Finding Joy

2 Corinthians 6:1-10

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹ As God’s partners,^[a] we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. ² For God says,
   “At just the right time, I heard you.
      On the day of salvation, I helped you.”^[b]
   Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

Paul’s Hardships

 ³ We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. ⁴ In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. ⁵ We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. ⁶ We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us,^[c] and by our sincere love. ⁷ We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. ⁸ 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. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ 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 everything.

*Photograph copyright  2011 Rosie Harriott