The Apostle Paul was a pillar of strength who saw the ways of God more clearly than any other individual. He had a unique boldness in his message because he had received the gospel directly from God: “The gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12).
There is no doubt that Paul had a special blessing from God: “This man {Paul} is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel” (Acts 9:15). But if Paul would have remained attached to this highly favored position of strength and superior knowledge, his ministry would have been severely limited.
1 Corinthians 9:22
“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.”
Paul was so devoted to preaching the Gospel that he could humbly minister to anyone! He was determined to reach every person God placed in his path – even if this meant lowering himself and becoming weak.
We must be careful to understand that weakness does not mean we engage in sin! God NEVER asks us to violate His commands in order to accomplish His will; we never need to sin in order to reach someone with the gospel. Rather, becoming weak means showing compassion without regard to a person’s status; it means having the “strength” to walk beside the weak, who may be living in terrible sin, and minister the love of Jesus without condemnation. Godly weakness means showing grace to others because we understand the grace we have been given.
As we minister to the lost – as we touch those without Christ – our message must focus on His saving grace. Without Jesus we are ALL lost and on our way to an eternal damnation; “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We must never forget this basic truth. We must never let our position in Christ cloud the message of the cross. We have been saved and set free; “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness” (Colossians 1:13). But now that we are free, we need to understand that the world around us is in desperate need of this same gracious Savior.
We each have a message to share, a message which can encourage and be used to draw others to faith in Jesus. Let’s begin to share this message with ALL. Let’s begin to step outside our select and “comfortable” group – outside the group we relate to and claim to understand. The Good News of Jesus is a precious life-saving gift! Let’s begin to share this gift with ALL, by ALL possible means.
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries
**** Reading Plan ****
May 17 1 Samuel 20:1-21:15; John 9:1-41; Psalm 113:1-114:8; Proverbs 15:15-17
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