Paul Never Developed A Negative Attitude by John Hagee

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

After Paul was stoned, Paul did not climb on his pity pot and roll out his lower lip to whine and complain about suffering for Jesus!

Paul was beaten three times with 39 stripes, because anything more than that would kill him.  Paul was stone and left for dead.  He was shipwrecked.  Although innocent, he was thrown into prison.  He was cursed, he was kicked, and he was spit upon.  How many of you know that would hurt your self esteem?

Paul never developed a negative attitude.  He picked his bloody body up out of the dirt and went back into the city where he had almost been stoned to death, and he said, “Hey, about that sermon I didn’t finish preaching—here it is!

Paul wrote the book on True Grit, not Rooster Cogburn.  Paul said, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.  Paul would not quit and he could not be defeated.  Paul wrote that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ Romans 8:37 and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us Philippians 4:13.

Compare that with Doubting Thomas.  He had been with Jesus for three years.  He had seen the sack lunch that fed 5,000.  He saw Lazarus walk out of his grave.  He saw the funeral parade that became the resurrection of a widow’s son.  He had seen all of those miracles.  But at the first negative thing, when the first hurtful thing came down the road, Thomas mounted his self piteous throne.  And whining and whimpering down the streets of Jerusalem he said, “I knew we’d get in trouble if Jesus kept preaching those sermons about the government.”  The disciples came and said, “Thomas, Jesus is alive.”  And he said, “Oh, I can’t believe that.  I’m just too hurt.  Not until I see it on CNN…not until I can touch the scars in his hands, will I believe it!

Everybody has been hurt at some point in their life.  There is something all of us could go back to and wail about if we choose to.  In Jesus’ name, grow up and get over it!  Look to the future.  Forge those things that are in your past and say, ‘With God’s grace, tomorrow is going to be a better day.”

Spiritual Growth