Do-Gooders, Part 2: All Things

 

Hey, Cobblestone,

     Let me introduce you to the scariest verse in the Bible:

I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some (1Corinthians 9:22).

     The narrator in this verse is the apostle Paul, the mighty man of God. He’s the “I” who became all things to all people. Wow. That puts me on the level of… let’s see… chopped liver. Maybe lower. I have a hard enough time being anything to anybody, let alone all things to all.

     It’s a tough verse, and I’ve wrestled with it for many years. How could one person become all things? Like the Salvation Army’s current slogan – “Doing the Most Good” – it makes me think the good I do doesn’t count. But like Jacob, wrestling with God at Peniel, I’m ready to end the match and receive the blessing.

     The scariest verse in the Bible has a drain plug, and if we pull it, all the scary runs out. Here goes: Not even Paul had become all things to all people at the same time. At times he was among Jews; at times he was among the weak; at other times he was among those who were outside the law. The key to moving easily among the various groups is found in verse 19: For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all… Bottom line: Paul was attentive to whoever he was with – at a given time.

     Ephesians 2:10 says, For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. In the mind of the Father, there exists a good-works list for each of his kids. And each kid’s list is perfectly scaled. The Father knows who you are.

     For our part, I believe the best we can do is to be…

            …available…

                        …and attentive.

 

    Just like Paul. Or George. Or Suzie, or any other Christian. To ask more questions. Do more listening. Be willing to connect need with supply. Nobody has to scratch and claw or suffer angst to gain superstar status. Rather, superstar status is conferred in the simple blessing of the Master: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master’ (Matthew 25:21).

     Whew, what a relief! Do you feel it? I hope so. You don’t have to prove that you’re doing More Good, or the Most Good, or the Most-est Good. Only be faithful over a little.

     Of the many conversations I hope to have in eternity with my brothers and sisters, some of them will be with Paul. I want to ask him what it was like when God inspired him to write – and live out – the scariest verse in the Bible. I expect he’ll let loose a quick chuckle, and say something like, “It turned out to be way simpler to pull off than I thought it would be. How was it for you?”

     “Yeah, pretty much like that.”

  

Grace and Peace (in the simplest of terms),

 

John