1 Corinthians 4 has been called, "Paul’s Corrective Climax."

The end of the chapter reveals Paul's heart behind his harsh words.

Paul, their spiritual father, sees his children in the gospel going down the wrong path and feels compelled to step and admonish them out of a genuine love for their soul.Paul Provides the Corinthian Church with Five Postures of a Faithful Servant (God's Scorecard for Christians)

Paul just gave a quick overview of the job title, job description and job evaluation of a follower of Christ.
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Job Title: Servant
Job Description: Steward
Job Evaluation: Faithful

Posture One of a Faithful Servant: STAY FAITHFUL
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Consider: What has Jesus clearly asked you to do that you’ve delayed?

Human judgment is incomplete.
Self-judgment is unreliable.
God’s judgment is ultimate.

Posture Two of a Faithful Servant: STAY FOCUSED
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Consider: Whose approval are you secretly auditioning for? What is God's estimation of the life you are living?

Paul reminds them that they have received everything from God, they have no reason to boast about anything.

Posture Three of a Faithful Servant: STAY HUMBLE
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Consider: What gift are you treating like an achievement?

The Corinthians’ basic blunder is that they already see themselves as morally and spiritually perfected, without having to experience the bodily struggles which Paul sees as the sign of life in Christ.

The Christian life is not a fast track to glory but a slow, arduous path that takes one through suffering.

Posture Four of a Faithful Servant: STAY HUNGRY
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Consider: Where have you confused comfort, status, or applause with spiritual maturity?

Hardship is tied to gospel fidelity - it's suffering because of Christ, not just difficulty in general.

Posture Five of a Faithful Servant: STAY TOUGH
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Be willing to do the hard thing, because it is the Christ-like thing to do.
Consider: What obedience have you labeled ‘too costly’?

Summary:
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Paul contrasts the Corinthians, who are “filled, rich, ruling, wise, powerful, honored,” with those who look far more like their Lord in Is 53 “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him not.”

Consider: Does your life look more like the Corinthians or more like Christ?

We who experience the most widespread affluence of any culture in the history of the world have a poor understanding of the positive value of affliction. Like the Corinthians, we often fail to grasp how regularly suffering must precede glory. The church in the West will probably remain soft and effeminate until it is called upon to suffer. We ourselves are likely to learn the most significant lessons of our lives through suffering. What is more, if Jesus had to tread this path, there can hardly be another way for us. But that is something that we, like the Corinthians, are most reluctant to accept.

God sits at the summit of hunger, thirst and suffering and the devil sits at the summit of the comfortable life - which mountain are you climbing?

When you follow Jesus you don't board a cruise ship; you board a battleship; so stay faithful, focused, humble, hungry & tough because faithfully following Jesus looks like His cross more than it does his crown.