinking about the frailty of life and how we are to respond to it. We’ll be looking today at the fourth chapter of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church as we consider a biblical response to the difficulties of our time.
There are some preachers and teachers in Christendom today that would have you believe that Christianity is all about health and wealth. While this may sound good—and sell a lot of books—it is unbiblical. Over and over again, the Bible asserts that believers will go through difficult circumstances in life—this is God’s work in us to conform us to the image of His Son. As Paul and his companions continue on their first missionary journey, they experience both good and bad along the way. It is important for us to follow the example of Scripture in how we respond to both good and bad fruit in life.