That's why we do this

Do you ever find yourself in the middle of a project or activity and think, "Now, why am I doing this?" It's in times like this that I must think back to the original purpose. What were my motives? What is pushing me to finish?

As I read in 2 Corinthians Sunday night, I came across what seemed to be Paul's mission statement. The section in my Bible was titled "Paul's Hardships." It was a great reminder that everything was not always picnics and sunshine for him. Yet, despite all the difficulties and persecution that he experienced, he was able to say,

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry.  In everything we do, we show that we are true ministeres of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaution, endured sleepless nights, and gone with out food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors.  We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have enverything.

(2 Corinthians 6:3-10)

When day to day life gets difficult, or when others don't understand the standards I have because of Christ, I can go back to these verses - Words that will pump any Christian up. These words are like a coach's words in the locke rroom at half time- meant to excite the team and help them to keep fighting.

I am also studying Beth Moore's Beliving God with a few ladies. Being reminded of my position in Christ will help me to keep believing in God as well. We are memorizing 5 truths.

1. God is who He says He is.
2. God can do what He says He can do.
3. I am who God says I am.
4. I can do all things through Christ.
5. God's Word is alive and active in me.

In my homework, I was challenged to read a whole list of verses, taking special note of the benefits of believing God.

Ephesians 1:15 - others will hear about it

Ephesians 2:8 - I am saved by Grace because I believed

Ephesians 3:12 - I can go boldy to the throne of God

Ephesians 3:17 - Christ makes His home in my heart

Ephesians 4:13 - I am becoming mature and complete in Christ

Ephesians 6:16 - It stops Satan's arrows

If Paul can endure through the hardships of his day and still find it worth it to believe in God, then I certainly can keep going! I am so thankful for this challenging study. I want to believe God can do the extraordinary in my life. And I want to claim Paul's mission statement as my own.