Paul struggled to connect with the church members in Corinth. He addressed several challenging issues and felt they buffered their affections toward him and his coworkers. Which is not unusual when hashing through problems. Regardless, Paul encouraged them to open wide their hearts.

Paul shared his heart and reminded the church of the many remarkable hardships he and his band faced as they ministered across the empire. He wrote of faithfulness through beatings and imprisonments…sleepless nights and hunger…glory and dishonor…bad report and good report.

Then Paul shared an amazing perspective on his position in life: Poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

While this group of missionaries possessed little more than what they carried, they enriched everyone around them with their message of Jesus. They spread seeds that rooted and flowered into lives changed for the good of the hearers and generations to follow. The Lord created spiritual wealth through them.

Materially bereft, in Christ all the world lay before them. They understood that the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains (Psalm 24:1). They moved through God’s creation knowing the Lord provided as they served him.

Every screen I gaze upon during my day encourages me to purchase a product. I’m told I need it, I’ll benefit from it, I’ll engage the world in a better way with it, or I’ll enjoy great pleasure from it. Yet I learn from Paul I need little. In reality I need the Lord, I’ll benefit from the Lord, I’ll engage the world better with the Lord, and I’ll enjoy great pleasure from the Lord.

Less stuff to deal with leads to more attention to the Lord and those on his heart. That’s the secret to having less yet possessing more. Lift others up, make them rich in the faith, and we’ll find we possess true wealth.

2 Corinthians 6 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Nick Fewings