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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Watch Yourselves!
This chapter outlines several things from sacrificial giving (giving that really makes you sacrifice) to the destruction of the temple, wars and persecution and Christ's return. But something else struck me. Jesus gave us a warning. It is easy to miss if you are just reading and maybe even distracted, but I wanted to point it out.
In verse 34, Jesus says to "watch yourselves." He tells us to watch our hearts so that they are not filled with "dissipation, drunkenness and cares of this world."
Jesus know that if our heart isn't aligned with him, then it is aligned elsewhere, like the world. The world then and now often says things like "everything in moderation." Folks, not everything is legal and not everything is good for you even if it is legal. Jesus is warning us to not let culture be our guide. Culture changes, but the word of God stands firm.
For those that know of my former employment, you will remember that I was a bouncer/security guard for bars. A bar's focus is to sell alcohol to you. Some to many places will even sell it to you even after you have had enough. The world celebrates this lifestyle, but the world doesn't show you what happens to your liver and other organs from years of that lifestyle. The world doesn't show you the broken homes and lost souls that come from spending too much time drinking and not enough time with Jesus.
Jesus warns us of being hungover (surfeiting/carousing/dissipation) from alcohol and in other words, being hung over form the world's way. When you are hung over you have had too much alcohol and the body begins to shut down. Have you ever seen someone pass out from too much alcohol? Maybe it has happened to you. That is the body's way of rejecting more consumption. But, with the world's way and culture we don't get that feeling like with alcohol, it just overtakes you and then you look up one day wondering how you got there. You may even try to make excuses for why it is okay to be where you are, but where you haven't been was aligned with Christ in obedience with God's will.
This blog post was not to bash bars or my former employment, but to shine light on a culture that is dictated by reformed ways of thinking that separate you from God's path. How culture thinks today will not be that way tomorrow. Stand firm with God's word.
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