As bold, committed, and seemingly successful as the apostle Paul was, he wasn’t immune to discouragement. After his time in Athens, Paul goes to Corinth where he continues preaching the gospel to a city with mixed responses. However, after years of both fruitfulness and rejection, Paul has grown weary. God meets him in a dream to offer encouragement and a promise that he’s still doing what he’s called to do. Many of us can find ourselves in a similar place of discouragement. We can face the same vices, hit the same roadblocks, and struggle with the same sins our entire lives. But just like Paul, we too must remember that in order to experience God’s resurrection power, we must endure God’s cruciform pain. We endure the afflictions of the cross by setting our affections on Christ.
