A Life Worthy

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?  (1 Corinthians 5:1-2).

God has given us freedom from sin

Not freedom to sin

It would appear that the Corinthians had blown off that little nugget of wisdom.

The man Paul is talking about was in clear violation not only of Leviticus 18:8, but of pretty much every known society’s taboos. Even the Romans (those pagans Paul is referencing) thought incest was uber icky. And yes, the wording indicates that it was the man’s step mother, but still…

The Church has a line to walk that is sometimes a little tricky. I mean, if we kicked out everyone who participated in sin, we would be denying grace.

And services would be very lonely times, indeed.

At the same time, there is a difference between a brother who falls and is repentant and a man who revels in licentiousness. 

The Church is called to convey grace and to hold believers accountable.

I wish I could say that this passage is totally foreign to me, that I could never imagine the Church today putting up with–let alone condoning–this kind of evil.

But I can’t

Because it does

Beloved, the Church today is often more likely to celebrate sin than to correct it, much less condemn it. Maybe it’s because church attendance is dwindling, and we don’t want to risk driving the numbers down further by preaching “negative” messages. Maybe it’s because we’re getting caught up in the Spirit of this age, in which being tolerant is the highest good. Maybe confrontation is just too uncomfortable.

But a church that falls into the trap the Corinthians had is failing on multiple levels. It is a joke to the community, who see no difference between those inside the walls and those outside. It is failing the man caught in sin, who is drifting ever further from God while his lifeguards stand and watch. It is letting down the next generation, who are being raised to believe that this behavior is acceptable.

Wow–look at Michael ramble. Think we’ve struck a chord?

Beloved, legalism is bad. So is licentiousness. Let us leave it at that, and pray for wisdom to walk in true grace today.

Happy Friday, Beloved

For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. (1 Corinthians 4:17)

Again with the consistency!

My favorite definition of the word integrity is “The quality of being whole or undivided.” 

In other words, if you have integrity, there is no distinction between who you say you are and who you are. You live out the values that you profess.

That’s Paul. He is the epitome of living out our faith. He invites people to look into his life, confident that they will find no hypocrisy.

How do you do on that front, Beloved?

I asked you first.

So how about this: today I will pray that you live a day of integrity, a day in which your outsides match your insides, and all sides reflect the glory of God.

And, you know, if you don’t mind–you pray the same for me.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved.

To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.  (1 Corinthians 4:11-13).

What comes first in your life?

Is it comfort? Peace?  Security? Respect?

Or is it Christ?

Trust me, Beloved–I’m asking this question directly into the mirror.

When I consider what Paul went through, what so many of Christ’s followers have gone through over the years and across the globe, I find myself wondering if perhaps I hold my salvation too lightly. Could I, would I, endure what they have endured for the sake of my Lord?

Seriously, I find it difficult to get up half an hour earlier so that I can pray.

Beloved, I’m not asking for trouble. I praise God for the innumerable ways he has blessed me. I just wonder, sometimes, if I have what it takes. 

And then I remember–of course I don’t.

And of course I do.

In my own strength, by my own will, I couldn’t endure a paper cut.

But in His strength? With his arms holding me up and shielding me and guiding me? That would be a different story.

I would read that story.

Happy Monday, Beloved

For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men (1 Corinthians 4:9).

The image Paul  uses here is of a victory parade. The triumphant army returns home, marching through the city to the cheers and adulation of the crowd.  At the end of the procession are the captives taken in battle. You know, the defeated soldiers.

The losers

They are mocked and jeered at, a laughingstock to amuse the masses.

That’s what Paul is describing, and how he feels as an apostle of Christ.

Do you ever feel that way, Beloved? You may not be an apostle (sorry), but as a follower of Christ. Do you ever feel like the world thinks you’re a joke, an amusement, one who has been defeated and is no longer to be taken seriously?

If so, remember that you are in very good company.

And remember that this image, though it may feel true sometimes, is not. Our journey will not end in the arena, but at the wedding banquet of the Lamb. Our destiny is not slavery and death, but joyful service and peace and joy and life.

Delicious, eternal life

Happy Thursday, Beloved.

For what makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? (1 Corinthians 4:7)

That’s a funny thing with Scripture.

Half the time God is telling you how much he loves you.

The other half, he’s reminding you how little you deserve it.

You are royalty, Beloved.

You have been chosen out of all this world by the King of Everything.

But not because you earned it.

So rejoice…but remember.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved.