The Only One.                                                                         2 Corinthians 11

      but let him who boasts boast about this:

         that he understands and knows me . . . Jeremiah 9.24

Because of Paul’s great devotion to the one he knew and loved----God, he endured tremendous pain and hardship for the cause of Christ.  He ‘boasts’ of his trials and his perseverance which stand in sharp contrast to the false teachers of his day, (2 Corinthians 11.1-20), and of our day too:

 “What anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about.  Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.  Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.  Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.   I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.  Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.  Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.  The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.   In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.   But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.”   2 Corinthians 11.21-33, NIV

Only One saw it all.

Only One was there when Saul, (his Hebrew name), was born into Jewish privilege, and raised to be a devout teacher of the Law.  Even then, only One knew that he would step directly into his path and change the direction Paul was going—forever. Only One saw the rejection Paul, (his Greek name), faced as a result of leaving his Jewish family, tradition, and culture.  Only One watched as this little Jew set out to take the good news of freedom and grace in Jesus Christ into Europe and throughout the Mediterranean, directing his footsteps as he went.  Only One looked on as his servant was mercilessly treated by his fellow countrymen—beaten, rejected, scorned . . . and  Only One received him home at the end, forever saying, “Well done, my child.”

It is the same Only One who watches you.  He knows your name, he knows all about you, and he loves you.   Are you suffering?  Are you lonely beyond words?  Do you feel misunderstood?  Truly, Only One knows all about that, and Only One is big enough to meet you at the point of your pain, ready to lift you up and sustain you. 

‘Needing direction in your life?  Only One can say from behind you, ‘Turn right, now turn left … this is the way I want you to go.’  Isaiah 30.21.

In today’s passage, Paul substantiates his commitment to God by biographically sketching what he has endured to follow God’s calling in his life.  While highlighting these things are particularly valuable for us in learning from him, the truth is, Only One saw it all, and Only One mattered. 

In life, we often feel the need to justify ourselves to people—why we did what we did, what we were thinking, etc.—but truly, we waste a lot of emotional energy in doing so.  Instead, let us

                           rest our case with God, and

                              let him be our Justifier~

Trust him, Friends, in your life—because he is the Only One.

Christine