Sunday 3 Nov 2013

Sunday Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 9:23
23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings

Devotion:
The apostle had the highest office in the church, a position given to Him by Christ Himself, but that did not make him boast about it; instead he wanted to do the same as Christ did and become like a servant to mankind. Being in a high position was not what this was all about, the goal was to reach others with the gospel of Christ. Throughout history we have seen religious institutions lift up themselves and promote their own power to be rulers over mankind. In some cases they have done it whilst labelling themselves as servants just to gain trust – but history has shown that they were all levelled by God’s Word.

No matter how much man tries to lift himself up, he will always fall short because he is full of corruption and sin. The sin, like a cancer, will always show itself over time and will always break down the mortal body. Christ taught this truth to the apostles so that they would not be under any misguided or envious ideas that they could attain anything more than what Christ gave them. Let us never forget that what we have is a gift of God and nothing more!

Many would like to say that life is what you make of it but in truth, life is what God has given us. What we make of our life is going to be dependent on how much we are willing to give back to Him in servitude. God would that we level ourselves with those around us to show that they do have the same opportunity of knowing Him that we do. If people can see that we are only different because we know Christ and not because of any position that man would uphold, then they will be more encouraged to find that same truth.

We will never truly know just how much Christ gave up to be a man. Yes we will have eternal life and an incorruptible body to live that life; but as to knowing just how much He gave up, we will be constantly learning for all eternity. We are not gods. We will never be gods. Let us live for our one true God, and Him alone!

Points to Ponder:
What position do you hold in life?

Would you give it up for God?