"We have the mind of Christ. "
1 Corinthians 2:16
TORTOISES AND HARES
Read It: 1 Corinthians 2:12-16
Why is it that some people who have been saved for a relatively short period of time seem to mature faster, grow stronger, and move farther down the road of discipleship than other people who have been saved for many years? At least part of the answer is in the discipleship formula I gave you yesterday. Disciples who break from the starting blocks with a burst of speed and never look back are going to cover a lot of ground in a hurry. You see, if I'm running, and you're walking, you may start out before I do, but I will arrive at the finish line before you do. Now I know the old story of the tortoise and the hare as well as you do. But remember, the hare lost the race because he kept fooling around and looking back, wasting ing his God-given-ability, He would have made a lousy disciple. Make no mistake about it. Jesus doesn't play favorites among His disciples. ciples. It's true that we differ in gifts and abilities, but the Bible says we all have the mind of Christ. We all have His Spirit. We can all reach the level of spiritual maturity described in today's reading. So when you see Christians who can't get their marriages or moral lives together, who can't control habits or their tongues, who can't seem to get a handle on their thought processes, who can't ever seem to get past the nagging problems and upsets that keep them in the dumps-when you see Christians like this, it's not because God is playing favorites. The problem is that their discipleship mathematics are out of whack. They have forgotten that rate multiplied by time equals distance.
The Corinthians were a good example of this problem. Today, tomorrow, and Friday we are going to examine this classic passage in chapters 2 and 3, which talks about where these believers were and where they should have been in their Christian growth. As we proceed, ask God to show you where you are on the spectrum we'll be talking about-and what you may need to do in light of where you are. Think About It Whether God has called you to be a tortoise or a hare, just run your race well, and God will reward you accordingly. Stop worrying about the other guy.
No Comments