‘To Love anyone is nothing less than to wish that person good,’ Thomas Aquinas said. Sometimes showing our love, requires us to correct or discipline as we may have to do with our children. Or we may have to admonish or to warn those we love, as I did in the letter I wrote to a friend. See my blog, what to do when a friend is in danger. In 1 Corinthians 4:14-21 Paul is faced with this problem of having to exercise tough love.
Paul recognized that the Corinthian church had problems. The church was divided and worldly, I Corinthians 3. He sought to correct them, not to ‘shame’ them verse 14. His motive was to warn them, because he loved them and felt responsible for them as a father does for his children, verse 15.
When we have to correct someone, what is our motive? Is it like Paul’s, done out of love? Do we have the same concern and sense of responsibility for those who have been in our care in Sunday school or bible study?
Paul urged the Corinthian Christians to imitate him, verse 16.
Would we, like Paul, advise others to imitate us? Or would we be concerned that it would cause problems? Would they notice the flaws and inconsistencies in our life? Would they notice, for example, that our words and behavior do not match?
Paul did not give without cost to himself. Timothy was an encouragement and blessing to Paul yet he willingly parted with him for the sake of the Corinthians, verse 17.
Does your Christianity cost you? What are you willing to part with to benefit and help others?
Timothy’s faithfulness in the Lord was a source of encouragement and blessing to Paul and would be an example for the Corinthians, verse 17.
How faithful are we to God in our daily walk? How faithful are we to Christian friends and missionaries? Do we pray for them and support them in practical ways? Are we a source of encouragement and blessing to others?
Paul’s teaching was consistent wherever he went, verse 17. His teaching and manner of life were consistent. The churches established under Paul should also present a consistent view of what it means to be a follower of Jesus to the world.
Do our lives show that same consistency whether we are at church, work, in the home or at school?
Paul’s words were not merely words but were backed up by the power of Jesus which enabled him to live a positive Christian life, verse 20.
That same power is available to us today to live out a consistent and fruitful Christian life. Will you avail yourself of it?
Bible references from The New International Version
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Words and Actions That Don’t Match
Unlocking The Secrets To Powerful Testimony