Daily Bread 2011 - 1 Corinthians 11
Daily Bread 2011 – 1 Corinthians 11
1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
What Does This Mean?
Though a short verse this verse says so much. Some might think is being arrogant to say “follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” At the heart of our calling as a church is to “make disciples that make disciples”. Being a disciple is following the example of Christ of course, and yet God gives us mentors/teachers whose examples are worthy of following.
Paul is not by this saying I am Jesus, or have already been made perfect; but I am pressing on to become the disciples that God/Jesus have called me to be. I am in progress. I am working out my salvation with fear and trembling as he says in Ephesians. Paul strives to be a living example to His followers so that they can follow the way he lives and acts and become more like Christ. This is summed up by what he states at the end of chapter 10, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do; do it all for the glory of God.”
What Does This Mean For Us?
For most people the thought of “being a disciple” is a somewhat intimidating. They think of monks cloistering themselves in an abbey, and praying for hours on end with no eating or drinking for days. Of course I am using “hyperbole” here, but in fact being a disciple is normative in the New Testament for what it means to be a Christian. There is no bifurcation between faith/belief and being a disciple in the New Testament.
Part of believing is living out your faith every day as Jesus’ disciple (or lifelong learner of His ways and how he lived out His life in dependence on God the Father!). And, of course, we all need help with this because our natural inclination is to live for ourselves and think about ourselves first. Importantly we will learn as we begin to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and others who lead us in His manner that we will find the abundant life that Jesus promised. Jesus came to give us life to the full, and the fullest life is the life of a disciple. We have all seen that living for self, and/or pleasure, and/or money leads to emptiness in the end. But as we live for a higher purpose, we find the true meaning of our lives, which is to give our lives away in service to God and others.
Jesus you call us to live as Your disciples. You have sent Your Spirit to lead and guide us so that we can begin to do the things you did when you lived on earth. Give us mentors who we can follow and imitate, and prepare us as well so we too can say like Paul, “Follow my example as I follow Christ!” Amen.
1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
What Does This Mean?
Though a short verse this verse says so much. Some might think is being arrogant to say “follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” At the heart of our calling as a church is to “make disciples that make disciples”. Being a disciple is following the example of Christ of course, and yet God gives us mentors/teachers whose examples are worthy of following.
Paul is not by this saying I am Jesus, or have already been made perfect; but I am pressing on to become the disciples that God/Jesus have called me to be. I am in progress. I am working out my salvation with fear and trembling as he says in Ephesians. Paul strives to be a living example to His followers so that they can follow the way he lives and acts and become more like Christ. This is summed up by what he states at the end of chapter 10, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do; do it all for the glory of God.”
What Does This Mean For Us?
For most people the thought of “being a disciple” is a somewhat intimidating. They think of monks cloistering themselves in an abbey, and praying for hours on end with no eating or drinking for days. Of course I am using “hyperbole” here, but in fact being a disciple is normative in the New Testament for what it means to be a Christian. There is no bifurcation between faith/belief and being a disciple in the New Testament.
Part of believing is living out your faith every day as Jesus’ disciple (or lifelong learner of His ways and how he lived out His life in dependence on God the Father!). And, of course, we all need help with this because our natural inclination is to live for ourselves and think about ourselves first. Importantly we will learn as we begin to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and others who lead us in His manner that we will find the abundant life that Jesus promised. Jesus came to give us life to the full, and the fullest life is the life of a disciple. We have all seen that living for self, and/or pleasure, and/or money leads to emptiness in the end. But as we live for a higher purpose, we find the true meaning of our lives, which is to give our lives away in service to God and others.
Jesus you call us to live as Your disciples. You have sent Your Spirit to lead and guide us so that we can begin to do the things you did when you lived on earth. Give us mentors who we can follow and imitate, and prepare us as well so we too can say like Paul, “Follow my example as I follow Christ!” Amen.
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