SHOW SOME INITIATIVE

"Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so." (1 Corinthians 7:21, NIV)

Is there no room for initiative?

After our consideration yesterday of our need to remain content in every circumstance, it's a fair question. Doesn't God want us to strive for things that are better? And if so, what are those things?

I'm sure we could all make a case for improving our short game, or adding 15 yards to those anemic drives. Those are the kinds of goals for improvement that would draw a raucous "Hear! Hear!" from our crowd. But do these efforts count toward the kind of ambition God would stamp with His approval? Let's find out.

In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul wrote to a group of believers that included in its number slaves. Although the conditions and restrictions of slavery were somewhat different than we envision them through our Western lens of more recent centuries, the basic condition was the same: one man's rights were in another man's hands.

To these slaves, Paul expressed what we spoke of yesterday. Remain content. The position you are in now is the position God has placed you in for the time, at least.

And yet Paul also understood the greater system at work. Slavery was not God's original design for the people He created. Freedom held a higher place in God's universe. "If you can get your freedom," Paul wrote, "do it." With God's leading, the apostle approved of this important ambition. Don't let your slavery get you down, he was teaching. But don't let it hold you down either. Aspire to a better condition.

How about us? Few of us are slaves in this physical, systemic sense. We have all been, however, slaves to sin. And this is certainly one condition with which we should never grow content. We should aspire to freedom in Christ. And we should aspire to exercising righteousness by His strength.

Consider the words of Peter: "Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love" (2 Peter 1:5-7).

That's a lot of adding! And in the practical sense, that's a lot of effort! But there it is, in plain view: "Make every effort." Not only are we to possess ambition toward a godly character, we are to demonstrate initiative in getting there. And may I say, add to your initiative resolve? And to resolve, practice. And to practice, relentlessness.

Yes, we are to be content with where God has us today. But we are also to look to Christ and to tomorrow, seeking to embed more and more of His character in our lives in the days and years ahead of us. This is the essence of Christian growth.

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Jeff Hopper

March 27, 2008

Copyright 2008 Links Players International

The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.