Paul strongly defends his ministry in the final four chapters of 2 Corinthians. He points to God's amazing work and revelations in His life but reminds the Corinthians that the greatest testimony of God's approval comes through the display of His grace through our weakness.
1. Depression (worldly sorrow) vs. godly sorrow. Although chemical imbalances may cause lasting depression, I have often found that negative thoughts (often, lies) can deliver the type of "worldly sorrow" that Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 7:8-11a: "Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it -- I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while -- yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done."
Godly sorrow leads to conviction and repentance. Recognizing that we have a judgmental attitude or that we have thought frivolously about God leads us to confess and seek restoration with the Father. Clearly, these steps are beneficial for our growth in character.
Yet, we often face sorrowful (worldly) thoughts. These sorrows may arise through actual circumstances or feared circumstances that we create in our minds. We may be remorseful for our performance or others' opinions of us. These thoughts may cause us to question God's goodness and presence in our lives. I am convinced that the Evil One uses our thoughts against us, in order to entrap us and keep us from experiencing the victory (and proclaiming the glory) of Christ. He desires to thwart God's work: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)
In short, we must seek God's guidance on the nature of the sorrows we face. Has He genuinely sent this sorrow for our repentance or growth? Or are these words lies from the Evil One meant to set us astray?
2. Taking every thought captive. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6: "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete."
Do you exercise such an active "control" over your mind? Do you seek to filter those signals coming in to your head? I often find that I am quite reactive in this manner, but Paul's tone is quite active. We may take up weapons with "divine power to demolish strongholds" -- that is, to counteract the work of the Evil One. Following from the worldly vs. godly sorrow discussion, we may seek out God's strength to "take captive every though to make it obedient to Christ" instead of allowing our thoughts to take us captive. Paul's prescriptions here suggest a great amount of maturity and discipline, not living in a haphazard way or letting life "to happen" to us.
3. The sufficiency of God's grace. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, we read: "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
As with Paul, we may consider that our human weakness would disqualify us from having a meaningful impact in ministry. On the contrary, our weaknesses display God's power. Think through some Biblical examples: the stuttering and fearful Moses, the impulsive and relatively uneducated Peter, and the murderous and judgmental Paul. There are hundreds more. Each character whom God has used has deep flaws. Yet, to His glory, He may work with these flaws. The great determinant of our usefulness is to God is not the absence of flaws, but rather the depth and strength of our commitment to following Him. If He has called us, we are all capable of following Him completely.
QUESTIONS
1. What worldly sorrow have you faced recently? Would you ask for God's perspective on these circumstances in prayer?
2. What thoughts are you struggling to take captive today?
3. How have you seen God's grace overcome your weakness in the past week?
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