"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." -1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Have you ever considered just how radical Jesus is? Of course, I don't mean radical by His standards; after all, He's perfect, the author and designer of all there is. I mean, according to our warped, fleshly, twisted view of reality, Jesus' love is radical.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."-John 1:1-5
The designer of all things, rather than wiping the slate completely clean and starting over (as we have often done with things and people in our lives), stepped in to time and became one of us.
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." -John 1:14
He did this to show us how to live according to His Father's standards, and died to be the all atoning sacrifice that not only paid the price for our rebellion, He took His Father's wrath on Himself so that we wouldn't have to.
"The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."-John 1:9-13
Jesus met us on our level to bring us to His. would we ever do that for someone else?
The past few days, the Lord has shown me what this means. On Sunday, my neighbor and I shot off fireworks with our families, relating over 80's and 90's movies and music references, and blowing things up. Yesterday, one of my son's friends came to visit, and we bonded over video games, a feat which the Lord repeated when his dad came to pick him up, and we talked about a few simple things like the internet and the video games we grew up with. It may not seem like much, but becoming all things to all men that by all means we might save some requires us stepping out of and in to our element so that we can be the light for someone else. Jesus stepped in to time, pitched His tent among us, and lived as one of us to bring us to His Father. We, as His followers should always be striving toward that same goal, not isolating ourselves and waiting to be taken home, but out among the people, leading a life of living sacrifice, that God would be pleased.
