1Corinthians 16:5-9 HCSB 5 I will come to you after I pass through Macedonia—for I will be traveling through Macedonia— 6 and perhaps I will remain with you or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way wherever I go. 7 I don’t want to see you now just in passing, for I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord allows . 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a wide door for effective ministry has opened for me--yet many oppose me. Good morning, Loved Ones! It so hot outside today, praying you all are staying cool and making the most of your time. :)
In our passage today, Paul says he will a number of times, but in the end he clearly says if the Lord allows. This is important for all of us to remember because we can make plans, but if the Lord wills different, those plans will not come to pass. We are not in absolute control, and some things may keep us from fulfilling our promise or word when we say we will do so and so. You can hear Paul's heart and his desire to see the saints in Corinth and stay with them for a while. I believe the time he was in Corinth was the longest Paul remained in a single city in his three missionary journeys. He stayed there a year and a half, according to Acts 18: 9-11. "Then the Lord said to Paul in a night vision, "Don't be afraid, but keep on speaking and don't be silent. For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city." And he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them." One thing that seems to be a constant in all of our lives is opposition. It's worse for some more than others, but we should never minimize the reality of someone's struggles just because they are not ours or as intense as ours. Sometimes it seems that we are either in a struggle, coming out of a struggle, or anticipating another. This may or may not be true for all of us, but one thing is for sure that God gets our attention with struggles like He doesn't when all is calm and as we believe it should be. Paul was not a stranger to struggle and that much worse than we would ever experience. The opposition he faced for preaching the Gospel was unparalleled in his time and maybe even ours. We will talk more about this in detail in our 2 Corinthians study starting a week from Sunday. Just because it was a God-given opportunity, it didn't come without opposition. Ask Yourself: Am I making promises of plans that I may not be able to keep? Our good intentions do not keep people from being hurt if we do not follow through with what we promised or said we would do. We have to think before we make such a claim and let people know it would only be if the Lord allows. Do I ever sense opposition or the struggle thinking it is God saying to stop? It may be, but the reality is that the enemy of our soul hates you and anything we want to do for the Lord. If we want God to do anything in and through us, do not assume it will be easy or will not be met with struggle or opposition. Love Ones know that anything worth doing is worth doing even if it comes with a struggle. With our eyes on the Lord, it's those times that we will most grow in Christ-likeness for our good and His glory. Have a great, and God bless you real good! :)
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