Don’t you love it when you recommend a restaurant or a service to a friend and it delivers? Sandie and I went out to dinner with friends last night, and their recommendation came through with flying colors! If you’re ever in Marin, make your way to Bolinas Road in Fairfax, CA and eat at Sorella Caffe.
As is often the case, when you’re out to dinner, you talk about food. We got nostalgic and talked about what meals were like in our childhood homes. At my house, food quality was never compromised. Technology was ignored, but food was king. My sister and I listened to 45s played on a Victrola that had a setting for 78-speed vinyl. (Some of you young people have no idea what I just said.) My folks were still watching a black and white console television when I moved out in 1978. But during all our record-spinning and TV watching, we always ate the best foods. A peek in the fridge or in the cupboard revealed nothing but the #1 brand of everything. No generics; no store labels; no local vendors; only the best. Reminds me of the Hellmann’s mayonnaise jingle – “Bring out the Hellmann’s, and bring out the best!” (Known as Best Foods Mayonnaise west of the Rockies.)
My Mom brought out the best. The staff at Sorella brought out their best. Paul writes in today’s text to the Corinthians to bring out their best. Paul says, ‘We’ve been bragging on you to our friends, and now they have the opportunity to visit you, so show them the reason we have so much pride in you.’ Or, considering the kinds of corrections and rebukes Paul has been sending the Corinthian church’s way, maybe he was saying, ‘Just a little warning – don’t embarrass me.’
In these brief nine verses, Paul gives us a list of what he considers some of the finer qualities of a Christian compatriot. Great partners in ministry have hearts that are tuned to the same concerns. Their values and affections run in tandem. They also welcome appeals and challenges instead of walking the other way. When you say, “Hey, this will be hard work, but let’s do it anyway,” your partner says, “As long as we’re doing it together; let’s hit it!” Great partners have ‘much enthusiasm’ and take initiative. They are known and recognized for their service, and they take pains to do the right thing, and to do things right.
What kind of partner in ministry are you? Do you run with a team that’s joined at the heart? Are you a hard-working challenge-taker? Are you a passionate self-starter? Do people like to see you and your posse coming because of your servant reputations? Are you self-critical about your policies and practices, showing wisdom in the way you handle your work? Are you bringing out your best? What sort of recommendation will you come with?
Paul says, ‘My guys are my partners, co-laborers, family. They represent their churches well and they bring honor to Christ.’ That’s how I want to be as an associational DOM, and that’s what I want to inspire my partners in ministry to be. How about you?
Pray: Most High God, we revere You. We ask that your Spirit in us would bring the best out of us. Help us to gain the respect and admiration of others as we represent your people and bring honor to Your Name. Persevere with us, Jesus, as you did with your first disciples. Refine us and wield us for your glory.
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