“I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.” 1 Cor. 1:14-16
Devotional Thought For The Day
We often feel guilty that we are not as organized as we should be, not as precise at record keeping, and not as informed about statistics as some think we should be. We often feel guilty that we don’t remember really important things as efficiently as we should – like baptisms, weddings, birthdays, etc. And we often feel inundated and pressed by many concerns so that we are simply not able to be sensitive to what might be very important to other people. Sometimes all of this awareness of our deficiencies makes us just want to give up and quit. I wonder how many people were offended by Paul’s statement, that he didn’t even remember baptizing them! And if he was “thankful” not to have baptized others, does that mean he was “unthankful” for having to baptize those that he did? I wonder if anyone thought about this?
At times we also worry about how others take our statements – and we have experienced folks exaggerating what we’ve said or stretching our words beyond what we actually said, or taking them out of context. It is at times very frustrating! I wonder whether some of Paul’s associates were offended by his somewhat dismissive attitude toward baptism, fearful that others might discount the importance and preeminence of baptism in making disciples. I wonder if some feared that Paul was eroding the authority of Christ’s own word of command. Obviously, there are many things that people might extrapolate from what he wrote, and even Peter expressed concern with the misuse that some people were making of what Paul had written [2 Pet. 3:15,16]. It seems that it is impossible to be too careful in what we write. If the words of the apostles were thus abused, it should not surprise us if our own words are at times misunderstood or even intentionally twisted.
It is comforting to observe that even the apostles suffered from frustrations, and were at times too busy with more essential concerns to keep up with everything. The apostles were not equal to God, were not able to do everything, to know everything, to be perfect in everything. Neither are we. We should acknowledge this, and remember it when frustrated with our limitations and weaknesses, and those around us should not be surprised, judgmental, or dismissive of us simply because we are limited and finite human beings, and not God. When we recognize our weaknesses, or when others point them out, this should not be difficult for us to acknowledge – but perfectly normal. Of course we cannot do everything, know everything, be properly sensitive to everyone’s feelings, and remember everything – and there is nothing wrong or abnormal about this, although we are often shamed for this by others, or feel guilty and ashamed and incompetent because of this.
This is not to say that we should not strive to be as competent, sensitive, devoted, and careful with our words as we can be. But it is to acknowledge that every moment of every day we live by God’s grace, mercy, and love – and we do not stand on or commend ourselves on the basis of our own performance. And it is to acknowledge our realistic limitations, so that rather than being demoralized or even paralyzed by our inadequacies we continue to rejoice in God’s gracious love and to persist in doing what we can. As we interact with others, we might want to consider being aware of these same dynamics, so that rather than eroding the character and energy of others with criticism and condemnation we continue to encourage and build them up. This does not exclude constructive criticism or advising, but rather expresses a concern that we remain constructive and positive in how we interact with others.
It is also a diagnostic in our interactions with others – those who twist our words or who seek to neutralize or even get rid of us based on unrealistic standards of judgment. The problem lies not with us but them, and the evil is not so much in our limitations but with what others make of them. We need to keep this is mind, for we should not allow others the power over us to denude us of our opportunities to do good, or to demoralize us into apathy and inertia. If we remain attentive to God’s Word, His gracious love and mercy, His encouragement, we will continue to be energized and empowered to realistically accomplish much good – in spite of the opposition of the evil one.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, forgive us for our sinful laziness and apathy, and keep us from defeatism, depression, and apathy. Help us to be mindful of our real limitations, but joyful of the abilities and opportunities that You give us for doing good. Protect us from self-judgment and the evil judgments of others. Give us joy in living in Your gracious love that we may be free and eager to continue in the good works which You have foreordained for us to be walking in. Amen.