A Life Worthy

The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets in their house. All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand(1 Corinthians 16:19-21).

As he brings his letter to a close, Paul does your basic wrap-up. He passes on the “Tell them I said ‘Howdy’” messages from everybody, and generally tells them to play nice.

Some things I wonder…

Did Aquilla and Priscilla know that they would have a cameo in one of the most famous letters in history? How would they have felt about that?

Did anybody in the Corinthian church find the “holy kiss” awkward? Because when I traveled to churches in the East, I found that seriously awkward.

What was the deal with Paul’s writing? He often mentions that he dictated his letters, and wrote a final greeting in his own hand. I know most people figure he had bad eyesight, but why? Had he never fully recovered from his experience on the Damascus road? Did God heal him, but leave him with poor eyesight as a reminder? ‘Cause I don’t think he would have needed a reminder. Maybe it had nothing to do with that; maybe he had just spent too long sewing tents in poor lighting.

I wonder a lot. Feel free to shush me.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these, and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it (1 Corinthians 16:15-16).

Service

Seems kind of boring.

I don’t know what Stephanas and his folk were involved in. 

Maybe they were greeters

or parking attendants.

Perhaps they did dishes after the church potluck

or changed diapers in the children’s ministry.

I don’t know how they served, just that they served–the whole family.

It probably wasn’t glamorous, because most service isn’t.

Paul says we should submit to people like Stephanas, because he has devoted his life to the people of God, and therefore, to God himself.

How about you, Beloved? 

Who are you serving, and how?

Happy Monday, Beloved

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong  (1 Corinthians 16:13).

You are in a battle.

You are under attack from multiple directions.

Society fills your head with lies about who you are and what you should want and be and do.

The enemy seeks to devour you, one minute telling you you are good for nothing, the next trying to convince you that you should be king of the world. 

Your own heart will betray you, rising up to claim the throne that is rightly God’s.

You must stand and fight, Beloved. Fight for your very self, fight to the limits of your strength and beyond, knowing two things:

First, your strength will not be enough.

Second, you do not fight alone.

You have a Champion who fights with you, and who will bring you victory.

But you are still called to strap on the armor, pick up your sword, and stand.

So…do that.

Happy Thursday, Beloved.

When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers  (1 Corinthians 16:10-11).

Peter seems to have been kind of a forceful guy.

James and John…well they had the nickname Sons of Thunder, so there’s that.

Paul was certainly not afraid to bring the hammer.

Timothy…well it seems he was kind of timid. 

In Paul’s letters to Timothy we see that he was devout, but young and given to anxiety. I think that Timothy was perhaps the kind of man that many would ignore.

But Paul saw the Spirit of God at work in Timothy, and he wasn’t going to let anyone, not even Timothy himself, get in the way of the Lord’s ministry through him. Paul is protective, even fatherly, toward his young friend, and he makes it clear that he expects the Corinthians to look out for him.

Two things…no, three things: 

First, I want someone like that in my life. I want a mentor who will encourage me, strengthen me, and point me toward my destiny in Christ.

Second, I want to be someone like that in the life of another.

Third, I love that, through Timothy, God reminds us that he uses all sorts of people. You don’t need to be charismatic or dynamic or a social powerhouse. You can speak softly, so long as you speak for Him.

So you don’t have to be Paul, or Peter, or even Timothy.

You just have to be you, but be you for him.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved

After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you–for I will be going through Macedonia. Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits (1 Corinthians 16:5-7).

The key to this passage?

Final phrase

If the Lord permits 

Paul had originally planned to leave Ephesus, where he was writing this letter, and go to Corinth on his way to Macedonia. But now Paul tells the Corinthians that he is going to wait and see them on the way back from Macedonia. 

This, as it happens, is going to seriously annoy the Corinthians, to the point where some will call Paul out for being unreliable and flakey. In his next letter (2 Corinthians) Paul will deal with that, pointing out that he wanted to give them some time to digest this letter–rebukes and all– and make some changes before he got there, so that his visit could be a pleasant one and not a smackdown.

But that conversation will happen in another letter. For now, we simply get the change of plans, Paul’s hope to spend more time with them as a result of the change, and the phrase if the Lord permits.

If the Lord permits

It’s a reminder that Paul is not conducting the orchestra. He’s just playing his fiddle. The Lord God Almighty is conductor, and composer, and creator of heaven and earth.  Paul, and the rest of us, are called to faithfully follow the music God has written, on the instrument he has given us, with the talent he has granted and the skill we have worked to attain. 

I play third kazoo, as it turns out. But I do what I can.

Happy Friday, Beloved