Contemplative Bible Reading

2 Corinthians 4:5 (New Living Translation)

You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.

This is pretty simple. Paul says that the Gospel is not about him; it is about Jesus the Christ. We, however, have been stumbling over ourselves in this point for a long time.

It is easy for me to talk about me. I know myself better than I know anyone else. That isn’t a difficult concept. If I want to tell stories about someone, I am my easiest subject. And I have plenty of stories about the failing of the human condition where I am the center of the failure.

The problem is that it is easy for people to understand the Gospel message as self-centered. I am the center of the universe. Live like me and God will love you.

And then we reach the last phrase of the above verse, the part about me being your servant. That must be a figure of speech or something because it can’t possibly be interpreted literally. Then again, maybe it is to be interpreted literally.

Sometimes this Gospel can be difficult. Jesus – not me – is the center of the story. I am to serve everyone else. Simple concept, difficult implementation. I am glad that God helps me every second of every day.