The Two-by-Four of Love

“Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! ¹⁴ I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) ¹⁷ For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.”  I Corinthians 1:13-17

The Corinthians don’t seem to be fast learners.  Paul has to remind them repeatedly that they are to be united in their mission to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to everyone they meet.  You can feel the frustration in his words to them.  Perhaps, a loving two by four might work?

I must admit, I have felt the two by four of love upside my own head on several occasions when I have been slow to learn a valuable lesson from God.  That two by four has taken the form of a stalker, a brain tumor, a status change, and a few other loving predicaments.  And, as each has passed, I consider it one of my greatest blessings because of the change it has wrought in my life.

But Paul, as any good teacher, would spare them the unnecessary pain.  If only they will listen and heed his teaching . . .

Are you clinging stubbornly to your own way?  May you heed the loving words of Paul, and may we be united in our effort to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone we meet today.