We Faint Not – 2 Corinthians 4
‘Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;’ — 2 Corinthians 4:1
It is not easy to follow and serve Jesus. That’s why Jesus said that those who want to follow Him must deny themselves and pick up their cross. Paul the Apostle was used greatly by the Lord but it was not easy for Him.
In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul talks about ‘fainting’ which is discouragement and the desire to give up. Paul admitted that his body was a weak ‘earthen vessel’ (v.7) susceptible to distress, despair, destruction, and death (v.8-12). Yet in the midst of all these challenges, He was sustained by God’s mercy (v.1), God’s excellent power (v.7), and the life of Christ living in Him (v.10-14).
What a wonderful promise to know that no matter how weak we may feel, the excellent power of Christ is there to sustain us to keep going. Our weakness serves to remind us how unable we are and how it is all of Christ.
Let us not despair or give up. Instead, let us receive more mercy and grace from the Lord today to keep going. Die to self and human efforts and let the power of Christ work in and through you. We are not sufficient for these things (2:16), but God is (3:5).