Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. (1 Corinthians 9:19 NIV, 10-30-13)

I’m a slave to the people at my gym. I’m a slave to the waiters at the restaurants I frequent. I’m a slave to every unsaved person in the Spout Springs area.

But I’m free from almost every Christian. (The weaker brothers and sisters being the exception.) Whether they approve of me is irrelevant.

Of course, we usually act as if the reverse is true. We focus on pleasing the “faithful” and ignoring the ones Jesus sent us to reach.

[Father, forgive me for how frequently I get that backwards.]