DRAWING NEAR
August 17
Becoming an Effective Minister
"Love . . . is not arrogant" (1 Cor. 13:4).
Love is the key to effective ministry.
In 1 Corinthians 13:4 Paul says, "Love does not brag and is not
arrogant." We often equate bragging and arrogance, but in this
passage there is a subtle difference. The Greek word translated
"brag" emphasizes prideful speech or actions; "arrogant" emphasizes
the attitude of pride motivating those actions.
The prideful attitudes of the Corinthians were evident in several
areas. In 1 Corinthians 4:18-21 Paul says, "Some have become
arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you
soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those
who are arrogant, but their power. . . . What do you desire? Shall I
come to you with a rod or with love and a spirit of gentleness?" (1
Cor. 4:18-21). Apparently, some thought they no longer needed his
instruction. "After all," they reasoned, "we've had the best teachers
--Apollos, Peter, and even Paul himself (1 Cor. 1:12)--so what need
do we have for more instruction?" The fact was, they had just enough
knowledge to inflate their egos, but they were woefully ignorant of
love (1 Cor. 8:1).
It was arrogance that led the Corinthian church to condone gross
immorality: "It is actually reported that there is immorality among
you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the
Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife [incest]. And you have
become arrogant, and have not mourned instead, in order that the one
who had done this deed might be removed from your midst" (1 Cor. 5:1
-2). They were too prideful to confront and correct that situation,
so they bragged about it instead. Even pagans wouldn't tolerate that
kind of behavior!
That's a tragic picture of people so blinded by pride that they
refused to discern between good and evil. Consequently, all their
spiritual activities were counterproductive. They were gifted by the
Spirit and even flaunted their gifts, but lacked the love that
transforms a gifted person into an effective minister.
Learn from the Corinthians' mistakes. Never settle for mere spiritual
activities. Let love motivate everything you do. Then God can honor
your ministries and make them truly effective for His purposes.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Ask God to make you a more effective minister and to protect you from
the blindness of arrogance.
For Further Study:
What do the following proverbs say about pride: Proverbs 8:13; 11:2;
and 29:23?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
1 Corinthians 1:12
12 Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am
of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ."
1 Corinthians 8:1
8:1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have
knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
Proverbs 8:13
13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the
evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.
Proverbs 11:2
2 When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.
Proverbs 29:23
23 A man's pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will
retain honor.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
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In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus Is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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