“Life In The Crosshairs” (Part 3)

This week, we are considering 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 and Tuesday we saw what it means to stand firm in the faith and to act like “men”. Today we conclude these thoughts with two final challenges:

Be Strong

This produces a meaningful question—what kind of strength should I pursue? The answer is twofold:

Strong in faith- built up in your most holy faith! Notice, Joshua 1:8-9 reminds us that the strength and the ability to stand strong is directly related to our application of the Scriptures to our lives—

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Strong in character- the integrity and strength of character to make the right decisions in the face of the world’s animosity and the pressure of peers.

Finally…

Do All In Love

This cannot be considered without a clear wrestling with the challenge of Christ to us that we:

A. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength

B. And your neighbor as your self

This call to love must be the driving, motivating factor in all that we do. If not, what we do is empty religious activity—no different from the Pharisees of the first century.

Is your life one that can stand the scrutiny of a world with expectations for believers? Is mine? To believers, Paul said, “Imitate me, as I imitate Christ!”

I once saw a bumper sticker on a church bus that said:

“Follow thou me

to ____ _______ Church”

The key is, if someone follows you, will they end up at Christ? That is what it means to live for Christ… in the crosshairs. And that is worth thinking about.