I Corinthians 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
A Servant of the Truth
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who live to themselves and those who live beyond themselves, who live for something bigger and longer lasting than themselves. Most people live for their will, their way, their wants, their desires, and their ambitions with little thought about what will happen the day after they die. Those who change the world, improve our lives, and show the light of Jesus Christ and the love of God to this world are people who have set themselves aside in order to further the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In I Corinthians 9 Paul asserts the authority, the background, the rights, and the freedoms that he has as an apostle and preacher of the gospel. Yet, Paul was not governed by consideration of his own rights, but by consideration of what it would take to make the gospel clearer for other people.
I Corinthians 9:19 says, “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.” The word “power” and the word “gospel” are the two words that dominate the discussion in this chapter. Paul basically says, “I have the power to do a lot of things that I do not do because what governs my life is not what I can do or want to do but the good news of what Jesus Christ has done.” A person who would share the gospel has made himself a servant of the truth that set him free.
As I have traveled, I’ve been impressed at the wide variety of people around this world and even around this country, and I’ve also been struck by the fact that one gospel can save every one of those people. Standing between the wide variety of people that need the gospel and the one gospel that can save them are servants who have set themselves aside for the sake of the gospel.
Throughout the years I have met a number of people who were servants of the gospel. I think about pastors from the United States who are pastoring in Central America. They are doing with joy what God has called them to do. They have set aside their native diet, language, climate, and all the things to which they had grown accustomed in order to learn the culture, ways, and language of another country. They have done this in order to reach people with the gospel. This is what gives them joy.
Is your life characterized by self-interest? Or are you living a life that will go far beyond yourself, a life that will give the good news that Christ died for our sins, was buried, rose again, and can give life eternal to those who will accept it?