“Life In The Crosshairs” (Part 2)

On Monday, we began to consider Paul’s challenge to “live in the crosshairs”— that is, to live lives that can stand up to the scrutiny of a watching world. We are seeing that challenge in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 where Paul affirms:

“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

Monday we discussed a bit about being alert. Today we add to that with two challenges:

Stand Firm In The Faith

How do we stand firm? By seeing:

A. The Word of God as our Foundation- giving us a platform for life, convictions, ministry, etc.

B. The Word of God as our Fortress- giving us protection from temptation, strength and hope in trial, purpose in service.

The question we must face is:

To what degree is the Word of God the platform for my living, decision-making, and values?

In addition to being solid in our faith, we add…

Act Like Men

A. Courage- this flows from the previous strong reliance on the scriptures.

B. Maturity- “put away childish things” challenges us to act like spiritual grownups.

C. Wisdom- reminds us of the value of the experience of years lived for Christ

Act like men! How many times do we allow ourselves to become engaged in petty squabbles that have no real relationship to eternity? Sometimes it is important for us to just act like grownups and consider the wider impact of our actions and attitudes! Ask the question—is this a hill that I want to die on?

On Wednesday, we will see more insights from Paul to help us live for Christ in the crosshairs.