The Exercise of Grace

11.11.13

1 Corinthians 10.31-33; 11.1 31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

11.1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. (ESV)

I often cringe as I read the Corinthian letters because the humanness of the believers shines through, and it ain’t very pretty. Despite all we say about church, it’s full of people and where there are people there is humanness. I wonder what Paul might address in a letter to my church?

Church and gatherings of believers ought to be for the exercise of grace and where and when we get to honor one another for our respective relationship to the Master. Church ought not to be where we keep score. One read through Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth shows how much they kept score with one another and how much they failed in love because of such activity. Church is to be where we learn how to identify with one another and where we learn to capitalize on each other’s gifting and strengths, and flow in grace and love when we bump into another’s weaknesses. If God is the focus, all these things pale in comparison anyway.

I think verse 11.1 sums it all up very nicely: Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. I don’t think there are too many of us who could or would make that bold of a statement. But that is exactly what we’re supposed to be doing. I think we should spend far more time rejoicing that we are together and present than wondering why someone is even present in the first place. That only happens as we imitate Jesus. The more we imitate Him, the less likely we are to irritate each other.

If I spend my week doing all to the glory of God, then my weekly brief period of time spent with those who share faith with me ought to be a time for finding joy in the exercise of our mutual faith together: I don’t really care why you’re here; I’m just glad that you’re here! And our faith in Jesus Christ is built up together, and the exercise of our faith is used together, and our growth in the imitation of Christ is celebrated together.

I’m throwing away my score cards – I never should’ve kept them in the first place but I’ve learned over the years, to my shame, to do so. They’re going in the trash…

Papa, give me the serenity to accept people for who they are and that I cannot control them – only You get to do that. I ask for courage to imitate Jesus and to give grace to people because they need it, and I’m going to make sure they get it at least from me. And I ask for wisdom to remember why I am a believer in the first place: it’s because You made that happen; no one else gave me that. May I learn, to try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved as I imitate the Lord Jesus. Father, I’m glad You don’t keep score… Amen.