-And so we have a nice little biopic of Paul here, where he has mentioned himself fully 9 times in just 6 verses. He says he is a servant. Think, ‘waiter’ - he is pretty much focused on taking care of the needs of others, and it can be a tiresome, thankless task. He is also suffering. These go hand in hand, because he is suffering for the sake of Christ and His ‘body’ - these others who follow (or will follow) Him. There is no hint of self-seeking here, no mention of what he is going to get out of it. He is a steward, literally a house-manager whose chief role is to work to benefit the occupants of said house, in this case the ones who are following Christ, God’s chosen-people, those He has called out and separated unto Himself, those in whom dwells the living, hope-giving Christ of glory. Paul is also a preacher/teacher/admonisher, a man with a mysterious marvelous message and a clear vision, a stated goal of presenting Christ to every man so that he can present every man to Christ. And he is hard-working, which is actually an understatement, as he is working - literally agonizing - to (and past) the point of exhaustion in order to help people know and fully follow Christ.
-A brief note about power. The sad commentary on the modern western church with all our education and technology and strategies is that too often there is much knowledge and pomp but little power. Not enough power apparently to save our marriages and be patient with our kids and say no to temptation and to move mountains and to be God’s martyrs to the ends of the earth. God’s kingdom comes not in words but rather in power (1Corinthians 4.20)! Jesus said we would receive power (Acts 1.8). Paul prayed for us to know and experience this power (Ephesians 1.19, 3.16). The unbelieving world doesn’t need to see me living a life almost identical to theirs save for the words I don’t say and what I do on Sunday mornings (or most of them at least). Paul tells us that his ability to live into all that God has for him comes not from inside but from above, a limitless source of supernatural energy which energizes him with the very power of Almighty God, the same power that created and sustains a biliion trillion suns and which raised God’s Son from the dead. This same power is now fully available to each and every person who trusts in Christ (Ephesians 3.20). One must ask, what then is too difficult or impossible for those who believe? The way I read it, the answer is... nothing. All things are possible... (Mark 9.23, Matthew 17.40). Nothing is too difficult for God. You will never ever in a billion lifetimes find yourself in a situation where you will be able to affirm that, this is too difficult for God. No. This is not ever too difficult for God (Genesis 18.14, Jeremiah 32.17, 32.27).
-One could safely say Paul is fully committed to this work, to this cause, to these people and to all people, to his Savior, his Lord, his God. But then even that would be a gross understatement, wouldn't it? His attitude - inexpressible, irrepressible joy. His perspective - doing it (suffering) all for Christ. His mindset - the preeminent servant. His sense of responsibility - sobered and focused. The scope of his commitment - boundless. It encompasses the entire world, every soul in it, and every ounce of divine power he can tap into. He is all in for Christ Who has entrusted him with a glorious treasure, and he will give every last drop of blood and energy and every last breath to extend this treasure to the entire world.
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