October 6, 2002 Sunday
In 1 Corinthians 9:20 Paul wrote words that haven't left my mind for months now, "I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some"....unbelievable. In reading this chapter we find that Paul had the right to eat and drink, bring a believing wife with him wherever he went, and to receive wages for the ministry he was doing for the Lord. These things all make good sense right!? The Word of God even declares here that a person who is in the ministry has every right to these things amen!? Paul goes on to tell us that he literally dropped all of these rights (and many others) so that He could become ALL things to ALL men that he might by ALL means save some. God has been challenging me in some serious ways to drop all of the "rights" that I have and to begin living a life that is 100% sold out to Jesus Christ and to "endure ALL things lest we hinder the Gospel of Christ" (vs. 12). Sometimes it's good to ask ourselves some simple questions like, "What have I become for others for the sake of Christ?", and "What does Christ want me to become for His sake", and how about this one, "What am I willing to become?" If there are certain things that we just are not willing to become for the sake of Christ then we have already made certain that God's perfect will for our lives will NEVER be fulfilled. Until we are willing with ALL of our hearts to become anything for the sake of the Gospel we will never experience the abundant life that Christ wants us to have and the Spirit which He has placed inside of us will never flow from us as rivers of living water as we are told of in John 7:38. What is Christ calling you to become? Are you willing?