Those of you who have been around me know that I love a good smart remark. I enjoy little phrases that are witty and sarcastic. One of those phrases that I’ve adapted for myself is this: “I’m a legend in my mind!” I usually say this with a laugh, but it’s a statement that reflects a spiritual reality. We all want to be wonderful, loved, or spectacular in some way, and recognized for how amazing we are.
In 1 Corinthians 4, I catch a hint of this. In v. 8 the sarcasm drips from Paul’s pen, “You’ve got it all! You’re rich! Indeed, now that we’re not there to drag you down, you’ve become kings!” And then he becomes a little more kind and says, “And I wish you did rule, so that we could benefit from that with you!” Then Paul lays out the contrast, “you’ve become kings,” but “we” the ones who had shared the gospel with them, loved them, built them up, “we are like men sentenced to death, a spectacle, fools for Christ, scum of the earth, and garbage to the world.”
Then he says, “Be imitators of me.” You’re a legend in your own mind, now be real, and imitate me.
Hmmmm, not much of a sales job. I think I’ll take well fed, well dressed, comfortable and kingly. Hungry, thirsty, homeless and fool don’t sound like much fun.
Indeed, it seems to me that too often that is the choice we have made! Things that make us uncomfortable like giving, sacrifice and service are all unpopular topics.
Paul comes at this from a different perspective. He asks, “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” Everything we have came to us from God. Make a list! Look it over! My life? Check! My family? Check! My skills? Check! My spouse? Check! My family? Check! My salvation? Check! Check! Even my faith? Check! Yes even the faith we have is a gift from God.
What a loving God we have! He provides everything, and he gives us the opportunity to serve him with it.
I don’t know what you have on your agenda today, but I want to suggest that we all go about whatever we have to do with the attitude Paul displays in 1 Corinthians 4:1 – we are servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. We are servants of Christ and everything we do is an opening for Him to display through us whose we are and show what He has done in our lives by forgiving us and filling us with His Spirit. We are also stewards of the mysteries of God. We are people with a secret; a secret that is meant to be shared. It’s the mystery of God’s love and all He would do and has done to lavish His love on sinful people like us. It’s the mystery of all He is doing to display his abundant affection for people who don’t know He loves them, too.
We get to be part of carrying that message. It becomes hard to do however, when we are concerned about the legends we have become in our own minds. Better to live in the reality: I am a broken sinful person who has received everything from God’s hand – and everything includes some pretty cool stuff: forgiveness and faith, yes, but also glory and eternal life in Heaven when Jesus returns. Let’s share it!
In 1 Corinthians 4, I catch a hint of this. In v. 8 the sarcasm drips from Paul’s pen, “You’ve got it all! You’re rich! Indeed, now that we’re not there to drag you down, you’ve become kings!” And then he becomes a little more kind and says, “And I wish you did rule, so that we could benefit from that with you!” Then Paul lays out the contrast, “you’ve become kings,” but “we” the ones who had shared the gospel with them, loved them, built them up, “we are like men sentenced to death, a spectacle, fools for Christ, scum of the earth, and garbage to the world.”
Then he says, “Be imitators of me.” You’re a legend in your own mind, now be real, and imitate me.
Hmmmm, not much of a sales job. I think I’ll take well fed, well dressed, comfortable and kingly. Hungry, thirsty, homeless and fool don’t sound like much fun.
Indeed, it seems to me that too often that is the choice we have made! Things that make us uncomfortable like giving, sacrifice and service are all unpopular topics.
Paul comes at this from a different perspective. He asks, “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” Everything we have came to us from God. Make a list! Look it over! My life? Check! My family? Check! My skills? Check! My spouse? Check! My family? Check! My salvation? Check! Check! Even my faith? Check! Yes even the faith we have is a gift from God.
What a loving God we have! He provides everything, and he gives us the opportunity to serve him with it.
I don’t know what you have on your agenda today, but I want to suggest that we all go about whatever we have to do with the attitude Paul displays in 1 Corinthians 4:1 – we are servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. We are servants of Christ and everything we do is an opening for Him to display through us whose we are and show what He has done in our lives by forgiving us and filling us with His Spirit. We are also stewards of the mysteries of God. We are people with a secret; a secret that is meant to be shared. It’s the mystery of God’s love and all He would do and has done to lavish His love on sinful people like us. It’s the mystery of all He is doing to display his abundant affection for people who don’t know He loves them, too.
We get to be part of carrying that message. It becomes hard to do however, when we are concerned about the legends we have become in our own minds. Better to live in the reality: I am a broken sinful person who has received everything from God’s hand – and everything includes some pretty cool stuff: forgiveness and faith, yes, but also glory and eternal life in Heaven when Jesus returns. Let’s share it!
Comments