Compelled

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

COMPELLED

1 Cor 9:12-18

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. 16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.

NIV

More of what Paul says in his defense and we wonder what we can glean from this that can apply to our lives. Certainly, we know about boasting, as we have already been aware that we cannot boast of anything within us, for we are without any abilities that have not been given to us by the Lord. How could we boast other than to boast in the Lord for he has first, called us to himself? He is the one who has changed our lives from death to life. He is the one who has forgiven us of all our sins. He is the one who sacrificed himself for our redemption. He is the one who sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and lead us into all truth. The Spirit is the one who has clothed us in Jesus, giving us the armor of God, and manifests himself with us with his gifts and his fruit. We are full of God who does all the work within us, who started that work, and who will complete that work. What do we have to offer him? What can we bring to the union with God? It would appear that we have nothing, no knowledge that He needs from us, no wisdom that we might have, no skills or talents that we might have learned, all we can give Him is ourselves who was in a sadly broken state. So, we gave ourselves and He broke us, melted us, molded us into the vessel that He wanted us to be, and then filled us with Himself so that we can only boast about Him. Thus, we are compelled to do the work that He has called us and filled us to do. We think that we should feel the same way that Paul does in that it is woe on us if we do not do that which God has called us to do. When it comes to doing that we must because he called us to do for who is to refuse the Lord God Almighty by exerting our own will, our own desires, our own knowledge, or abilities so as to boast about ourselves in any way to receive praise from men. No, again we must confess that we have nothing that was not given to us by God and that which he gave us, we are to use for his glory.  Then if we are faithful in discharging our calling, our reward will be praise from God. So then we can say that we are compelled to do that which He has called us to do.