PAUL ix

And in all things the Spirit of Christ beamed:
Railed at, he blessed; persecuted, he suffered it;
Every way afflicted, but not straitened;
Seeing no apparent issue, but his way not
Entirely shut up; conscious that if he was
Persecuted he was not abandoned; knowing
He was persecuted because of the cross of Christ.
For who desired like Paul to live piously
In Christ Jesus? Blessed they who are persecuted
For righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens!
But there was other suffering too – the mark,
Rather than fighting, of a good soldier. If he
Was in tribulation, it was for the encouragement
And salvation for the saints; rejoicing in sufferings
For them, filling up that which is behind of the tribulations
Of Christ in his flesh, for His body, which is the assembly;
Ready to again travail in birth for his children
Until Christ shall have been formed in them.
And for himself he learned, “And he said to me,
My grace suffices thee; for my power is perfected
In weakness”. While he reckoned that the sufferings
Of this present time are not worthy to be compared
With the coming glory to be revealed to us.



This concludes this series of considerations of Paul, particularly based on 2 Timothy 3 10. You'll find another view at:

http://dcbverse.blogspot.com/2009/02/paul.html