Daily Devotions
2 Corinthians
"My deep concern for all the churches."
Text: 2 Corinthians 11:28
DEEP CONCERN
One of the reasons why Paul became such an outstanding servant of God was the deep personal concern he had for people who had come to faith in Christ Jesus. While it is a good quality to possess, it also adds to the many problems he faced in life and ministry.
“Besides the other things, what comes upon me daily:
my deep concern for all the churches.”
2 Corinthians 11:28
1. “Besides the other things”
a) Besides
i) This is a difficult particle.
ii) It could be translated “apart from” (“besides”).
b) The other things
i) Unfortunately, Paul did not elaborate on these “other things”.
ii) It is not a reference to what he had already mentioned.
iii) But we can be sure that any ministry for the Lord would include many details (small and large).
2. “What comes upon me daily”
a) The word “what” does not adequately translate the Greek text.
b) The word used (Greek- “epistasis”) has the following ideas:
i) It is formed from two ideas (a preposition and a regular word).
ii) It suggests that the individual is “under pressure”.
iii) It also suggests that the situation felt was “a burden”.
c) This sense of burden came upon Paul on a daily basis.
d) The following things could have weighed heavily on Paul.
i) Whether the ministry would succeed.
ii) How the enemies would attack the ministry.
iii) The safety of those who served with him.
3. “My deep concern for all the churches”
a) Deep concern may express two main things:
i) Anxieties
ii) Worries
b) For the churches
The Church was the Body of Christ. Paul had a deep love for the Church of the Lord. This translated into a sense of “deep concern” for all the churches he was associated with.