2 Corinthians 6:4–10

4Instead, we make it clear that we serve God in every way. We serve him by holding steady. We stand firm in all kinds of trouble, hard times and suffering.

5We don’t give up when we are beaten or put in prison. When people stir up trouble in the streets, we continue to serve God. We work hard for him. We go without sleep and food. 6We remain pure. We understand completely what it means to serve God. We are patient and kind. We serve him in the power of the Holy Spirit. We serve him with true love. 7We speak the truth. We serve in the power of God. We hold the weapons of godliness in the right hand and in the left. 8We serve God in times of glory and shame. We serve him whether the news about us is bad or good. We are true to our calling.

But people treat us as if we were pretenders. 9We are known, but people treat us as if we were unknown. We are dying, but we continue to live. We are beaten, but we are not killed. 10We are sad, but we are always full of joy. We are poor, but we make many people rich. We have nothing, but we own everything.