"All things are yours"

I Corinthians 3:21 So then let no one boast in men For all things belong to you, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, 23 and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God. (NASB)

All things are mine? What an interesting statement! I don't consider myself an authority on the letters to the Corinthians but I have always been fascinated with them. Although these guys seemed to have more problems than the average church, Paul spends a lot of time teaching them theological concepts. Thanks to them, we have a wonderful resource on spiritual gifts, marital relations, resurrection, love, and matters of conscience...just to name a few. Today I want to focus on this phrase "all things are yours." Chapter 3 deals largely with the partisan attitude displayed at Corinth. Some were "opposed to one" and "for another." (not unlike what we see today in our denominational circles). It seems Paul was always trying to stretch their narrow thinking (remember in another place he asked them "know ye not that we shall judge angels?"). Just like the Corinthians, it seems that we are forever missing the forest for the trees.

The devil loves to isolate us emotionally, and make us believe that we are out on an island somewhere (spiritually speaking). The truth however, is that we are citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem, we are ambassadors for Christ, we are heirs and joint-heirs with Jesus! Regardless of denominational affiliation, geography, or demographics, we are all (if we're born again) members of the body of Christ. I believe one reason many ministers and Christians struggle is because they don't view themselves as being part of a much bigger picture. Some never think beyond their local church, or their neighborhood. Envy and strife are almost always the result of small thinking. We have been conditioned to believe that another person's success means our failure. We find it difficult to rejoice in the victories of others, and we feel isolated in our struggles.

Regardless of who you are or where you came from, all men and women struggle with the common temptations of man. None of us are exempt, and there is "no new thing under the sun." The Corinthians obviously didn't get the big picture that "all things" belonged to them. There was no need so shun Paul and embrace Cephas (Peter) ...or vice-versa. All of Christ's ministers and children are brethren and God uses us all in different ways. Wouldn't life be boring if we were all the same? To use an analogy from the sports world...there's no "I" in "T.E.A.M." We face a common enemy and we are soldiers in the same army. The ministry of Paul complimented the ministries of Peter and Apollos. So the next time you feel like opportunity has passed you by or that your life would be so much better "if only....". Take a deep breath, relax, and remember that all things are yours if you belong to Christ!

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