I Corinthians 9-11
Paul was a single-minded man. He had one aim, one purpose in life, and that was to tell everyone about Jesus. He even said, I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. (9:16)
Later he compared himself to a runner with the aim of winning the race, and a boxer whose blows don’t beat the air.
I asked Siri to give me a definition of the word, compulsion. Here’s what she said:
- The action of forcing or being forced to do something; constraint.
- An irrestible urge to behave in a certain way, especially against one’s conscious wishes.
It sounds like maybe if you asked Paul, being a preacher might not have been his first choice of careers. He just couldn’t help himself. He HAD to share the gospel.
In 11:1, Paul tells us to imitate him, like he imitated Christ. He said those words after talking about being a servant, about considering the faith of others above all things.
As I read these chapters in I Corinthians I am convicted. I’m not sure I have the same compulsion to share Jesus as Paul had. As Christians, shouldn’t we all have the same passion for seeing people come to the Lord? Shouldn’t we all be so focused on Jesus we just can’t help but share Him with everyone we meet?
alighttomyway 