devotional post # 2177

2Co 6:8b We are treated like impostors, even though we are genuine servants;
2Co 6:9 like we are unknown, even though we are well known; like we are dying, and notice, we are alive; like we are being punished, and yet not killed;
2Co 6:10 like we are sorrowful, yet we are always rejoicing; like we are poor, yet we are making many rich; like we have nothing, yet we possess everything.

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Paul closed his résumé with a painful but honest observation: the very people who had received the gospel through his team were now distancing themselves from the missionaries who brought them that gift. After listing the hardships endured and the integrity displayed, Paul acknowledged the bitter irony that the result of such faithful service was rejection. The team stood, as it were, with mouths open in disbelief. They had poured themselves out for the Corinthians, suffered for them, prayed for them, and labored to bring them the life‑giving message of Christ. Yet now they were being treated as outsiders, criticized, and pushed aside by the very community they had helped to create.

This reaction was not unique to Corinth. Paul’s experience has been repeated throughout the history of missions. Those who bring the gospel often find themselves misunderstood, unappreciated, or even opposed by the people they serve. The pattern is woven into the story of Christ Himself, who came to His own and was not received. Faithful servants who follow in His steps should not be surprised when they encounter the same response. The dishonor Paul felt was real, but it was not new.

Yet Paul did not allow this dishonor to derail his calling. The team kept serving because their service was ultimately directed toward Christ. Giving people new life in Christ is first an act of devotion to Him, and only secondarily an act of love toward others. Appreciation is wonderful when it comes, but it cannot be the foundation of ministry. If the approval of people becomes the motivation, the work will collapse the moment criticism arises. Paul’s team endured because their eyes were fixed on Christ’s name, not their own.

This is the heart of Paul’s message to the Corinthians. If they truly understood the value of the gospel and the cost at which it had been delivered to them, they would not be criticizing the missionaries. They would be celebrating them. They would be boasting about their courage, their endurance, and their sacrificial love. Instead of shunning them, they would be embracing them as the very instruments God used to bring them life.

Paul’s closing point is both sobering and encouraging. Dishonor may come, even from those who benefit most from the ministry. But the servant of Christ keeps going, because the work is for Him. His name is worth any cost, even when our own name is dragged through the mud.

LORD, give us the courage to preach the gospel, even if we are not appreciated for it.