2 Corinthians 4:10; Life of Jesus Manifested In Us
2 Corinthians 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
There were many physical hardships and sufferings to endure for the enemies of the gospel went all out to hurt him and his co-workers. The Apostle Paul and his companions deeply comprehend fact that their Master, our Lord Jesus, was Himself put to death. It was the way their Master went, should not His servants tread it still. The hymn “Go Labour On” written by Horatius Bonar (1808–1889) describes well the heart-throb of the Apostle Paul.
1 Go, labor on; spend, and be spent;
Thy joy to do the Father’s will;
It is the way the Master went;
Should not the servant tread it still?
2 Go, labor on: ’tis not for nought;
Thy earthly loss is heav’nly gain;
Men heed thee, love thee, praise thee not;
The Master praises, what are men?
3 Go, labor on; your hands are weak,
Your knees are faint, your souls cast down;
Yet falter not; the prize you seek
Is near, a kingdom and a crown.
4 Go, labor on while it is day,
The world’s dark night is hastening on;
Speed, speed thy work, cast sloth away,
It is not thus that souls are won.
5 Men die in darkness at your side,
Without a hope to cheer the tomb;
Take up the torch and wave it wide,
The torch that lights time’s thickest gloom.
6 Press on, faint not, keep watch and pray;
Be wise the erring soul to win;
Go forth into the world’s highway,
Compel the wanderer to come in.
7 Press on, and in thy work rejoice;
For work comes rest, the prize thus won;
Soon shalt thou hear the Master’s voice,
The midnight cry, Behold, I come!
Which man in his right mind will choose the way of suffering. The suffering of Christ was for the redemption of the church. The Apostle Paul understood the value and preciousness of an eternal soul. If it meant suffering to rescue such a soul, he was willing to suffer it. This is the meaning of the verse.
May the Lord grant His peace to all suffering saints who are enduring for the gospel’s sake to persevere. Amen.