Monday, February 06, 2006
February 7th 1 Corinthians 4
Go ahead and look first at 1 Corinthians 4 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.
Key Verse(s): 1 Corinthians 4:3
I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.
Title: The Odiousness of Comparisons
Observation: The Apostle Paul in writing this chapter takes aim at the undeservedly high self-image of the Corinthians. They have set themselves up as kings, unaccountable to God or to the teaching of the Apostles. These self-satisfied believers wanted to define and redefine the truth of God on their own terms.
While, I believe that we also need to place ourselves under the authority of the Apostles teaching (Holy Scripture) Paul has a lesson for me today. In leading, he didn’t let those whom he led define the success or failure of his mission. He was accountable to one master, Jesus Christ. He was not comparing himself to other Apostles, nor was he trying to fit the image that the Corinthians wanted of him. Instead he served the Lord with a clear conscious and integrity.
Application: Too often when I am attacked I counterattack. I care too much about what others think of me and my leadership. If I truly understood my position before God, I would be content with pleasing only him. Instead, I look for others to validate my work, or even worse, compare myself to my contemporaries. We are all given different talents to use in service to God; I should not be proud and self-satisfied if I appear to be succeeding more readily than a counterpart in ministry, nor should I beat myself up if another is experiencing God’s favor and faithfulness in a way I am not. I need to be motivated solely by the interests of my Master.
Prayer: Lord God help me to seek my need for approval in the great warmth of your grace. Help me to spend sufficient time in your presences to learn if I am being faithful with what you have given me, and give me the humility to accept rebuke from You and You alone. Lord, let me be so grounded in you that I am not moved by the compliments or criticism of others, but rather live in the tidal sea of you love for me and the happy overspill of love from one believer to another.
In Jesus Name,
Amen.
Key Verse(s): 1 Corinthians 4:3
I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.
Title: The Odiousness of Comparisons
Observation: The Apostle Paul in writing this chapter takes aim at the undeservedly high self-image of the Corinthians. They have set themselves up as kings, unaccountable to God or to the teaching of the Apostles. These self-satisfied believers wanted to define and redefine the truth of God on their own terms.
While, I believe that we also need to place ourselves under the authority of the Apostles teaching (Holy Scripture) Paul has a lesson for me today. In leading, he didn’t let those whom he led define the success or failure of his mission. He was accountable to one master, Jesus Christ. He was not comparing himself to other Apostles, nor was he trying to fit the image that the Corinthians wanted of him. Instead he served the Lord with a clear conscious and integrity.
Application: Too often when I am attacked I counterattack. I care too much about what others think of me and my leadership. If I truly understood my position before God, I would be content with pleasing only him. Instead, I look for others to validate my work, or even worse, compare myself to my contemporaries. We are all given different talents to use in service to God; I should not be proud and self-satisfied if I appear to be succeeding more readily than a counterpart in ministry, nor should I beat myself up if another is experiencing God’s favor and faithfulness in a way I am not. I need to be motivated solely by the interests of my Master.
Prayer: Lord God help me to seek my need for approval in the great warmth of your grace. Help me to spend sufficient time in your presences to learn if I am being faithful with what you have given me, and give me the humility to accept rebuke from You and You alone. Lord, let me be so grounded in you that I am not moved by the compliments or criticism of others, but rather live in the tidal sea of you love for me and the happy overspill of love from one believer to another.
In Jesus Name,
Amen.
