Reading… and Thinking

For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

– 1 Corinthians 9:16-18 (ESV)

What an attitude this servant of the Lord had! He had received a commission, directly from the Lord Jesus: he was to go to the Gentiles and share with them the gospel of life. We could imagine that simply performing this service would be tremendously fulfilling. To be designated by the Lord himself as a special emissary, and then to perform up to the Lord's expectations, would be quite enough.

But it wasn't enough for Paul. He viewed the completion of his commission as an absolute minimum; woe to him if he didn't meet that! He aimed higher in two ways. First, that he would do as the Lord commanded not simply because he had to, but willingly and wholeheartedly. And second, that he would not make use of the right he had to be supported as he did the Lord's work.

Instead, he voluntarily supported himself, essentially doing two jobs – full time (and more!) for the gospel, and part time as a tentmaker to earn enough to support himself.

We can only speculate about why he felt the way he did, but from what he says of himself here and there, it’s clear he felt very keenly and personally the marvelous grace of the Lord. I think he wanted to return something, in gratitude for the priceless gift he had received – in the Law this would have been called a “thank offering”. Something completely voluntary, beyond what’s required or expected.

This attitude is something to emulate. A couple of chapters later he writes, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” So it's not really enough to admire Paul. We need to strive for the same attitude. As Jesus himself said, “So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ” (Luke 17:10) Paul is a terrific example of the attitude Jesus was talking about.

So what can we do? Well first of all, we need to know what we're commanded.

And for that we need to read and understand the Bible. We find there the moral standards we're commanded to live by. We find the command to love our neighbors, even our enemies, which means to seek their good both immediately and eternally. Commands to serve the brethren, to meet together, to preach the word. And so on.

Second, we need to ask ourselves what we can do that's extra, beyond the commandments. Certainly we can take one part of Paul's example directly, and fulfill our commission willingly and wholeheartedly, rather than grudgingly.

The way to do that is to realize the magnitude of the grace given us, to really appreciate that we've been given eternal life. If we allow that realization to truly sink in, the willingness will follow. The other part of Paul's example was to voluntarily give up a right he might have claimed, doing something beyond what he really had to do. This part will be very personal. What one thing can you do, that you wouldn't really have to do, as a thank offering to the Lord who saved you?