Too many times we try to make the world conform to our view of Christianity as believers who already have a relationship with God. It’s almost as though we require them to act as though they have already experienced God’s grace before they even know who He is. Verse 19 hit me right between the eyes this morning; Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. Paul goes on to talk about how he becomes whatever he needs to become in order to reach people with the gospel. Even though I know people must experience God for themselves, I still want them to be just like me or just like the people in my church. I need to be more like them so they can experience Christ where they are instead of where I think they should be. Only God knows where they need to be in relation to Him. My job is simply to make the introduction.
2012 Day 177 – 1 Corinthians 9
25 Monday Jun 2012
Posted in Daily Reading
Yep. This is right in line with what we discussed earlier…you can’t hold people to a standard that Christ has set if they don’t even know him. And like Paul, we have to get out of our Christian ghettos we have created for ourselves. That is why I treasure my time on the road with my career. Its so easy to get stuck in this little bubble here.
I felt very convicted by Paul’s willingness to put all his preferences, rights etc…. to get to people with the power of the love and freedom of Jesus. I’m so not good about that.