Not destroyed. (Day 1 of the #encourage marathon)

It’s Day 1 of our 26-day #Encourage Marathon!

Someone out there is running low on strength, confidence, hope and maybe even faith. (It might even be you!)

This is today’s passage:

We are

afflicted in every way, but not crushed;

perplexed, but not driven to despair;

persecuted, but not forsaken;

struck down, but not destroyed;

always carrying in the body the death of Jesus,

so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 

~ 2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:8-10 ‭ESV‬‬, emphasis mine

The apostle Paul gave everything for Christ and experienced affliction, confusion, persecution, rejection,  and heartache. In spite of all, he endured to the end. His body may have been struck down, but his soul was not destroyed.

You may or may not be experiencing persecution as a Christian. It could be that you’ve lost your home, are grappling with grief from a recent loss, fighting cancer, or caring for a challenging child or ailing family member. No matter what battle you’re fighting, you may reach a point where you want to quit. Don’t do it!

Jesus did not say that our walk would be easy; He said we are to take up His cross and follow Him. The cross is death to self and life in Christ. Every day, we need to die to ourselves. Instead of relying on our own strength, we rely on Christ; instead of serving self, we lay down our wants for another’s need; instead of placing on our trust in our money/wits/talent, we place it in the Lord. In this way, “the life of Jesus [is] manifested in our bodies.”

Running the race is difficult, but the reward is indescribable. Just remember, you only get the prize if you keep going to the end.

I encourage you to press on. Keep on lifting up your need to God in prayer. Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you.

I hope you’ll join me on Facebook and Twitter and here at Elihu’s Corner for this marathon. Share this verse on your Twitter feed or Facebook page (#encourage). Take time today to copy down this verse for yourself. Send an email or text to someone you know who would benefit from this encouragement.

If you missed the original post listing all 26 passages, click here to download the PDF list.