"For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” ~1 Corinthians 16:9 In this section of the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul speaks about how he "will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost" because he sees a great opportunity to share the gospel despite many enemies trying to stop him. The fact that so many are opposed to the gospel shows how great their need is for it. To understand Paul's mindset of seeing an opportunity among adversaries we have to go back to chapter nine. In chapter nine Paul tells us something that we must always keep in mind: "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!... I am still entrusted with a stewardship (16, 17b). Remember when Jesus said no one hides their light under a basket? Once we become a Christian we are now entrusted with a responsibility to share the good news with others…even those we don’t like or don’t like us. Not only that, but it is a common feeling (as it is with all work in life) for the Christian to desire a reward for their work in spreading the gospel. This desire can lead us away from the places where God wishes us to be. For if we only seek out comfortable situations then we are missing a great opportunity to bear fruit among those who need it most. Paul tells us forgoing our potential rewards and eschewing our desires means making ourselves “…a servant to all, that [we] might win more of them" (19) and we do this “for the sake of the gospel, that [we] may share with them in its blessings” (23). See, the blessings of the gospel are not temporary rewards but everlasting realities. We must always be ready to enter through that great and effective door God will open for us. Always improve the present moment.
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