I AM BESIDE MYSELF
FEBRUARY II Corinthians 5:13-14 – “For if we are beside ourselves it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ compels us. . . .” Have you read a passage 500 times and then, at the 501 st reading, you wonder, “What in the world does that mean?” Recently, while reading Paul’s declaration in II Cor. 5:13, I paused and glued myself to the phrase, “beside ourselves.” I have verbalized in the past that I’ve been “beside myself”. What was I exactly expressing? I thought I knew. Since studying Paul’s usage of that phrase, I am convinced I did not know! However, I now am able to truly say, with understanding, that I have a desire to be “beside myself” – for God! The phrase, in Greek, speaks of being "amazed, thrown into wonderment." It also means to be "out of one's mind"! Paul was accused of being "beside himself" in his defense of the Gospel (Acts. 26:24). Paul was impassioned for Christ. He was burd