Gleanings – Still, Most of the Time “I Want to Talk About Me!”
1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
Bold isn’t it? “Be imitators of ME,” Paul says. Is he a legend in his own mind? No. Paul is keenly aware of his frailties. He doesn’t do the good he wants. He does the evil he’d rather not. Wretched man!
And yet he lives a life worth imitating. In what way? He does not “seek his own good.” I seek not “my own advantage. “
You really cannot escape this line of reasoning in Paul. The other is more important than the self. Paul is a great defender of truth. But he is willing to set aside any and all personal preference if the preference hinders him in reaching people where they are.
Eat food sacrificed to idols when it does not matter. Don’t eat food sacrificed to idols when it does matter. What matters is knowing Jesus in your heart, not food placed in your mouth. Kosher versus not Kosher? Who cares? What about religious traditions and teachings of men? Fine, but let them not be a line in the sand.
My sense is such barriers (manifest as denominational loyalty?) are being deconstructed. More and more pastors and lay folks alike are abandoning any interest in advancing what makes their brand distinctive in favor of seeing Jesus advanced in a person’s life. This Paul would affirm with zeal. If only we could live it without reservation.