Call me crazy but recently I have found joy in reading commentaries for pleasure. Crazy huh. But it's true. I love just picking up a commentary and reading it. So, this afternoon in my free time before youth group to relax, I picked up MacArthur's commentary on 2 Corinthians. What a marvelous quote here for you to chew on from as he deals with chapter 12:1-4:
"The true measure of a man of God does not lie in his claims of visions and experiences with God, or the force of his personality, the size of his ministry, his educational degrees, or any other human criteria. A true man of God is marked by h ow much he has suffered in the way against the kingdom of darkness, how concerned he is for people, how humble he is, and how accurately he handles the supernatural revelation found in God's Word (2 Tim 2:15). Like Paul, such men patiently endure the suffering and humiliation of this life, knowing that such "momentary, light affliction is producing... an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison" (2 Cor 4:17).
"The true measure of a man of God does not lie in his claims of visions and experiences with God, or the force of his personality, the size of his ministry, his educational degrees, or any other human criteria. A true man of God is marked by h ow much he has suffered in the way against the kingdom of darkness, how concerned he is for people, how humble he is, and how accurately he handles the supernatural revelation found in God's Word (2 Tim 2:15). Like Paul, such men patiently endure the suffering and humiliation of this life, knowing that such "momentary, light affliction is producing... an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison" (2 Cor 4:17).