Apostle Paul had been called a fool by some members of the congregation in Corinth, a congregation he founded and labored for eighteen months to establish. These opponents were making great efforts to erode his labors and led as many away from his teachings as possible. Now Paul was days of hard journey away from the congregation, busy doing important charity work at other congregations. What could he do more than write letters?
The tendency to walk away from such situations is strong, to labor hard only to learn that others are stealing it away. Or perhaps another will take it over only to destroy all your labors. Speaking of labor going to another after he was gone, Solomon wrote, “So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:20). Then the possibility exists that perhaps no one will take it over, and years of labor will end in a year, a month, or even a day.
However, Paul did not despair. He wrote in 4:8, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.” When called a fool, he turned the negative into an advantage. This is not an easy feat. For most, it takes divine intervention and inspiration. This is certainly true for me. Right now, I need some divine inspiration and intervention.
