Monday, July 31, 2006
"Love does not seek its own" (1 Corinthians 13:5).
IDEA: When we love, we are as concerned for the interests of others as we are for our own interests.
PURPOSE: To help listeners recognize that conventional wisdom can sometimes be demonic wisdom.
Have you ever heard anyone say, “Whatever you do, look out for #1. If you don’t, no one else will.”
Do you think that’s good advice? Or bad advice?
It depends on whom you have in mind as “#1.”
I. When “looking out for #1” is the philosophy, whom does the speaker have in mind?
“Enlightened self interest” is usually a nice way of describing a lack of love. Is it really enlightened?
People with that point of view often feel that the world revolves around them.
Charles Dickens wrote in Dombey and Son:
“Dombey and Son...these three words conveyed the one idea of Mr. Dombey’s life. The earth was made for Dombey and Son to trade in, and the sun and moon were made to give them light. Rivers and seas were formed to float their ships, rainbows gave them promise of fair weather, winds blew for or against their enterprises; stars and planets circled in their orbits to preserve involate a system of which they were the center. A.D. had no concern with Anno Domini, but stood for Anno Dombey and Son.”
A character named Edith in a recent novel was described in these words:
“Edith was a little island bounded on the north by Edith, on the south by Edith, on the west by Edith and the east by Edith. Wherever Edith looked, all she could see was Edith.”
Is it ever legitimate, then, to be concerned about yourself?
II. What do you think Paul meant when he said in 1 Corinthians 13:5, “Love does not seek its own”?
Its own what?
“Seeking not your own” is essential if you're serious about ministry for Jesus Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul tells us that he gave up his rights in order to preach the gospel.
He gave up his right to eat and drink (9:3).
What do you think that refers to?
Is Paul here saying he doesn’t drink wine or eat fattening foods?
How might this apply to us today?
He gave up the right to be married (9:3).
The other apostles had wives who evidently traveled with them. Paul sacrificed that right for the sake of the gospel.
How do you feel about that?
Do you think that Paul sets an example for us?
If so, how?
He gave up the right to receive a wage (9:6-14)
Yet he gave up that right because in the case of the Corinthians, they were more important than their money.
Is it, therefore, unloving for a pastor to receive a wage?
“I have my rights” is seldom a statement made out of love.