1 Corinthians 9.26-27 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight
like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make
it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be
disqualified for the prize. – St. Paul
I used to work for a guy who took the whole concept of
intentionality pretty seriously. I thought he was OCD. He was, at least
outwardly, fanatical (and I don’t use that term lightly) about intentionality
and strategy. He was under an extreme amount of self-imposed pressure. But he
was effective.
Sometimes intentionality can be a shtick – just someone’s
way of getting things done, or garnering attention to sell a product, or
enthrall an audience. A shtick can be just an act. But when we run into those
(inside and outside the Church) who are intentional, there is something to be
said about the way they think. Paul the apostle was one of those men. I don’t
think Paul used his ‘playtime’ at all.
So, Paul said, Therefore
I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer
beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that
after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the
prize. Paul was very intentional. You might ask why.
For better or for worse, the ancient saint saw the
magnitude of two things: the need for men’s salvation, and the Savior who brings
that salvation. To Paul, life was not just a meaningless exercise in how to
make it through another day; to him, life was all about how to make it to the
next life. But even in that, there was much more. Paul would settle for nothing
less than the very presence of God over and above all else. That, was what he
was passionate about.
Church, to Paul, was not some piddling play-thing; it was
the proving ground of faith. The proof was effectiveness and the practice was
helping men see their plight: they were doomed beyond imagination without
salvation – specifically, the salvation that only Jesus Christ could bring.
Paul ate, breathed, and slept that intentionality.
In this life, we’re not to rate ourselves by what Paul
did or did not do – he would be horrified if we did. But Paul would be pleased
if we were as intentional about the Savior as he was. Paul, somehow, believed
his very life was only to live for and promote the Savior who saved him. And
that was the basis of his intentionality. Nothing else mattered. Not life, not
death, not wealth, not health. Paul was intentionally sold out to living
intentionally for his Savior. And though Paul understood men, he expected great
things from the churches he planted: he expected their intentional living to promote
and proclaim Jesus Christ.
Lord, Paul was a
vessel in Your hand, a tool in Your kit. He was effective and seemed unfazed by
hardship and difficulty. He only lived intentionally to promote and proclaim
Your name. He saw the big two: man’s need, and Your salvation. May I learn to live
as intentionally as Paul did. I know it will cost me, but Lord in the present
hour there is no greater need than for men to live for You. Help me Jesus. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment