A sixth factor for Paul’s approvedness was his submission to God’s sovereignty. He realized that all the hardships he suffered were arranged by God on his behalf. He wrote:
Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.
– 2 Corinthians 11:23–28
Adapted from Philippians: That I May Gain Christ,
by Titus Chu, page 146.
Tomorrow: “Submission to God’s Sovereignty” (2)