1 Cor 4:9-16 NLT
9 Instead, I sometimes think God has put us apostles on display, like prisoners of war at the end of a victor’s parade, condemned to die. We have become a spectacle to the entire world—to people and angels alike. 10 Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. 11 Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. 12 We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. 13 We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment. 14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. 15 For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16 So I urge you to imitate me.
Yeah… right!
Be like you? What does that list include again?
– Become a spectacle before the world.
– Look like a fool because of my dedication to Christ.
– Be weak
– Be ridiculed
– Go hungry & thirsty with not enough clothes to keep warm
– Be beaten and have no home.
– Bless those who curse me
– Patiently be abused by others
– Appeal gently to those who talk trash about me
– Be treated as the world’s garbage
OK. That’s the glam life of the apostle. I’ve got a long way to go. Even in thinking about how that applies to my life today and what that would actually look like in my life, I don’t want to go there or be that. I fear that is a tale-tale sign of an issue in my heart I may need to deal with.
If I’m truly living out Galatians 2:20, then I am going to be OK with being any and all of that list. My reluctance shows part of ME is still alive somewhere and deceiving me to believe that I’m all dead and Christ is alive in me.
Shine your light Holy Spirit and reveal any part of my heart that needs correction and/or confession.