email : Webview : Duane Brooks - Every Day with Jesus

October 24, 2019

1 Corinthians 4:1-4
This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.
New International Version (NIV)

   In my life-time, so much has been made of self-image. How do you see yourself? In Introductory Sociology with Dr. Harold Osborne, I learned about the “looking glass self.” The theory, as I understood it, was that we learn to see ourselves in the way we believe that others see us. We reflect back what we think others believe about us.

                How did Paul, an exemplary follower of Christ see himself? As members of the church at Corinth wore their partisan colors, vaunting the achievements of their favorite minister, Paul offered a better way. “Regard us a servants of Christ.” Paul so often referred to himself as a servant. In this case he sees himself as a steward also, entrusted with the revealed mysteries of God.

                In a way, seeing himself as God saw him delivered Paul from inevitable public opinions about his life and work. He knew that God wanted him to be faithful. Beyond that, he did not check the air daily to figure out what people thought of him. The Lord would judge whether or not he had been faithful. That was enough for Paul.

                One starting point for our understanding of ourselves is to remember that all of us were created in the image of God. People of both genders, of all ethnicities, from all over the world, all created in the image of God. Then in Christ we have become a new creation, restoring the image of the original creation.

Pray with me:

Our gracious heavenly King, you created us in your own image. Help us today to believe what you say about us. We are who you say we are: chosen, not forsaken, loved by you. Thank you for the privilege of being your servant today. Help us to receive it well, even if somebody treats us like a servant today. In the name of the One who did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom, we pray. Amen.

This year our Every Day with Jesus readings will follow The Bible Project Read Scripture Plan. Copies of this reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download
the app at readscripture.org. Read through the Bible with us in 2019!
Joyfully,
Duane

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