October 31, 2024–Pastor Bill’s Reading Plan

October 31    1 Corinthians 9

Paul is a missionary in the sense that he seeks to meet people where they are at.  That is not just geographically.  He wants to meet people where they are at in life and show them how God can make a difference for them.  He didn't expect people just to get to a location for a service where he was preaching. He went where the people were at to be able to understand who they were and what they needed.  His goal was to relate to people where they were at so that he could bring the Gospel and then God will work to bring them to where they need to be in life.

Sometimes people who are struggling will just show up to church. Most times people who are really struggling in life keep themselves far away from church.  You have interactions every day that can make a Gospel impact in the lives of people.  How we treat them is part of it. Simply letting them know that we notice them and that we care about them could really change somebody's day.  When so many people in our culture feel lonely how we can we show people they are not alone?  When so many people are struggling with identity and value in their lives how do we show them they are loved by God and have been created in His image? Paul just kept showing up in the people's lives and as he did there were opportunities to point people to Jesus.  In the busyness of living in the world we cannot ignore the people who we come into contact every day.  Sometimes something as simple as giving someone your attention can change the course of their day and maybe even their life.