Winsome to Win Some

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the

Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I

might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law

toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became

as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

1 Corinthians 9:19-22

Winsome. It’s a very powerful concept when it comes to living for Jesus, where you’re concerned about others and

not just yourself. I am a very early millennial, what some call a “xenial”, as I was born in the early 1980’s. In my

time, I’ve seen the pastimes of riding bikes and playing outdoors in the summer, and I’ve seen the internet come

along and what seems to be a gradual shift in society to a much more digitally-inclined world. When I go on my

regular walks at a college campus nearby, I’m often struck as to how many college students are wearing earbuds

and looking at their phones while being in the beauty of nature. Not only do I notice that, but also the absence of

eye contact and the extreme rarity of smiling and saying “hello.” I may sound like an old man when I say that, but I

feel like there’s a growing isolationism taking place in our culture and Christians are not immune from that.

Paul reminded the Corinthians of a mindset that can transform our worlds if we let it: winsomeness. To be winsome

is to desire to live in such a way that we are attracting other people to something we believe in with an attempt to

entice them into it as well. As I look at this passage, I think that winsomeness is the starting point of missions.

When our desire is to win others to Christ, or to win them to a deeper relationship than they already may have with

Jesus, it creates a great deal of flexibility and possibility. What if this person I’m talking to actually did get saved?

The less winsome we are, the more rigid and inflexible we will get. If you’ve ever been around folks who are

incredibly legalistic and uptight, you may find that they have a hard time accommodating others who don’t fit their

mold or who may even defy their mold. The goal is never “fit this brand of Christianity”; the objective is to

encourage people to love Jesus, to follow the Scriptures, to embrace biblical principles and to become winsome

themselves. We may not share the same styles, but do we share the same Lord? Do we submit to Him in our

contexts?

Paul says, “Though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more.” He will

elaborate what that looks like: “to the Jews I became as a Jew; to those under the law, as under the law; to those

without law, as without law; to the weak I became as weak.” Notice the word “as” is used continuously; he didn’t

become a Jew, a Greek, a lawless person, a weak person; he identified with them. Rather than hold people at

arm’s length, Paul sought ways to meet them where they were at. Instead of judging them, Paul loved them and

tried to understand how he could connect with them. Why? “That I might by all means save some.”

Is your Gospel creating flexibility in your life? Have you lost a sense of the possibilities around you, that people

could follow Jesus who may seem completely disinterested right now? Is it drawing you to others or keeping them

as strangers across the room? All too often, our love grows cold and our interests in people wane, and we begin

hearing ourselves even saying, “I can’t stand people.” You know, honestly, that’s a terrible thing to say and a terrible

place to be. We’ll stop loving others and even wanting to be near them when we start believing that life is about our

desires, our plans, our futures and nobody else’s. Please remember, if you’re putting up with other people, then it’s

very likely that other people are putting up with you.

I want to tell you as I close this devotional, the Gospel, when understood rightly, can help you to start forgetting

about yourself more and more because of the security that can be found in Christ. If I’m “good” as it relates to my

salvation being secured, I can then turn and see a room, a country, a world full of people who aren’t secure, who

could be helped. Have you stopped to consider that Christ would take you to a place where you no longer need to

be the center of your attention, where He can be that to you, but others can also be attended to because you are at

rest with your standing before God? American Christianity is slipping because we all too often are only concerned

about how it affects us and our families when we lose the much-needed spirit of winsomeness.

Bravery in Jesus is sometimes an issue of killing the selfishness within us. Winsomeness can fuel bravery: bravery

to love, to serve, to forgive, to endure, you name it. Make more of Him, start seeing the world around you, and

make less of yourself. Be blessed.

Sam Stringer

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by

permission. All rights reserved.