By God’s Grace I Will Not Quit

Commentary

Physically, the demands of the ministry were sometimes almost more than Paul could bear (1:8;11:23-27). However, even more draining were the spiritual demands (7:5;11:28-29). He reflects on these experiences in this passage and tells why, though dis­couraged at times, he never quit.
One source of discouragement to Paul was the false teachers in the church at Corinth. He was no doubt referring to these Judaizers when he wrote these words (v. 2). Every false teacher claims to base his doctrine on the Word of God, but false teachers handle God’s Word in deceptive ways. Satan will do everything in his power to keep lost sinners in the dark and often he uses religious teachers to deceive people. Even today, many of the people who belong to false cults were originally members of Gospel preaching churches.
These Judiazers enjoyed preaching about themselves and bragging about their achievements (10:12-18). They were not servants who tried to help people but instead they were out to take advantage of people. Paul made it plain that the reason he served the church and openly proclaimed the gospel was because of God’s work in his life (v. 5). When Paul preached, he did not say, “Look at me!” He said, “Look at Jesus Christ, and there you will see the glory of God come to earth in a form that a man can understand.” How could he ever get discouraged and quit when he was involved in such a wonderful ministry? 

Application

When I find myself getting discouraged and wanting to quit, I need to think on what I have in Jesus Christ. Instead of complaining about what I do not have, I need to rejoice in what I do have. I remember hearing Dr. Jerry Falwell say, “I have never known God to use a discouraged person.”