Maybe, just maybe, God is doing something in your waiting and suffering, like preparing you to see Christ face to face (Oh, and something much less significant, like writing the Book of Romans)

2 Corinthians 2:15, 2 Corinthians 12:10, Luke 9:23

It is no wonder The book of Romans (the greatest theological treatise of the entire NT, from the “foremost of sinners” 1 Timothy 1:15-17) comes after 1st and 2nd Corinthians in Paul’s succession of Letters. If you trace Paul’s development as a Christian, up to 2 Corinthians (the year before he writes Romans), you can see Paul’s suffering as the very means by which God prepares Paul to write the greatest theological document on The Gospel known to mankind. Specifically, Paul’s suffering in the Macedonian Churches prepared Paul to not only preach the Gospel to the Corinthians, but illustrate to the Corinthians, that God brings all of humanity to nothing in and through the wisdom of the Cross of Christ. The cross lays all of humanity bare in front of God and puts all human wisdom to shame.

This was absolutely necessary for the Corinthians situation. What had infiltrated their ranks was the poisons predator of demonic self-reliance, the desire for the commendations of man, and the works of the law as a means to salvation. Man-centeredness and the praise of man is a lethal injection into the arm of the church. God must put this false and satanic “gospel” to death.

God in His grace did this by sending Paul to the Corinthians. It is in Paul’s suffering and sacrificial service to Christ that the wisdom of God is shown to be in the bloody cross of Christ and not the praise of men. 

 God can smell the beauty and satisfaction of Christ coming off of Paul’s life as he suffers for the sake of God’s Son Jesus Christ. “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” – (2 Corinthians 2:15)

Paul didn’t know that he would be rejected by the Corinthians, but God did. God cared enough about the Corinthians, to send Paul to them, so that the false teaching that had infiltrated them could be vanquished, and the real Jesus (the only Jesus) could coming bleeding through Paul’s life to them. It is Paul’s cruciform life, which flowed from His crucified Lord, that God uses to eradicate the festering sore of man-centeredness that had infected The Corinthians.The heart to write the book of Romans, was shaped by the Holy Spirit in Paul through a tremendous amount of suffering and turmoil, culminating in the conflict at Corinth. Paul could not see this through all of His suffering, He had to become grace dependent and Christ-content: Christ had to smother Paul’s screaming, tantrum throwing flesh to death, so that Jesus might get all the glory He deserved and Paul might be prepared not just to write the book of Romans, but prepared to stand in front of Christ The Lord.

To become Christ-Content is the aim of all Christians everywhere , not just Paul, and this is for the sake of Christ, AND therefore for our joy. By the Spirit, our joy becomes Christ looking as worthy as the Father sees Him to be; and He is worthy, He is just so worthy .

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Paul had to do what no one does naturally: He had to disown himself, take up His cross and follow Jesus in repentance, trust and faith….daily (Luke 9:23).

So, maybe, just maybe (preaching to myself mainly), in your waiting, suffering and tantrum throwing, maybe God is doing something for the sake of Christ and therefore,for your joy in Him.

“Oh for the grace to trust Him more”