To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all thingsuntil now.
We don't stop to think about Paul's life in its everyday practical sense. He was frequently a prisoner, or being beaten and thrown out of town, shipwrecked, and otherwise, the offscouring of society. On his good days, he was a tentmaker. Long before Singer Sewing machines were invented. Hard, streneous labor at best.
Today, we expect fancy salaries, nice car, well decorated manse and a staff to clean the sanctuary. Maybe we need to rethink a few things.
Readings:
Morning Psalm 123, Noon Psalm 119: 81-88, Evening Psalm 73
