"Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in this body we are absent from the Lord--for we walk by faith and not by sight--we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from  the body and to be at home with the Lord!"  (II Corinthians 5:6-8)
 
Last week, in our lesson on II Corinthians 4:16-18, we saw how the beleagured apostle Paul was able to confidently carry out his ministry of preaching the gospel of Christ, to the equally beleagured Corinthian believers, because of what he "knew" (for sure!), as a revelation from God through the Holy Spirit!  Although he suffered for the cause of Christ, perhaps more than any other man in all of history, he "knew" (and believed, and therefore "spoke!) that God was "the One who had shown in his heart to give him (as a priceless treasure!) the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ," so that "the surpassing power of the greatness of the life of Jesus Christ might be manifested (and plainly seen!) in his mortal flesh" (as in an "earthen vessel")--and spread to more and more people, and abound to the glory of God"!
 
The apostle Paul also "knew" (as he said in 4:14) that "the One who raised the Lord Jesus (from the dead!) would raise him up (and them, and us, also!) with Jesus" one day!  "Therefore (he wrote in verse 16) we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is wasting away, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day"!  And so he viewed all the affliction that he suffered as only "light and momentary," and "producing for him (he says, "us"!) "an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not on the things which are seen, but (by faith!) at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal!"  
 
And so, as Paul would write, in 5:7, as believers in this life, we "walk by faith and not by sight"!  And that "new covenant knowledge and understanding about which we learned from Paul in chapter 4, as revealed to him by revelation from the Holy Spirit, established the basis, and set the tone for last night's lesson (on 5:1-10) where Paul begins by sharing something else that he "knew" about living the Christian life!  Something we need to know as well, so that we "don't lose heart," as believers and followers of Christ!  (And he uses a lot of "discourse marker phrases," such as "indeed," and "for indeed," and "therefore," and "so that," as Kirk noted last nite, "to convey, emphasize, confirm, or exlain the points he's making!  And so, in Paul's writings he always follows what he writes about "what he knows" with a lot of "therefores," and "so thats, as we'll saw in our lesson last night!
 
"For we know (he writes in verse 1) that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens!"  Paul, likening our body to an earthly tent!  Constable notes that "in ancient times a tent was a familiar symbol of what was not permanent, and so Paul was contrasting the believer's temporary home, in his dilapidated body, with his eternal home, in his glorious body (in a day to come!), something subsantial and lasting, in heaven"!  Many people who lived during the time of Paul were nomadic tent dwellers, and (interestingly) Paul was a tent-maker by trade, and so he knew all about tents!  Tents were temporary, fragile, insecure, and lowly, and could easily be torn down and taken away!  And so, when he writes that it's "torn down," he's picturing a soon coming separation, or death!
 
MacArthur likens death to "something (or someone) coming to the door of our house (or our life!) like an utterly unsympathetic landlord, waving an eviction notice that will be executed the moment the landlord arrives!  Releasing us (as believers) from a fairly wretched neighborhood down here to a much better neighborhood up there!  It's not going to make us homeless; but, instead, there's waiting for us a far more grand and glorious dwelling in a far better neighborhood"!  (You get the point!)
 
And so he's saying that "therefore," we as Christians (like Paul!) shouldn't fear death!  And even welcome it, "knowing" what is to come!  Although, on the other hand, also like Paul, wanting to remain as long as the Lord wants to use us in His service! MacArthur notes that death (for the Christian!) "is nothing more than a reprieve, a release, from the dilapidating slum that we now live in, ushering us into a better home in a far better place! Death isn't something that cause Paul pain and suffering!  Life is!  And that's the reason why he longed for death!"
 
In Philippians 1:23 he wrote to the Philippian believers, "But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and to be with Christ, for that is very much better!  Yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake!"  He would gladly trade his scrawny tent for "a building which has foundation, whose builder and maker was God"!  But, then again, he knew he had something more to finish first in this life!
 
In I Corinthians 15:51 he wrote (something more he knew, that was given to him by revelation,) about the coming "rapture of believers"! "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we shall all be changed (not writing it as a church nursery message!); in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we all will be changed.  For this perishable must put on immortality.  But when this perishable will put on the imperishable, and this mortal will put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory!  O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (And he goes on to give us another "therefore" (which we'll pick up below)!
 
And maybe, speaking of the "rapture," this explains why the apostle Paul would write, in verse 1 of our text, that "if" (and not "when") our house is torn down"!  Indicating that Paul was hoping to still be around at the time of the rapture when, as he wrote in II Thessalonians 4:17, believers "who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so be always with Him!" Thus not experiencing death! This was his first hope and desire, as MacArthur notes!
 
But death was not a problem to Paul either, because of what he "knew" was waiting for him! "A building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens!"  Paul "knew" that he was a stranger, an alien, a sojourner, and a pilgrim in this world! (Like Moses who, Exodus 2:22 says, was "a sojourner in a foreign land," and like Peter who, in I Peter 2:11, referred to us as "strangers and pilgrims in this world"!)
 
In Philippians 3:20, Paul writes, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He hasseven to subject all things to Himself!"
 
The apostle John writes, in John 1:14, that when Jesus came into this world and became flesh, He "dwelt among us and we saw His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth"!  The word "dwelt," in the Greek, means "tabernackled," and so, He took the form of a man and "tabernackled," or "tented" in a temporary body among us!  But after His crucifixion was resurrected into a glorified body, a body not made with hands, and "not of this creation"!  A dwelling place for Christ in His glory that, MacArthur says, "is not earthy or physical, or tented, but spiritual and transcendent!  Glorified! And eternal in the heavens!
 
Jesus told His disciples, in John 14:1-3, "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many dwelling places (KJV says, "mansions"); if it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you; if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also!"
 
And, John wrote (in I John 3:1-3), "See what great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are!  For this reason, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him!  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be!  We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is!  And everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself, just as He is pure!" Wow!
 
And yet, Paul writes in verse 2 of our text, that "in this house (this earthly house) "we groan"!  And for emphasis: "Indeed, we grown, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked!  For indeed (there it is again!), while we are in this tent we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life"!
 
Romans 8:22-25 adds: "For we know (we know!) that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth until now.  And not only this, but also, we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the resurrection of the body!  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for something he already sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it!"
 
We groan because we are unfulfilled, incomplete, and imperfect in this life!  Paul wrote (in Romans 7:24), "O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death?  He didn't fear death!  He feared life in this world--so debilitating, so corrupting!  He wanted a glorified body!  To be like Jesus!  To be "swallowed up in the fulness of the perfections of eternal life"!
 
MacArthur wrote that the highest expression that we will ever know in the glory of God's eternal heaven will be when we receive our new resurrected, glorified bodies"!  And Paul writes, in verse 5, that "God has prepared us for this very purpose, and given to us the Spirit (the Holy Spirit who indwells us) as a pledge (or guarantee of what's ahead)!  Wow!
 
Ephesians 1:13-14 says, "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory!"  (The seal "is the official mark of identification placed on a document under the authority of the person whose stamp was on the seal!  Signifying security, authenticity, ownership, and authority!")
 
And now, another "therefore," in verses 6-8!  "Therefore, being of good courage, and knowing (there's that word again!) that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--for we walk by faith and not by sight--we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord!"  Wow!  Again, because of what he "knew" was ahead!
 
And yet another "therefore" in verse 9!  "Therefore we also have as our ambition (the "noblest ambition of all," writes MacArthur), whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him!  And how can we do that?  By "therefore, being steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing (there's that word again!) that our toil is not vain in the Lord"! 
 
And why that?  Verse 10 sums it up!  "For we (speaking of believers!) must all appear before the judgment seat of God, so that (note our final "discourse marker"!) each one of us may be recompensed for his deeds in the body (this tent!), according to what he has done, whether good or bad!"  Notice that it doesn't say anything about judgment for sin! That's been dealt with when we came to the cross!  (Romans 8:1, in still another "therefore," says, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!)
 
And so Paul was able to say, at the end of his life, something very special that he shared with Timothy, his beloved brother in the faith (in II Timothy 4:7-8), "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing!"
 
Paul faced death confidently, triumphantly, and joyfully!  Our dear friend, John MacArthur once wrote that just as we are to glorify God in the way we live, we should also glorify Him in the way we die!  It's our last best chance (he said) to glorify God while still in this world, and it's the greatest opportunity to prove the reality of our faith!  Also that "the reality of our faith is most clearly manifested in the face of death!"  And he once even gave a message on this passage, which he titled "Facing Death Confidently"!  
 
Psalm 116:13 say, "Precious in the sight of God is the death of His saints!"  And I sure that applied in John's case, just as in Paul's!  And there's a hymn that comes to mind that I'm sure the apostle Paul, and John, and each of us would want to join in singing, as a fitting close to this lesson!  It's called "I Know Whom I Have Believed!"  And here are the words:
 
Verse 1--"I know not why God's wondrous love to me He has made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love, redeemed me for His own!
 
The chorus--"But I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able,
To keep that which I've committed; unto Him against that day!"
 
Verse 2--"I know not how this saving faith, to me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word, wrought peace within my heart!
 
(Chorus)
 
Verse 3--"I know not how the Spirit moves, convincing men of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word, creating faith in Him!
 
(Chorus)
 
Verse 4--"I know not when my Lord shall come, at night or noon-day fair,
Or if I'll walk the vale with Him, or meet Him in the air!"
 
(Chorus)  And let's sing it again!  "But I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded He is able,
 
To keep that which I've committed, unto Him against that day!"
 
But there's another more contemporary gospel song that comes to mind that also fits this lesson so well, and it's called "Knowing You, Jesus," and I'll leave you with the chorus: 
 
"Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You!  There is no greater thing!  
You're the best! You're my joy, my righteousness, and I love you, Lord...!"
 
Go on and sing it!
 
May God be with you, my brothers!  Til we meet again!
 
Lowell

"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is wasting away, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day!" (II Corinthians 4:16)
 
Last week, in our lesson on II Corinthians 4:7-15, we saw the apostle Paul literally at his wit's end, from a human standpoint; yet from a spiritual standpoint he was on top of the world!  His life was such a paradox!  As he himself describes it (in verses 8-9), he was "afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Christ, so that the life of Christ also might be manifested in his body"! 
 
And in looking back at the seemingly unbearable litany of trials and persecutions he endured in his life, particularly as cited in II Corinthians 11:23-28 (as we noted in last week's lesson), we can't help but conclude that there was never another a man in all of history who suffered for the cause of Christ as much as he did! In I Corinthians 4:9-13, he wrote that God had "exhibited us as apostles last of all, as men condemned to death...as a spectacle to the world...fools for Christ's sake...slandered...the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even as now"!   In II Corinthians 1:8 he added, "We do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of the affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raised the dead, who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us!"    
 
And yet, he declared in his opening statement of II Corinthians 4 that "since he had this ministry, as he had received mercy, he did not lose heart..but by the manifestation of truth commended himself to every man's conscience in the sight of God.  And even if the gospel is veiled, it is veiled those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God!"
 
And he continued, "For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake.  For God, who said (in Genesis 1), 'Light shall shine out of darkness, is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ!"
 
And he added that "we have this treasure--this priceless treasure ("the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ"--or 'the good news' off salvation in Christ!) in earthen vessels"!  Likening himself (and others who preach, and deliver, the treasure of the gospel of salvation), as "earthen vessels", or cheap, common, and fragile clay pots, so that the surpassing greatness of the power (of salvation in Christ!) will be recognized as the work of God, and not from ourselves"! 
 
And so, through this process, the great gift of salvation in Christ (the priceless treasure!) was "spreading more and more (through his preaching), and abounding to the glory of God"!  And with "the same spirit of faith," Paul knew and believed, with great confidence and an unshakeable conviction that even if he died, he would one day "be raised up, just as Jesus was raised, and be present and alive with Him, and with them" (those who had also believed and trusted in Christ) for all eternity!  For him, "to live was Christ, and to die was gain!
 
And that same confidence in Christ that Paul demonstrated in last week's lesson set the scene, and the tone, for our lesson last night, where Paul begins by declaring that "therefore" (because of the reality of the treasure of the new covenant promise of "new life in Christ"), "we do not lose heart," and that "though our outer man is wasting away, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day"!  
 
The apostle Paul was just like us, in the sense that we're all growing old and "wasting away," physically, as part of the normal aging process, but the beatings and sufferings he endured from those who opposed him, only added to, and speeded up, that dying process, as it was taking a heavy toll on his body!  He literally wore himself out in ministry for Christ!  And yet his inner man was being renewed and increasingly growing into more Christlikeness, as he "put on the new self"! (Colossians 3:10) 
 
And yet, in another paradoxical way, he viewed all the heavy affliction that he suffered as only "light" and "momentary," producing for him "an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison"!  The way Paul saw it was that the more he suffered in this life for the cause of Christ, the greater the rewards, and eternal glory, in the life to come!  ("Not that affliction is something to be endured in  order to reach glory," writes Constable, but that "the affliction that he suffered was part of the process that created the glory"!)
 
Philippians 2:5-11 says, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  Being found in the appearance of a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross!  For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!"  (MacArthur notes that, "Christ's suffering on the cross is the greatest illustration of how suffering is related to glory!  The greatest suffering that ever occurred in the universe occurred on the cross; and the greatest glory that has ever been given was given, by God, in response to that suffering"!)
 
In verses 18-19 (in yet another paradox), Paul writes that "while we look not at the things which are seen, which are temporary, but at the things which are not seen, which are eternal"!  The present, momentary, visible things of life paled in significance for Paul as he considered the future, eternal, invisible things ahead!  He looked forward to his heavenly home, a house not built with human hands but built by God, eternal in the heavens--drawing from the example of Old Testament heroes of faith, like Abraham, who (Hebrews 11:10 says) "looked for a city which has foundation, whose architect and builder is God"!
 
Paul writes, in Romans 8:18-19, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God!"
 
And in Colossians 3:1-3, he wrote, "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ (and, as believers, we have!), keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God!  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth (that are passing away)!  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory!"
 
And he further wrote to Timothy (in II Timothy 2:1-3), "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  The things you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also!  Suffer hardship with me as good soldiers of Christ Jesus!"
 
So what are the "eternal things," and how do we fix our eyes on them?  Constable writes that the eternal things "include such things as fullness of joy, our completed salvation, and our heavenly inheritances" but that we must look with "eyes of faith"!  Hebrews 11:1-3 says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen!  For by it the men of old gained approval! By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made by the things which are visible!"  And, in verse 6, that "without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those who seek Him!"
 
So why do we have trials and hardships in our lives, and what's the secret of enduring them?  Jesus (in Matthew 6 and elsewhere) warned us that "in the world we would have trouble;"  Job wrote (in Job 5:7), "For man is born for trouble, as the sparks fly upward;" and Paul wrote (in II Timothy 3:12) that, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly will suffer persecution"!   MacArthur notes that "life can bring disappointment, discontent, pain, grief, loss, disasters of all kinds, and that it is filled with unexpected turns, unanticipated events, dread, and sometimes debilitating and painful experiences! That's life! And the longer we live, the more likely the potential for pain and difficulty!  And so we must learn to deal with life and endure it!"
 
Jesus said (in Matthew 6:34) "not to worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself, and that each day has enough trouble of its own"!  And, in John 14:1, "not to let our hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me!"  
 
Psalm 46:1-3 says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble; therefore, we do not fear, though the mountains slip into the sea!"  Wow!  And, in verses 10-11, "Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.  The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold!"  
 
And how bout this one (in Psalm 16:8-11): "I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken!  Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh will dwell securely!  For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay! You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures forever more!"
 
MacArthur writes that "the secret of endurance (as shown in this passage) "is focusing on the inner man, not on the outer man; focusing on the spiritual and not on the physical!  To look at the future and not the present!  To take our eyes off present pain, and look at future glory! And to be consumed with what is invisible and not on what is visible; to give your life to what will never perish, not for what will perish!  To place the unseen far above the seen, the future far above the present, and the spiritual far above the physical!"
 
Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God!"
 
Isaiah 40:28-31 (not to be outdone!) says, "Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired.  His understanding is inscrutable.  He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increase power.  Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary!"
 
And when you do all the above, MacArthur notes, you will be able to say with Paul (coming full circled!): "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed!  Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is wasting away, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day! For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal!"
 
And we gotta add Paul's prayer, in Ephesians 3:14-21, "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, so that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the fulness of God!"
 
And we just want to close by bursting out and singing some hymns and gospel songs that come to mind and reflect what we've learned in this great passage!  Songs which the apostle Paul could well relate to and want to join us in singing!  And perhaps this one in particular:
 
"Through it all, through it all, O I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God!  Through it all, through it all, I've learned to depend upon His Word...!"
 
How bout this one: "Day by day and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here; trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause to worry or to fear!  He whose heart is kind beyond all measure, gives unto each day what He deems best.  Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure, mingling toil with peace and rest!
 
Every day the Lord Himself is near me, with a special mercy for each hour; all my cares He fain would bear and cheer me, He whose name is Counsellor and Power.  The protection of His child and treasure, is a charge that on Himself He laid; as your days, your strength shall be measure, this the pledge to me He made!
 
Help me then, in every tribulation so to trust your promises, O Lord; that I lose not faith's sweet consolation, offered me within Your Holy Word!  Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting, e'er to take as from a father's hand; one by one, the days, the moments fleeting, til I reach the promised land!"
 
Or this one, "O that will be glory for me, glory for me, glory for me; when by His grace I shall look on His face, that will be glory, be glory for me...!"
 
Or this one, "He giveth more grace when the burden grows greater, he sendeth more stength when the labors increase! To added affliction He addeth His mercy; to multiplied trials, His multiplied peace!   
 
Or this one, "Is there a heart o'er-bound by sorrow?  Is there a life weighed downn by care? ...All your anxieties, all your cares, bring to the mercy seat, leave them there; never a burden He cannot bear; never a friend like Jesus!" 
 
And last but not least (for Paul for sure)!  "Give me Jesus, give me Jesus!  You can all this world, but give me Jesus!"
 
And all this calls for Paul's benediction (in Ephesians 3:20-21); "Now unto Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we could ask or think, according to the power that works within us; to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, to all generations for ever and ever! Amen!"
 
Don't lose heart, men!
 
Lowell