GATLING@SUVM (Keith E Gatling) (01/17/90)
This sounded like something worth sharing...
TUESDAY, January 16
1 Corinthians 1:13. Was Paul crucified for you?
The church at Corinth was arguing over which missionary was the most
authoritative. Paul? Apollos? We can only be saddened by what we
read in Paul's letter to the Corintians. it started so early, this
insistence that all Christians must be exactly alike! What is it that
makes people so intolerant of diversity in matters of faith?
The biggest component may be the lack of a sense of self-worth.
When I am truly comfortable with what I am, I will not need to bludg-
eon you with it. My relating to you will be a conversation rather
than a sermon. Sometimes those who need constant reassurance that
they are acceptable feel the most need to denounce others. People at
peace with themselves are less likely to fall into that. The church
is a group of people united in gratitude to God for the redemption of
the whole creation from the decay of sin and death, not an elaborate
set of reasons why I am saved and you are not. We pray for a Christian
maturity that will make us *less* focused on ourselves, not more so.
What will we be asked when we stand before God? Were you right
all the time? Did you qualify for membership? That is not my image
of God's judgement. I think we will be asked if we loved God and tried
to show it in the things we did.
*The Lord is my strength and my shield.*
keg