It was the Apostle Paul who gave us this idea. He knew how to talk with kings and walk with poor people. Today some people have called that kind of versatility hypocrisy. Sometimes God just has to give us a visual object lesson to understand His ways.
I received a wonderful lesson this week while traveling from place to place to conduct meetings. The lesson is California. I have come to the conclusion that if you want to see every state in the U.S, just travel California. It has it all. The deserts of Arizona, the farm land of Illinois, the hills of the Dakotas, the palms and beaches of Florida and Hawaii, the snow capped mountains of Colorado, the rolling hills of Tennessee and more.
Versatility and flexibility are evident in every creative work of God’s hands. Don’t misunderstand what I am saying. This is not some liberally minded promotion of a tolerance doctrine that accepts every behavior as acceptable to God. What I am seeing in both God’s nature and Paul’s admonition to become all things to all men, is a sensitivity to see others that are different and still find a way to show the love of Christ in a way they can comprehend.
Now, back to California. The old song, “California Here I Come” ends with the lyric, “Open your Golden Gate, I’m coming home to you”. Perhaps God would have us be so approachable and compatible with those different from us that we could say, “Here, we open our golden arms, you can feel at home here, you can feel love here and you will find God here.” Whether they are king or pauper, Christ will help us be what they need where they are.
Pastor Sam Pawlak
