Be, Just Be
Be, just be is my take on a directive given by Paul to the Corinthian church and the men in it. These directives can come for any number of reasons, but this one was in response to waiting for Apollos, another church leader who was to come to the Corinthian church and lead. Before Apollos arrived, Paul wrote the Corinthians a letter telling them to "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love (1 Corinthians 6:13-14)." Being watchful like when Jesus wanted the disciples to stay up through the night and keep out a watchful eye. Stand firm in the faith meaning do not waiver and dilute the faith and add unto it, but stand strong in what is whole, virtuous and true. Acting like men may get taken to mean not to be effeminate, but I think here in this context it means be strong like men as men are naturally stronger than women (that's not sexist). The strength here isn't about physical strength, but emotional strength or endurance and perseverance and courage while waiting for Apollos to arrive. Lastly, let all you do be done in love. If you hold God up high first and foremost and you love and honor His word and His will, then you can love people (even unbelievers) as God loves them. So, be, just be. Be strong. Be a man. Be loving. Be like Jesus. Be, just be.
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Be Patient, Stay Strong in Him
If you have read through Proverbs then you know that there is plenty of wisdom to obtain from that book. In Proverbs 16:7 we read "When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." This is not specific to just men, but women too. First, look at the phrase "man's ways please the Lord." These are not ways that you justify that are just what you want to do, but what God wants from you. How do you know what God wants from you? Look at John 13:34 and know that Jesus himself said that he wants us to love others as he has loved us. Remember he died for your sins. Also remember this was a command, not a suggestion. Secondly, "He makes even his enemies be at peace with him." Have you ever heard the term "misery loves company"? It is hard to argue with someone who won't argue with you. Let "Jesus take the wheel" to your heart and soul and steer you away from sin and troubles.
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How Strong Are You?
How strong are you? I don't mean physically, but emotionally. How much can you endure? How much can you handle? How strong are you spiritually? In class last night, we discussed forgiveness and it made me think of how people will forgive an egregious sin or wrong doing done to them and people may say to them "You're so strong" and "I could never forgive that." But, it makes me think, is it really us individuals who are so strong and so awesome, or is it God working through us to make us and shape us to be who we become?
Pride makes us believe that we are so awesome and can do anything on our own apart from God. But that will make us stumble (Proverbs 16:18). That could be working through forgiveness, powering through a project, or anything. People apart from the Lord will say it is all you and you can do anything. But, for those of us that have accepted Christ and seek God's will in their life over anything else, we know that apart from God we can do nothing (John 15:5). Do you want a healthier marriage and stronger bond? Use God's strength! Do you want to forgive who hurt you? Use God's strength! Admit that you cannot do it on your own as the false prophets would say and preach. We have to stay connected to the true vine which is Christ and through him we are connected to God in order to live, think and operate in honor of God.
If we need an example of looking to strength that is beyond humanly possible, look at the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Jesus tells a parable of a father who gives one of his two sons the inheritance/property that was entitled to him. He wanted it before the time he was to have. The father gave it to the son who then squandered it, realized his mistake and had to return home starving and humbled. The father gladly accepted the son back into his arms and was joyful to see his son alive. He treated him well when he returned and did not shame him, but loved him. This is not a man who was operating out of his own power. This is a father who was infused with the Holy Spirit to forgive and not hold a grudge. He was happy to see his child alive. And that is how God sees us. He wants us to see that we need Him and can do nothing apart from Him. We walk away from God when we let our pride control our emotions. The strength it takes to overlook the wrong someone has done takes God strength, not our own apart from Him.
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Paul's Final Words
Paul closes out 1 Corinthians with some points and instructions, but I want to focus on a few things that popped out to me. Specifically speaking to the men in the church Paul says in verse 13, "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." That is a statement that is not just a "Hey! Be yourselves and do whatever" but Paul actually encouraging them to "act like men" and "be strong." I see that lacking in some areas in this country. Men are not acting like men. Men are not being strong in the faith. That means men have a specific role that they needed to fill then (and now) and Paul was reminding them of that role and their position.
1 Corinthians 16:14 is the second part of a very important piece of scripture. Paul says "Let all that you do be done in love." Wow. All, not most. All, not some. All, not none. All we do must be done in love. Remember we love God first and because we recognize that and loved God first, then we love people. We love them and do things that are encouraging them to things out of respect for the Lord, not just things that we personally want them to do.
1 Corinthians 16:24 tells us "My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen." When he finished the letter it was with love. We can read through the entire book of 1 Corinthians and see Paul's sarcasm and his disappointment. But instead of just making it a letter or set of letters that was only focused on what they did wrong he made sure to include his support of them to do what was done in Christ and he sent his love. How often do we have a chance to reassure people we are upset with that we love them and yet we do not? Paul did and that can be our example.
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