Daily Devotional for Saturday, July 12

Christian Liberty – Paul’s Approach

“And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you,” 1 Corinthians 9:23.

Start With The Why. Simon Sinek wrote the book with this title in 2009 to teach people to lead with their reason for being, their reason for operating. It is a book about marketing, but it goes beyond this to be a motivational book for people in all situations, moving their thinking to begin with the question of why you want to be, do, build, or go rather than just the what and the how. Start With The Why calls people to build or identify their core before going any further.

Paul does a similar thing here in our passage. Leading up to verse 23, he demonstrated his willingness to suffer for the gospel and his willingness to do whatever it takes to get the gospel to as many as he can. This 1 Corinthians 9 laid out the argument that the follower of Jesus should make every effort to reach across cultures, across languages and across nationalities to present Jesus to them without personal offense and without personal stumbling blocks. This is no small calling. All of this is done “for the gospel’s sake” (verse 23). This is his why. His thoughts, aims, actions and inactions are for the sake of the gospel. The gospel is at the core of who he was.

The gospel should sit at our core as well. Is the gospel your “Why”? Is it why you get up and go to work? Is it why you are a stay-at-home mom? Is it why you golf or why you garden? Is it why you have been left on this earth? Imagine all of those things we would do if the gospel were at the core, and all those things we do were simply tools for the sake of the gospel.

REFLECTION

God gives us great freedom to choose our paths in life, but he narrowly restricts what we are to do on those paths. Let your walk be for Jesus.

Jason Rutherford