not giving up

Sometimes it feels like the world is tumbling in on us. The apostle, Paul, had it pretty rough,as he went around the Ro0man world telling people about Jesus. Here's what he said about his situation. Maybe it applies to you - it sure applies to me.


2 Corinthians 4:7 We now have this light shining in our hearts,

        but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.

This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.


  8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed.

We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.

9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God.

We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

 
  16 That is why we never give up.

Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.

17 For our present troubles are small and won't last very long.

        Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

18 So we don't look at the troubles we can see now;

        rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.

For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.