As
Christians we already look and act differently than non-Christians. Two people on their Christian journey, look
and act differently. Paul is teaching
these Corinthians and us too, that although we have a right to do whatever we
want, we need to, as the old saying goes, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”,
but that does not mean that we sin to be accepted. When your focus is on living for Christ, your
rights become comparatively unimportant.
Preaching
the gospel was Paul’s calling. That may
not be your calling or my calling.
Perhaps yours is hospitality or feeding the hungry, or sharing your
musical talent. We need to use our gifts to
glorify God.
The
Christian life involves both freedom and discipline. The goal in Paul’s life was to glorify God and
bring people to Christ. So Paul was free
from any philosophical position or material entanglements that might side track
him, while he strictly disciplined himself to carry out his goal. For Paul, both freedom and discipline were
important to be used in God’s service.
Paul
gave several important principles for ministry:
1) find
common ground with those you contact.
2) avoid a
know-it-all attitude
3) make
others feel accepted
4) be sensitive
to their needs and concerns
5) look for
opportunities to tell them about Christ.
Winning
the race requires purpose and discipline.
Paul uses this illustration to explain that the Christian life takes
hard work. And if you are like me, you
have discovered that the further into your relationship with Christ, the harder
life becomes. We need to work on self-denial
and be prepared, by reading and studying scripture daily. As we spend more time doing this, we become
more equipped to run the race with vigor and stamina. We cannot merely observe from the grandstand,
we need to train diligently because our spiritual progress depends on it.
Self-discipline
requires an honest look at our strengths and weaknesses, with emphasis on our
weaknesses. It means building the will
to say no when a powerful appetite inside us screams yes. For example, when you have self-discipline,
you can
- Say no to friends or situations that will lead you away from Christ
- Say no to casual sex, saving intimacy for marriage
- Say no to laziness in favor of “can do” and “will do”.
Self-discipline is a long
steady course in learning attitudes that do not come naturally, and channeling
natural appetites toward God’s purposes.
Lord, I want to thank you
for showing me my own weaknesses recently.
I want to thank you for showing me how to regain strength with You. You Lord are my sole-source of strength. You keep me on the straight and narrow
path. You have shown me that sin will
never satisfy me or bring me peace. You
have shown me that this world will only laugh in my face. When I give You my sins, You bring me joy. It’s an amazing freedom that I pray everyone
will enjoy!