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            The apostle Paul faced hindrances, violent opposition and hardships in his labors to spread the good news about Jesus in the Gentile world. To the Christian brethren in Corinth, he used nine antitheses to summarize the predicament of himself and other missionaries. The evidence that they were ministers of God is seen in their lives “by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (1 Corinthians 6:8-10). 
            What are we to make of these seeming contradictions? Paul is reminding us that there is more than what first meets the eye. As Solomon reflected in Ecclesiastes, there is life without God and life with God, vanity or purpose. Paul is showing us life under the sun against life with the Son. There is the human perspective of his flailing ministry against God’s perspective of great success. 
            The world finds the Christian hope baffling. How can you be dishonored, have a ruined reputation, called a liar, dismissed as irrelevant, pushed to the point of death, persecuted, sorrowful and be dirt poor – and be successful, happy and rich all at the same time? The answer is in temporal vs. eternal, the seen vs. unseen, the carnal vs. spiritual. Paul has exposed the grand truth to the mystery of life. He walked by faith, not by sight. When life gets tough because of your faith, remember that in Christ you are honored by God, respected and loved! You live! You possess all things! Rejoice! – The Harvester (April 13, 2025)