2 Corinthians 11.7-12

⁷ Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? ⁸ I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. ⁹ And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers and sisters who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. ¹⁰ As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. ¹¹ Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! ¹² And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.

The college life in Iowa City can be so wonderful, but at the same time harmful to each persons Christian essence. In Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians, he makes light of this issue. He refuses to accept any riches for his teaching and he is distinctly different from those that have come before and those that surround him. He strives to preserve that which makes him different. As a servant of Christ, you need to commit to preserving your essence that makes you distinctly different. It is easy to think you can live the “Christian” life while also balancing a “college party” life. People living what looks to be a perfect life are similar to the false apostles that Paul mentions in his letter. These individuals can be parasitic to our faith; we must guard ourselves and help those who are in need of change.