Standing Tall; 1 Corinthians 8-10

May the mumbling commence!

I remember how excited that I was when I was still a growing child.  Whenever I went to visit my maternal grandparents, they would measure how tall I was.  There was ticker tape for each grandchild displayed on a narrow strip of wall between the kitchen and the living room of their trailer.

I would try to extend myself to my full height.  I would even try to stand on my tiptoes.  But Grandpa would never let me get away with that. 

I wanted my full stature because I wanted to surpass my older brothers.  I never did surpass them, even though I had a head start (I was my mother’s longest baby).  I am the shortest of my brothers at five-foot-eleven.  My brothers are six-one and six-four.

As Christians, how do we stand to our full stature?  It is a question that we can begin to answer from a passage in First Corinthians chapter eight.

Now to deal with the matter of meat which has been sacrificed to idols.

It is not easy to think that we "know" over problems like this, but we should remember that while knowledge may make a man look big, it is only love that can make him grow to his full stature. For whatever a man may know, he still has a lot to learn, but if he loves God, he is opening his whole life to the Spirit of God. (Verses 1-3)

Many things in our lives can cause division in Christian company.  We may say that interpretation of Scripture is the key.  But interpretation is best held in community with all fellow believers and with church tradition.  We may claim to know it all, but each of us still has much to learn.

If we claim to know it all, then we become impossible students to deal with.  Learning is a life-long process.  If we denigrate it to anything less, we stunt our growth and will never attain our full stature in the kingdom of God.

Keep me teachable, O Lord.  How does a teachable spirit persist?  Love is the answer – open unashamed love of the Lord.  God will open my whole life to the Holy Spirit.

Want to stand tall as a Christian?  Love God with everything that you have.  And love others as yourself.  That, of course, means that you must learn to love yourself.

Let us take pause to think of how our words and actions will affect other people.  May we keep the good of everyone in mind when we speak and act.

Then we will stand tall together.  We will achieve our full stature.  Full Christian love is the way.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out