Thursday, December 18, 2014

2 Corinthians 11:24-28
 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 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, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have 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. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 


Reflection
Paul recalls here how his ministry is not easy and by no means perfect. If we as the church think that the ministry that God has called us to is easy and/or going to be perfect, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. The church itself is a perfect example of not being perfect. The church on one hand is God’s vessel to work in this world and at the same time it is filled with fallible human beings. The church will make mistakes and at times fail, our only hope is to fail forward with the Lord’s help. But that should never be a reason to do nothing at all. It is better to fail and
struggle in trying to do the mission of God than to do
nothing. What do you think the church could do if we gave up on perfect and were not afraid to fail?