Thoughts on 2 Corinthians 11

Today's reading: 2 Samuel 8-9; 2 Corinthians 11

I can't help but be struck by Paul's willingness to sacrifice for the potential good of the Corinthians.

Paul refused to take any payment or support for his ministry among the Corinthians because he didn't want to allow any room for the accusation that he was only doing this ministry for profit, undermining the gospel he was there to preach. What is noteworthy about this to me is that this wasn't a sacrifice he necessarily had to make. This wasn't a case where the Corinthians were super poor and would have been unable to support Paul, but he wanted them to hear the gospel anyway so he was willing to work among them for free. In fact, Corinth was a relatively rich city and probably could have supported Paul much more easily than many other cities he preached in. But Paul counted it worth the sacrifice to ensure that no unnecessary barrier was raised against the gospel.

I feel like this is an attitude that is lacking among Christians today, at least among Christians in America. We are all too concerned with our personal rights and making sure we get what we are owed. We have bought into the individualistic American dream as though it were a Biblical value. But that mentality is a far cry from Paul's admonition to the Corinthians in his first letter to them, "Why not rather be wronged?" or Jesus' teaching that when struck on one cheek we should turn to them the other, and when forced to go one mile we should go two. The Christian life is not about guarding our rights, it's about glorifying God and seeking the advance of His kingdom. Using the rights we have is certainly not a bad thing, Paul has even argued that in this letter, that he had every right to take support from them, and that he is even wronging other churches by taking from them in order to not take support from the Corinthians. So the problem is not with Christians making use of the rights we have available to us, the problem is with Christians prioritizing those rights and freedoms over the good of others and the advance of God's kingdom. 

Paul could be called quite the fool if this accusation never actually arose in Corinth and it turned out he had sacrificed so much for no real gain, but the foolishness of God is greater than human wisdom. We are not called to be ascetics, proactively giving up every pleasure or "frill" in life as though the more we sacrifice the more godly we are, but we are also not called to prioritize the exercise of our personal freedom over all else. We, as Christians, should be more than willing to spend and be spent for the work of the Lord, and we can do so with the full knowledge that, even if it doesn't look like it is bearing fruit in this life, our Father in heaven sees it and will not leave it unrewarded.