Nothing Is Everything: The Paradox of Having It All in Christ

"Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything." — 2 Corinthians 6:10 (NLT)

A note from Blake: I wrote this devotional during a season of loneliness and disconnect. That season has since passed, but the lessons from it haven't. I'm sharing it now because I believe the truth in it is timeless — and if you're in a similar place, I want you to know you're not alone.

I'm in a season of disconnect right now. I'm not as connected to people as I once was, and it has me down. Some days, it feels hopeless. My questions about my circumstances leave me doubting God's plan for my life. When I'm honest, the stories I tell myself in those moments aren't always true — "God doesn't care about me." "This will never change." "Here we go again."

That's what makes 2 Corinthians 6:10 hit so hard right now.

Paul didn't write those words from a place of comfort. He wrote them from the middle of the storm. In the verses leading up to this line, he lays bare what his life looked like: beatings, imprisonments, riots, sleepless nights, and hunger (2 Corinthians 6:4-5). He'd been left for dead more than once. He'd lost everything the world considers valuable. And yet, from that place — not after it, but in the midst of it — he writes one of the most paradoxical lines in all of Scripture: "We own nothing, and yet we have everything."

That's not wishful thinking. That's not empty optimism. That's the reality of life in Christ.

When my heart aches, I can still find joy — not because I manufacture it, but because the Source of my joy resides within me. When I feel I have nothing to offer, the Spirit within me has everything to give. When life is beating me down and I feel the walls are caving in, the Spirit within me holds everything up. When I feel isolated and alone, the Spirit within me says you're not alone — I am right here with you.

Matthew Henry put it this way: "Even amid the tribulations of this world, it is the duty and calling of Christ's disciples to be of good cheer, to keep up their delight in God whatever is pressing, and their hope in God whatever is threatening." I love that line — not because it pressures me to perform, but because it reminds me to rest in Him. It's the fruit of a growing and real faith. It's available to me right now, even in the middle of my isolation and disconnection.

Paul echoes this in Romans 5:3: "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance" (NLT). Problems and trials aren't the end of the story — they're the environment in which endurance grows, and endurance is the soil in which deeper faith takes root.

So when I catch myself believing the lies — "God doesn't care," "this is hopeless" — I have to stop and recalibrate. Not by trying harder to be positive, but by reminding myself of what's true. God loves me. He has a purpose for me. And no season of disconnect can change that. When I repent of my demandingness and praise Him for what He's already done, my footing returns. Not because I've mustered up enough strength, but because the God who has everything hasn't let go of me.

When it feels like I have nothing, I have everything.

Big Idea

When it feels like we have nothing, the reality is that we have everything — because the Source of all things remains constant.

Questions to Ponder

How would you describe your attitude when life gets hard? Do you lean into the truths discussed here today, or do you find yourself believing something different? When things don't go your way, what stories do you tell yourself — and are they rooted in truth or in something else? When you read Paul's words — "We own nothing, and yet we have everything" — do they feel real to you, or distant? What would need to shift for that paradox to become your reality?

Application

If you're in a season where life is beating you down, pause and pay attention to the story you're telling yourself. Is it rooted in truth — or in something else? In your journal, write down the lies you've been believing and replace each one with a specific truth from Scripture. Then ask the Lord to help you hold onto what's true — not by trying harder, but by drawing closer to the Source of everything you need. Whatever truth the Lord reveals, act on it today. Faith that rests in Him is faith that moves.

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Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.

Moving Forward From Shame: When God Doesn't Remove It, He Redeems It

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." — 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

Do you struggle with shame? If not now, have you ever? Shame is different from guilt. Guilt says, "Something you've done is wrong." Shame says, "Something about you is wrong." I've struggled with shame throughout my life, and once the highway has been paved in your brain, it becomes a go-to response. And it can come and go without warning.

Before we go any further, if you are in Christ, shame is a liar. Romans 8:1 tells us there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. So when shame shows up, call it what it is: false. Ask the Lord for help in believing that truth. Now let's look at how Paul handled something similar.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7–10, Paul wrestles with a thorn he cannot remove. We don't know what it was — but we know it brought him to his knees. He pleaded with God three times to take it away. He wanted substitution: remove the pain, give me relief. But God didn't substitute. He transformed. Instead of removing the thorn, God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

That changed everything for Paul. Rather than continuing to beg for removal, he shifted his focus. He stopped looking inward at the thorn and began looking upward at God's power flowing through his weakness. He writes: "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9–10, ESV).

This is the shift that shame desperately needs. Shame turns our focus inward — and the longer we stay there, the more stuck we become. But when we bring our weakness to the Lord and ask not only for removal but for transformation, something changes. God doesn't always take the struggle away, but He gives us grace so the struggle works for us, not against us — shaping us more into the image of His Son.

Big Idea

When shame turns your focus inward, bring it to the Lord. He may not remove it, but He will use it — transforming your weakness into a Christ-shaped strength that brings Him glory.

Questions to Ponder

What shame are you carrying right now that you've been begging God to just take away? Be honest — have you been so focused on wanting relief that you've missed what He might be doing through it? What if the thing you most want removed is the very thing God is using to reshape you? And if that were the case, what would that look like? This paradigm shift in thinking is key to your sanctification and peace.

Application

Name the shame — not vaguely, but specifically. Write it down in your journal. Then bring it to the Lord with a different prayer. Instead of "take this from me," try "show me what You're doing through this." Remember: this paradigm shift in thinking is key to your sanctification and peace. Don't turn inward. Let Romans 8:1 remind you that shame doesn't define you, and let 2 Corinthians 12:9 remind you that your weakness is exactly where His power shows up. Stop asking for substitution. Start asking for transformation. And then trust the Lord as you live this out differently — not as a victim of your shame, but as someone dependent on the One whose power is made perfect in your weakness. What are you going to live out today?

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Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.

Paul Was Grieved: Loving Those Who Don't Love Back

"Some people honor us, but others shame us. Some people say good things about us, but others say bad things. Some people say we are liars, but we speak the truth." — 2 Corinthians 6:8 (ERV)

Paul wrote 2 Corinthians chapter 6 to encourage the Corinthians to follow his teaching — but beneath that encouragement lay deep grief. Many in Corinth believed Paul lacked the authority to speak as he did about God, and that insinuation cut deep.

Let that sink in for a moment. Paul loved the people of Corinth and worked hard to present himself as a worthy witness to the Gospel. He faithfully and tirelessly taught and cared for them. In return, the people doubted him and his authority to teach them. The bottom line — they didn't believe in him. Imagine what it must have been like for Paul to work and love so hard, to sacrifice so much, for a people who didn't trust or believe in him. I don't know about you, but I would have been devastated. Like Paul, I would have been grieved.

Can you relate to Paul's situation — loving someone deeply, trying hard to bless them, only to have them not believe in you? How would you respond? How did Paul respond?

To see how Paul responded, let me draw your attention to verse 12: "Our feelings of love for you have not stopped. It is you who have stopped your feelings of love for us" (2 Corinthians 6:12, ERV). How did Paul respond? He continued to love. Despite the people of Corinth not believing in him and withholding their love, Paul kept loving. That's sacrificial love. Paul understood that loving people who don't love you back is one of the most Christlike things you can do.

I want to be clear about something. I am not implying that you should remain in unhealthy, abusive relationships. Having struggled with codependent relationships in my distant past, I know what it's like to justify staying in a bad relationship. That's not what this post is about. Paul, through his deep, intimate relationship with the Lord, discerned the Lord's will for him to keep pushing into these relationships to share the Gospel. Without that conviction, it's perfectly acceptable — and encouraged — to move on from an unhealthy relationship.

Big Idea

Love that quits when it isn't returned was never truly sacrificial to begin with.

Questions to Ponder

Is this resonating with you in a particular way about a situation in your life? If so, what's your takeaway? I asked earlier how you would respond to Paul's situation. Then I shared how Paul responded. Does hearing about his response change how you would respond? Why is it so hard to love as Paul did after experiencing such rejection? How do you think Paul managed it?

Application

Think of someone in your life who has been hard to love — someone who hasn't returned your care, effort, or affection. Ask the Lord to show you whether He's calling you to keep loving that person, and if so, what that looks like. Then take one step this week — a text, a prayer, or an act of kindness — not because they've earned it, but because that's what love does.

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Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.