Episode 802 Freedom to Be Your Own
[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: [00:00:00] Thanks for joining me on episode 802 of the inspired stewardship podcast. I'm Matt and I'm Jocelyn from the family life movement podcast. We challenge you to find a way to balance your work and your family. And one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this inspired stewardship podcast by my friend, Scott Mader.
[00:00:32] he hung out with poor people with tax collectors, with other folks that were at the fringes. And yet he reached them because he connected with them. First. He looked at them first as having work as having something that was worth reaching out to. Something that was worth connecting to welcome. And thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast.
[00:01:00] [00:01:00] If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in the inspired stewardship podcast. We'll learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.
[00:01:27] And today's spiritual foundation episode about investing in others. I talk with you about first Corinthians chapter nine, verses 19 through 23. I share how the freedom to be you exist, but how to really connect with others. You have to be willing to adapt and change with that freedom. And I share how this model of focusing on others allows us to reach those who aren't necessarily reachable.
[00:01:53] First Corinthians chapter nine verses 19 through 23 goes like this, though. I am [00:02:00] free and belong to no one. I've made myself a slave to everyone to win as many as possible to the Jews. I became like a Jew to win the Jews to those under the law. I became like one under the law though. I myself am not under the law.
[00:02:15] So as to win those under the law to those not having the law, I became one not having the law. Though I am not free from God's law, but am under Christ's law. So as to win those, not having the law to the weak, I became weak to win the weak. I have become all things to all people. So that by all possible means I might save some, I do all of this for the sake of the gospel that I might share in its blessings.
[00:02:41] No, the truth is that as Christians, we find ourselves in a unique. Sort of position of freedom through grace, and yet at the same time, that freedom does not allow us to just do everything that we want. Instead. It's about [00:03:00] looking at our will and our actions as how they first build our relationship with God and Christ, and then how they build our relationship with others.
[00:03:08] And I think in a very real way, that's what Paul is talking about here. Being willing to give up some of his own freedom of action and choices because it's able to serve others well, because it's able to connect with others and make a connection in a way that is deeper than has come before. No, you've heard me talk before on the show about influence versus manipulation, manipulation is when you set out to do something, to make someone else do something, because it's in your best interest while influences where you help other people become and do what is in their best interest.
[00:03:54] And again, I think that's what Paul is talking about. He's not talking about pretending to be a Jew or [00:04:00] pretending to be someone who lives under the law, a Pharisee, or looking to be someone who doesn't live under the law. Instead he's talking about using his abilities in the best way possible. To build a relationship with someone so that he can help them understand the relationship they should have and can have with God.
[00:04:23] And through that they begin to become better and have a better relationship with others. And that's. First, what he's trying to do. That's the most important connection that he can have with these folks. It's the way of allowing them to build their relationships with each other. And with God first, it's about focusing on reaching people that may not be.
[00:04:52] The easiest to reach, the truth is as Christians, we are called to evangelize to others. But I think so often [00:05:00] what we hear from that is this idea of we have to go out to everybody and tell them, you have to be exactly like I am, you have to look like me. You have to act like me. You have to believe like me.
[00:05:10] And if you don't then. Things aren't going to work out for you. But instead I think a lot of times building relationships with others includes hanging out and doing an acting, not exactly like others, people do, but taking on some of those characteristics, giving up some of your own freedom so that you can.
[00:05:30] Connect with others better. This isn't about going out and quote, behaving a certain way, but it's about reaching folks by understanding them by connecting with them. If you think about it, the people that Christ hangs out with in the Bible are not necessarily the people that we would all think of as the pillars of society.
[00:05:52] He hung out with poor people with tax collectors, with other folks that were at the fringes. And yet [00:06:00] he reached them because he connected with them. First. He looked at them first as having worth as having something that was worth reaching out to something that was worth connecting to. And only then. Did he worry about introducing who he was and connecting with those folks as well.
[00:06:25] That is really the way that you can reach people that aren't easily reached with a message of servanthood and freedom and connection. Thanks for listening.
[00:06:43] thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast. As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listened, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. [00:07:00] If you enjoy this episode, do me a favor. Go over to facebook.com/inspired.
[00:07:07] Stewardship and like our Facebook page and market that you'd like to get notifications from us so that we can connect with you on Facebook and make sure that we're serving you to the best of our abilities with time and tips there until next time, invest your time. Your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact the world. .