It seems to me that God has put us who bear his Message on stage in a theater in which no one wants to buy a ticket.
We’re something everyone stands around and stares at, like an accident in the street.
We’re the Messiah’s misfits.
You might be sure of yourselves, but we live in the midst of frailties and uncertainties.
You might be well-thought-of by others, but we’re mostly kicked around.
Much of the time we don’t have enough to eat, we wear patched and threadbare clothes, we get doors slammed in our faces, and we pick up odd jobs anywhere we can to eke out a living.
When they call us names, we say, “God bless you.”
When they spread rumors about us, we put in a good word for them.
We’re treated like garbage, potato peelings from the culture’s kitchen.
And it’s not getting any better.
1 Corinthians 4:9-13 (Message)
BUT…
Stay where you were when God called your name.
Were you a slave?
Slavery is no roadblock to obeying and believing.
I don’t mean you’re stuck and can’t leave.
If you have a chance at freedom, go ahead and take it.
I’m simply trying to point out that under your new Master you’re going to experience a marvelous freedom you would never have dreamed of.
On the other hand, if you were free when Christ called you, you’ll experience a delightful “enslavement to God” you would never have dreamed of.
1 Corinthians 7:20-22 (Message)
SO…
I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence.
There is no time to waste, so don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily.
Keep it simple -in marriage, grief, joy, whatever.
Even in ordinary things-your daily routines of shopping, and so on.
Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you.
This world as you see it is on its way out.
1 Corinthians 7:29-31 (Message)
BECAUSE…
God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life.
1 Corinthians 4:20 (Message)
WHICH IS WHY…
I am on the World Race, and willing to do it again.
AND SO…
With the world’s fingers pointing at me from every direction, one stands out above the crowd with the declaration:
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him
and he will bring justice to the nations.”
Isaiah 42:1 (NIV)
