“And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure…”
And we labor, working with our own hands.
The word “labor” means labor of weariness. The apostles earned their own living by manual labor.
Being reviled, we bless;
Pain, ridicule, and suffering did not daunt the apostles. They rose above their circumstance. They responded out of the magnitude of their souls. They did not give tit for tat. They did not meet reviling with reviling but rather “blessed” those who hurt them. The word “bless” carries the idea of to wish well.
being persecuted, we endure…
Under persecution, the apostles “endure.” The word “endure” means to hold out, to hold up under. Under persecution, the apostles responded with self-control. The apostles used pain as the pulpit to proclaim the wonderful message of Jesus Christ.
PRINCIPLE:
A believer with a big soul does not respond in kind.
APPLICATION:
Christians with a proper perspective on the Christian life lived out of the magnitude of their souls. They do not retaliate with tit for tat. They do not drink out of the same cup as those without Christ. The Holy Spirit was no more potent then than now. We have a bigger Bible than they had because much of the New Testament was not completed when 1 Corinthians was written. A godly life will rebuke those who do not know Christ.
2 Ti 312, Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
