It Just Doesn’t Matter!
| It Just Doesn’t Matter! When I was in college, late in my second semester, a bunch of guys from my dorm hall gathered in my dorm room. We had all been studying and preparing for our finals. The pressure of exams was really getting to us! One by one they trickled into my room, each complaining about some life issue that they were dealing with that was interfering with their studies. What we decided was that everything outside of school and these exams just didn’t matter. As each guy shared his sad tale, they all received the same response, “it just doesn’t matter.†One of the guys let us know that his girlfriend had just broken up with him and in unison everyone else responded, “it just doesn’t matter.†Story after story continued until pretty soon we were caught up in a frenzy of chanting, “It just doesn't matter! It just doesn't matter! It just doesn’t matter!†After venting for quite a while, each guy finally went back to his room to prepare for his finals and go to bed. As you read through 1 Corinthians, it is important to remember that it is one continuous letter and it all flows together. So when you are reading from one chapter to the next, remember that what you just read in one chapter can affect what you are about to read in the following chapter. Case in point, the last verse of chapter 6 directly affects what Paul said in chapter 7. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.†Then he goes on to apply this to marriage, singleness, and the culture. Then in verse 21, Paul addressed those that God called to faith while a slave. Paul said, “Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it;…†Paul’s response to their slavery was, “It just doesn’t matter!†Paul wasn’t trying to be uncaring. What he was saying was your position doesn’t matter; your marital status doesn’t matter; whether you are Jew or Gentile doesn’t matter. All that matters is bringing glory to God. The way that you bring glory to God is by obeying Him (v.19) and abiding in Him (v.24). Everything else is secondary. When we obey Him and abide in Him, we bring glory to Him. Nothing else matters. When we grab hold of that mindset and begin to live it, everything else becomes beautiful in that light. The way that we take in that mindset is when we begin to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and strength and love our neighbors as ourselves. These two commands fulfill the moral law. That kind of love changes things. It means that you can work a job that you loathe because you become focused on loving your co-workers. As you obey God, your job can actually become enjoyable because you are focused on obeying Him in “whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.†(Colossians 3:17). What a difference a change of thinking can make in your life if you can begin to see everything through the lens of bringing glory to God in your body and everything that you say and do. Bringing glory to God is the ultimate goal for every believer. Everything else “just doesn’t matter.†These are your Words for Wednesday. Please remember that we will be having a Bicycle Rodeo at Ballentine Elementary School on Sunday afternoon, June 2 from 4-6 pm and we need volunteers. If you or your Small Group is willing to help, please let me know. I hope you have a great rest of your week! In Christ, Kevin |
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