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Residing in Michigan for over half my life, I had heard about Paradise. Because Paradise is a small town in the Upper Peninsula, you may have never visited there in your life, but you knew it existed. It was WAY up there next to Tahquamenon Falls and nothing else. Where's Tahquamenon Falls? Next to Paradise and nothing else. It's a long way from home.  Why all of the talk about Paradise? Because Paul talks about it in 2 Corinthians 12. There was this guy who had been caught up to Paradise. Not in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but into the REAL Paradise. While there, he'd heard things that he was unable to repeat. What on earth was this? Who was this guy? Here's what was going on. Paul defended his position of Apostleship in chapter eleven and gave the Corinthians an idea of what Apostleship looked like in chapter twelve. It came with great wonders, like seeing or instead hearing unimaginable things. But, too, that position came with a terrible cost. God gave Paul a ...

Solomon had everything and was in constant despair. Paul had nothing and had learned "in whatever state he was" to be content. Who was the winner here? Paul lists the trials he had been through in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33. His was an extraordinary ordeal. Paul suffered for the gospel. His goal was to preach and teach Christ. Solomon's was an inward focus. The book of Ecclesiastes tells us a sad tale. All that Solomon did was to satisfy his slightest whim. He built, destroyed, invested, and sold his investments, yet he didn't find satisfaction. All was vanity. Who was the winner? Who accomplished God's will for his life? Whose life was worth living? I would say that each man left his mark on Bible history. Both men had successes, and both had their challenges. The wisest man in history made tremendous blunders. Paul considered himself less than ordinary, yet he wrote a third of the New Testament Scriptures. Solomon, like Mick Jagger, couldn't find satisfaction. P...