Recently in our community a local businessman who is a brother in the Lord, got into a legal dispute with one of the charities that serves our community. There was at the center of the matter, a lease that was signed without authorization that the charity could never have afforded. Then came threats of legal action, embarrassment in the news, and in the court of public opinion. The ministry could not afford the price, and after much talking this man did go to the news.
There was foolishness on both sides of this debate, and we could sit here and say, “Well, they shouldn’t have . . . .” or, “Clearly, he should have . . . .” But they didn’t. What I wonder is what the average man-on-street who heard what happened thought. Did this build up Jesus in his sight? Did this send him a message regarding grace and forgiveness? Was it the right message?
When brothers and sisters go to court against each other it’s a shameful thing. Paul strongly points out that it would be better to suffer the wrong. Why? For the sake of the Gospel.
Paul is urging us here to live holy lives. He might even call them righteous lives. Essentially, he is urging us to shun sin and to live in Jesus’ salvation.
God has given us amazing freedom in Jesus. We can serve him in a myriad of ways. We have choices regarding how we will use our gifts, where we will live, when we will worship and so much more. But Paul is probing a topic that Jesus brought up in John 8:34 – the person who sins is a slave to sin.
When we wrestle with issues of money and pleasure we are flirting with some areas of heavy temptation. Both make us feel good, and enhance our ever present desire to make life about us. God says that this life is not about us. In the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me.” If money, food, drink, partying or sex becomes more important to us than honoring God and sharing his love, we need to examine ourselves! These things can tug at our hearts and worm into our minds.
When Jesus died on the cross we were set free from slavery to earthly idols and our self-worship. We were filled with the Holy Spirit. Indeed, we are each his temple and he lives within us! There is a greater reward now than money. There is greater pleasure than the earthly pleasures we experience. (Think on that a moment – Heaven is better than . . . well, you get the picture! So how great must Heaven be?)
This is a very different perspective that Paul is presenting. Better to be wronged? Deny yourself? His view is rooted in a confidence that this world is passing away. God’s blessings are very much to be enjoyed in this life, but they are not to master us. They are gifts he gives us out of his love, but there are better gifts yet to come. He is urging us to live from the perspective of Eternity.
Let’s try to live from that perspective today. We’ve been redeemed, forgiven, and loved by God almighty! He has given us Heaven, and one day we will be with him in glory. The hymn writer has penned, “When we’ve been there ten-thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise then when we’d first begun.”
There was foolishness on both sides of this debate, and we could sit here and say, “Well, they shouldn’t have . . . .” or, “Clearly, he should have . . . .” But they didn’t. What I wonder is what the average man-on-street who heard what happened thought. Did this build up Jesus in his sight? Did this send him a message regarding grace and forgiveness? Was it the right message?
When brothers and sisters go to court against each other it’s a shameful thing. Paul strongly points out that it would be better to suffer the wrong. Why? For the sake of the Gospel.
Paul is urging us here to live holy lives. He might even call them righteous lives. Essentially, he is urging us to shun sin and to live in Jesus’ salvation.
God has given us amazing freedom in Jesus. We can serve him in a myriad of ways. We have choices regarding how we will use our gifts, where we will live, when we will worship and so much more. But Paul is probing a topic that Jesus brought up in John 8:34 – the person who sins is a slave to sin.
When we wrestle with issues of money and pleasure we are flirting with some areas of heavy temptation. Both make us feel good, and enhance our ever present desire to make life about us. God says that this life is not about us. In the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me.” If money, food, drink, partying or sex becomes more important to us than honoring God and sharing his love, we need to examine ourselves! These things can tug at our hearts and worm into our minds.
When Jesus died on the cross we were set free from slavery to earthly idols and our self-worship. We were filled with the Holy Spirit. Indeed, we are each his temple and he lives within us! There is a greater reward now than money. There is greater pleasure than the earthly pleasures we experience. (Think on that a moment – Heaven is better than . . . well, you get the picture! So how great must Heaven be?)
This is a very different perspective that Paul is presenting. Better to be wronged? Deny yourself? His view is rooted in a confidence that this world is passing away. God’s blessings are very much to be enjoyed in this life, but they are not to master us. They are gifts he gives us out of his love, but there are better gifts yet to come. He is urging us to live from the perspective of Eternity.
Let’s try to live from that perspective today. We’ve been redeemed, forgiven, and loved by God almighty! He has given us Heaven, and one day we will be with him in glory. The hymn writer has penned, “When we’ve been there ten-thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise then when we’d first begun.”
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