No Judgment

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

NO JUDGMENT

1 Cor 11:33-34

33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.

NIV

The conclusion of statements about this partaking of the bread and wine experience is at hand. Surely there is a great significance to sharing the experience of eating the bread and drinking the wine that should be kept as a sacred event, as surely we do on those occasions at church. But still it would seem we should be giving this type of reverence every time we eat and drink. Is there any difference in the little pieces of cracker we get in church and the fresh baked bread at the store? There is some difference in the little plastic cup of grape juice we get in church and the nice bottle of wine we get at the store, but  then we could buy Welch’s and have the same thing. But then again that would not actually be recreating the exact event our Lord shared with His disciples. We have to use our imaginations no matter what church we attend. But then it is most likely that we are not supposes to actually recreate it, but sort of and do that as a remembrance of what He did, as well as proclaiming His death until He comes. It should be a solemn but also a joyous time when we gather around the table of the Lord. Now it also does appear we should be waiting on each other and not going ahead eating and drinking alone, by our lonesome. That may or may not fit into the scheme of things as directed by the leadership of the church, but that sure seems to be the plan as outlined here. Although it might be seen as long as we are all together and taking the “elements” within a certain defined time span, it fits the bill. But the real truth here still shouts out loud and clear. However, whenever, wherever we come together in any number we should be living in a manner, acting or behaving in such a way, understanding our position in Christ so that we are not bringing judgment on ourselves. There should be no judgment.

Self-Examination

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

SELF-EXAMINATION

1 Cor 11:27-32

27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

NIV

So what is an unworthy manner? It would appear those Corinthians were having a big party extravaganza, with some digging in and chowing down before others could even get to the food while drinking so much of the wine they were actually getting drunk. This could certainly be in an unworthy manner, especially even if they did not say “grace”. But we have taken that to a whole new level of self-examination. We take a hard look deep into our own being to see if there is any reason we should not partake in the bread and wine on the occasional moments we experience “communion” at church. It would appear we cannot conclude that sin would make us unworthy, for which of us is ever truly free of all sin? Perhaps it is the sin we have not repented of which makes us unworthy. But that would mean if we repented we would not have that sin anymore. Maybe it is the sin we have not asked forgiveness for that makes us unworthy. But then of course we merely have to ask forgiveness the moment before we take the bread and wine. So then we would not have to worry about being unworthy. So how deep do we examine ourselves? What do we look for within our inner most being, which would cause us to be unworthy? Surely there is no hardcore sin, like murder, stealing, adultery, and such, but what about bitterness, unforgiveness, gossip, envy, jealousy, greed, self-centeredness, selfishness, pride, self-righteousness, and the like? Do we look for those kinds of things in our self-examinations? Have we been lulled to sleep by the world, by Satan so we ignore those areas of our life? And if so that would be a reason there is weakness and sickness among us. Have we become crippled Christians because we refuse to deal with, or ignore those issues in our lives? When we take the bread and wine, do we only think of the glaring, or blatant sins, and see ourselves as fine and free to dig in? It would appear we should make a very careful complete self-judgment looking into every aspect of our lives, being totally honest with ourselves knowing we have sin, and seeking to live a life worthy of the Lord’s Supper. Yes, we will never be completely free of sin, at least in this human condition, but the point is that we examine ourselves and recognize it, judge it, not lying both to ourselves and to God. Once again, are we just supposed to do this those occasional times the pastor decides we should have communion at church? Or should we live in that state of mind every time we sit down to the table at home, or at some restaurant, or at a social gathering with friends, each and every day partaking is some meal? It is a good thing to examine self.

Remembering

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

REMEMBERING

1 Cor 11:23-26

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."  25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."  26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

NIV

 We get to look at one of the most quoted portions of scripture, well at least on a regular basis. We have to know that they had more then a loaf of bread and a goblet of wine that evening, yet that is what our ritual has become. If we examine this fully we can see that the bread was broken before dinner and the wine was passed around after dinner, we just delete the dinner part, and of course change the whole thing by substituting either wafers, broken crackers, little premade something’s and of course don’t forget the grape juice. What we do is nothing at all like what Jesus and His disciples did, but we do it in remembrance of His death, so that has to count for something. Perhaps this remembrance has more to do with each and every time we as a family, sit down at the dinner table and spread butter on our fresh baked bread we just picked up at the store, and as we sip from a glass of wine while dining together, than some rite performed once in a while, whenever the pastor decides he wants to fit it into a service, at church. Maybe this is something we should be doing on a daily basis rather than maybe a weekly, monthly, or once in awhile time frame. Maybe this is a way of life, a lifestyle of remembrance. Is our saying grace, or giving thanks before each meal a form of this remembrance? Maybe we should rethink what we say during this time of thanks. Who started this “grace before meals” thing anyway? If we examine the scriptures we are to give thanks to the Lord for everything all the time, but we only say so before food. How some tradition has started and become such a routine for us is not always the truth. If we were to adhere strictly to what the scripture says here we would have bread and wine at every meal we sit down together and we would do so proclaiming the Lords death until he comes. Just thinking about that brings us to another thought. Do all the pastors say as we either come up and get the “elements”, or wait for them to be passed around to us, that we are proclaiming the Lords death until He comes? He is coming, and we have to remember that, we have to remind ourselves not just once a month at church, but on a daily basis that Jesus is coming back for us. We can’t just live out our lives, even as a believer, without living in such a way that we may not be ready for His return at any moment. We cannot get so comfortable with all our creature comforts that we are not even looking for Him to come. Sure we know it in the back of our mind, but it is the foremost thought in our mind? Maybe we need to be breaking that bread and drinking from that cup each and every day. Maybe then we will remember. 

Careful Attention Needed

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

CAREFUL ATTENTION NEEDED

1 Cor 11:17-22

17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21 for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. 22 Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!

NIV

It is certain those people in Corinth had taken the Lord’s supper to a whole new level, making it into one big party, perhaps even a food feast. In fact it sounds more like an all church picnic. However, not as organized as ours today, for it also sounds as though they all just ransacked the food table, some taking more then they share, leaving nothing for those behind them, as well as consuming whole jugs of wine. It sure must have been a lot different than the little piece plastic cup of grape juice and small section of a cracker we get today. How did what we call the Lord’s Supper turn into what it was then to what it is now? What is it supposed to be? We will find out exactly what is what in the upcoming verses, but still they do not explain the exact manner in which we should remember the Lord’s death, that is the style, or ritual that should be performed. It would seem that the whole idea in remembrance of the Lord’s death should be every time we eat and drink, each and every day, rather than an occasional event at church, however this is talking about when we all come together as a church.  For now we should take a look at these divisions among us. The idea that has to been some differences among us to show who has God’s approval is sort of a strange concept. Have we ever dealt with that before? Have we ever noticed that before? What kind of differences would there be between those who have God’s approval and those who don’t? Why would some have His approval while others do not? Have we not been told God does not show favoritism? Does He give more material goods to those He approves of then those He doesn’t? Does He bless them more spiritually? What does that look like? Can we tell who is and who isn’t approved by God? Perhaps His approval is not favoritism but rather simply approval. Perhaps some among us simply do not feel the peace of God, the contentment within, the love, forgiveness, grace, mercy and blessing of God in their life. Is that because God does not approve of the way they are conducting their lives? Or is it just the fact we have both saint and sinner in the church, saved and unsaved, found and lost, born again, and those yet not born again? Those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior are approved by God and surely are, or should be, different from those who have not. It would make sense that God does not approve of those who have not yet accepted His Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, although He does not love them any less, but simply does not approve of the way they are conducting their lives. This would especially hold true if they were among those in Corinth and are among us and join in the Lord’s Supper. We should get to that in the upcoming verses. So what do we conclude from all this? Careful attention to how we conduct our lives would be a good start. Yes, careful attention needed indeed.

The Truth About Hair

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

THE TRUTH ABOUT HAIR

1 Cor 11:11-16

11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice — nor do the churches of God.

NIV

Even though because man is the head of the woman and because he is held accountable to God for his entire family, we can also see that in the eyes of God both men and woman are seen as equal, sinners in need of a savior. We can also see the reason for this is because we all were created by God. Although he formed man from the earth, and breathed life into him, he also created woman, just not from the earth, but instead from the man, yet because of the way He designed us, all other men would be conceived in a woman and thus be born from them. So it would make perfect sense that we are interdependent. But the real truth of all this is that we are all created by God. These words about hair must certainly be strictly written to those Corinthians for nothing in our culture resembles that at all. We have men who have long hair, women who have short hair, few if any women cover their heads and this whole idea is just not practiced at all, even in the church. Is that not just one of those rules and regulations anyway? But still a truth does speak out from here. The whole idea of us in any way putting more important on our self, especially our outward appearance above our devotion to God is right in the center of this truth. If any of us men think we are more important than women, or if their think they are more important than men, or if any of us think more highly of how we look than how we live, we are sadly mistaken. We need to see that God is God and we are his creation, period. We were nothing before God created us, and we cannot be anything without God. We need to see our relationship with Him is all due to Him and that nothing in our lives can ever be more important than Him, nothing! That is the truth.

Coming to Terms With

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

COMING TO TERMS WITH

1 Cor 11:3-10

3 Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head — it is just as though her head were shaved. 6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. 7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.

NIV

Surely this was just for those in Corinth, for in our society of today this truth simply would not fly. We have made such strides in women’s rights, so much so that even the woman of the church would argue this is not for today. Of course there are some sects of faith where the women do in fact cover their head, but they are for the most part considered fringe people, peculiar people who are out of step with the modern world. Can woman live in the freedom of this worlds view and still recognize their position in the family and relationship to their husbands? Have men resigned their responsibility as the head of the family and thus undermined their authority over the family? Do men understand that Christ is their head? That they are under the authority of Christ? Although this seems to be a hard line to follow, it is still the line in the sand that God has drawn. The Father is the head if Christ, Christ is the head of man, and man is the head of woman. How clearer can we see this said that we all would grasp the significance of it? None of us are actually our own person, we come under the authority of another, and because of the responsibility that other has for us, that is why they have the authority. Yet us men must step up to the plate and be the man of God we are supposed to be. We have to take the responsibility for our wives. We have to lead them, guide them, teach them, and love them as Christ loves. God created woman specifically for man and He thus holds man accountable for the woman. It is not a popular message in our culture but it is the message. How we each deal with it, how we each reconcile our thinking, our faith, our actions, and our behavior to this message is up to each one of us. But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. This is a truth we all need to come to terms with. 

Praise

DEVOITON

1 CORINTHIANS

PRAISE

1 Cor 11:2

2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.

NIV

We should not get too carried away with being praised for holding to the teachings, considering what is to follow, but for now maybe we could just wallow in the praise. It may not be a good thing to look for the praise from other people, but if it is given freely and without coercion why should be refuse it? But then as in this case maybe it is just a prelude to being corrected for some error in our ways. There is a certain danger in accepting the praise of men, for it can lead to pride and pride is an awful thing for it comes before the fall. We have to be very careful to always refer any praise from others directly to God. If it were not for God we would not do anything which is worthy of praise. Surely left to our own actions we would not have anything to be praised about. All that we are, all that we say, all that we do, are, or should be, a direct result of God working in our lives. How can we hold to the teachings of Christ without the help of the Holy Spirit? So then why should we be praised for the work of the Holy Spirit? Now true it is our free will which allows the Spirit to do the work, and perhaps for that we should accept a little praise because we have decided to follow Jesus. We could have made a far worse choice and refused to accept Christ in our lives, and then for sure we would not have anything anyone could praise us for. But we do see men giving praise to other men all the time for acts of humanity. When we sit and listen to a concert or a great theatrical performance we stand and praise those involved by applauding, and rightly so, they were brilliant in their performing arts. We even applaud a great orator after they have delivered a convincing speech on a topic of human interest. But do we stand and praise through applause the man of God who has just poured his heart out opening the Word of God to us, in an effort to help us grow spiritually? Is there something wrong with that picture? Yes, we should praise each other, for it is a form of encouragement to continue on the journey with God, but at the same time we need to be careful not to allow that praise to overshadow the work of God in all our lives. 

How Well Are We Doing?

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

HOW WELL ARE WE DOING?

1 Cor 11:1

11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

NIV

Well there it is, the truth all wrapped up in one little phrase. Are we living in such a manner that others would be on the right track if they followed our example? Would we be leading them in the path of righteousness? Are we being an example of Christ for them to follow? What about them being an example of Christ for us to follow? Who should be the example for the other? Maybe both of us, all of us should be an example of Christ. But then who would follow their example? Certainly we should not be so as concerned about whether they are being the right example for us as much as we should be concerned that we are the right example for them. If we place our concern about how they are doing as an example then we would be judging them, being critical and watching to see if they are doing it right, which would be wrong. So what we need to do is examine our own life and see if we are being the right kind of example, if we are being an example of Christ, so that if anyone wants know what an example Christ was to us, they merely have to look at us. How well are we doing? 

For The Good of the Many

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

FOR THE GOOD OF THE MANY

1 Cor 10:31-11:1

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

NIV

It is not that we hide in secret to experience the freedom in Christ, but that we do not cause anyone to stumble. Once again this is talking about what food and drink we eat or don’t eat, but the whole the truth here is about much more. It would appear we should be just as concerned about those who are not the church of God as we are those who are the church of God. Sometimes it seems that those who are not in the church know the rules and regulations which a believer is supposed to adhere to and call us on behaviors they think we should not be doing as a believer. We know they are watching us to see if we really do believe all that we say we do. We certainly cannot and would not go around carousing the bars or nightclubs, dancing up a storm, drinking, smoking and looking for someone to ….. But there sure are other behaviors that are being watched. Do we participate in the gossip around the water cooler, or lunch room table? Do we laugh at course jokes? Do we use any language that is inappropriate? Are we critical of anyone? Do we talk about our desire for more of anything? Do we talk about our discontentment about anything? Do we say we trust God but live as if we don’t? It is true they have a concept of how we should behave, but at the same time, if we act in such a stuffed shirt manner, do we come across as so high and mighty that we put then off? Does our holy behavior cause them to stumble and not want anything to do with God? It is a fine balance of being a believer, living out our faith out loud, and living in a manner which pleases God yet does not cause unbelievers to think us as judging them. They should feel we love them as Christ does so that they may be saved. How do we manage ourselves in the presence of those in the church compared to those outside the church? Are we any different? We should be who we are at all times, yet somehow, as Paul was, we should be all things to all people, in order to bring Glory to God. So maybe we should be a little different with those outside the church then those inside, but only to bring them inside. The only reason we should do anything is for the benefit of the Kingdom of God, and not for our own. We should live for the good of the many. 

What Should We Do?

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

WHAT SHOULD WE DO

1 Cor 10:25-30

25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."   27 If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake— 29 the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience? 30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

NIV

So we are still talking about food here, and being alright with whatever we eat, except if it offends someone else. Was this strictly all about what was going on in Corinth? Surely as we have thought before we do not have foods today that has been sacrificed to idols, so how do we apply this truth to us? Maybe of someone has given up a certain food or drink as a way of sacrifice to God, or because of a conviction that they should abstain from it,  we should not engage in eating or drinking that certain thing in the presence of that individual.  But still that food or drink was not sacrificed to an idol, it is simply that one person’s personal relationship with God, unless it is not with God, but rather with some denominational set of rules and regulations about what is acceptable, and what is not, for a member of their church. But then still if we partake in their presence are we causing them to stumble? Would they think poorly of us? Would they be tempted to indulge with us, thus in their mind, falling, or sinning, whether it actually is or not? It is the pure truth that God created all that is in the earth, and as he told Noah, as surely as He gave him all the green things to eat, He now gives him all the meat to eat. Yes, he restricted the Israelites from certain types of foods. Even today some Jewish people will not eat food unless it is Kosher, having had some Rabbi give it a blessing. But still all the earth and everything in it is the Lord’s. We really need not be restricted from any food or drink as long as we give thanks to God for it. Yes, some plants, man has used as drugs, and the law of the land has prohibited us from indulging in that sort of activity. We should not take leave from the law of the land, for God has directed us to abide by the law of the land. But whatever we can buy in the market is fair game, as long as we partake with thanksgiving in our heart we should not be denounced by others because of it. Yet we still should be aware of not injuring anyone’s faith. We do need to weight every action in our freedom in Christ, so as not to cause our brother or sister in Christ to sin. Again, do we simply allow those who are restricted by some denominational set of laws to remain ignorant of the truth (is that being unkind?) or do we simply let them be, and restrict ourselves in their presence? It is a question we may never settle. What should we do? 

Living For Others

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

LIVING FOR OTHERS

1 Cor 10:23-24

23 "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is constructive. 24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

NIV

Here is the simply principle that we are in fact not our own, but that we belong to others. We are part of the body of Christ and as such we are in a sense responsible for the rest of the body. Each member serves for the purpose of the other, as we learn in other scripture. So even though we may feel that we have the freedom in Christ to do a certain thing that, in fact, it is permissible to do as a believer, it may not be beneficial to the Kingdom of God at large, or the rest of the body of Christ. It would appear we just cannot go around living our life as we please totally unaware of the effects our life will have on others. Sure we know that when it comes to our personal family, those who live in the same household, but what about those who live in the same body of Christ? Are we aware of how we influence how they think by our actions? Are we aware of them at all? Do we care what they think? Do we condemn them for being judgmental of us? Maybe we have the freedom to eat that food which was sacrificed to idols, but should we flaunt it in their face? Is it possible to eat it in the privacy of our own homes, but not in the restaurants? Would that be beneficial, would that be constructive? But we are not just talking about food here, are we? It is our whole life, which is pictured here for us to examine. What we do and say in the solitude of our own life, should be the same as what we do in the company of others. Yet there is some sense in this freedom that should be able to be expressed as long as we are not harming the faith of others. Could we say, “What they do not know wouldn’t kill them”? Is that living a double life, a double standard? Is that hypocrisy? Now on the other hand, should we be so shackled by all their man-made rules and regulations which are not based solely on the Word of God? Should we make an effort to encourage them to see the truth, to see the freedom in Christ? If there are weak in their faith, is it not our responsibility to help them grow? Can we just stand by and let them continue to live burdened down with their own set of rules past down to them by the ancients? Although tradition has many good features, it can also be a harmful, even dangerous, and a deterrent to spiritual growth. So if we are to live not seeking our own good, but the good of others, we should fine that balance between living free without harming others, and living to help those others to grow in their faith, their freedom in Christ. Thus we should be living for others.

One or the Other

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

ONE OR THE OTHER

1 Cor 10:18-22

18 Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19 Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

NIV

Although this was spoken to those people about a very specific thing in regards to eating that food which was offered to all those idols in those days, we can surely see some other truth here. Even though a pop song writer penned those words, “you have to serve somebody, either you’re going to serve the Lord, or you’re going to serve Satan, but you have to serve somebody” it has a certain ring of truth. How can we who eat from the Lords table partake in that which is served at Satan’s table? Yet is that not what many of us do? We claim to love the Lord and that we are believers, born again, saved, justified, sanctified, holy, set apart, however else we want to refer to ourselves and yet we live in the same manner as those who serve self, which is of course serving Satan, eating at his table. One example of this is when God tells us that we cannot serve both him and money. Why do we place so much importance on money? Why do we try our whole life to accumulate as much of it as possible to spend on ourselves at some later time. Are we actually serving self, rather than God? Why do we spend so much time and effort to surround ourselves with as much of our own desire for things, when we should be serving the Lord? Can we actually say we love God when we live so much for ourselves? Are we actually trying to drink out of both cups? Sure, we need all the stuff. We need our homes, our car, our clothes, and food. Yes we might even need some extras as God sees fit to supply us with so we can live among people of similar stuff, or lifestyle, in order to share the gospel message with them. But we have to acknowledge it is not ours, it is his, and he has blessed us with certain things that are from his hand, and not from our own efforts, so we can give him all the credit. We cannot serve both; we cannot partake from the Lords table and eat from the table of Satan. People who refuse to eat from the Lords table are eating from the table of the evil one whether they know it or not, and we cannot afford to think, behave, live using the same set of principles. It is one or the other, if cannot be both. 

What Does This Look Like?

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE

1 Cor 10:14-17

14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

NIV

It seems that all giving attention to idols is one of the biggest problems those in Corinth had. But of course we do not worship idols, we worship Christ. It is possible we could make material gain, personal gain, recognition and a whole host of things into idols of sorts if we are not careful, but still we do not bow down and worship them. What we really see here is the celebration of what we refer to as the last supper. It is a holy event, to be kept sacred and not made into a linger longer, bring your own covered dish, social event. Yet in some sense maybe we do not celebrate this event in the correct manner either. At some times we take of the bread and the cup and return to our seats and partake on our own schedule, at other times we take of the bread and cup and what till all are seated and then under the direction of someone we partake at the same time, but in either case are we partaking together? Are we not just sitting alone and praying alone, thinking about us alone, our failure, our sin, or our self-righteousness, and simply experience some kind of union with Christ, or maybe no union with Christ, but just another ritual all alone by ourselves. Are we really one body? As we break the bread and drink of the cup do we partake as one body? Do we actually consider the others in our presence, joining together with them in this most solemn and joyous experience? From what we know, it would seem that Christ and his twelve lounged around some sort of table and actually broke and passed the bread to each other, as well as drank and passed the cup around, being together in every sense of the word. Of course that would not fly in our sterile craved sociality of today. Perhaps those who break up the crackers are even wearing plastic gloves and would not think to actually even touch the rims of the little plastic cups with bare hands. It seems we might have turned this communion with Christ and others, into something it was not supposed to be; maybe we have made it into some form of an idol.  It must be that we are supposed to be one body of Christ, so just exactly how does that look? What does this look like?

Stand Up

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

STAND UP

1 Cor 10:11-13

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

NIV

We can be sure that we have not been tempted by anything that isn’t a normal temptations for every human being. As far as temptations go, they have always been and will always be around us, facing us at every moment of our lives. If we think for one moment that we do not have any temptations we are doing nothing but fooling ourselves. We know that Satan is the author of temptation, for God will not tempt us in doing wrong, that which does not please him. Satan is not as powerful as God as he was created by God in first place, and thus God can control the amount of temptation that Satan throws at us. That sounds crazy, but it sure seems that is what is being said here, unless Satan throws an overwhelming uncontrollable amount of temptation at us and God intervenes and filters out the excess so we will only be tempted in the amount that we can withstand. But no matter how all that works God will still provide a way out of the temptation for us. Yet if we fall, or we should say when we fall, the way to stand up under that is in Christ. For yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That is our way out. It is doubtful that will ever be able to resist all temptations for the rest of our lives, here on earth. So the only way out in order the stand up under temptation is to know God is our way out. We cannot give up, lose faith, get down and turn from our Lord, hiding from him as Adam and Eve did. We must face up to our weakness and trust that God will always be there for us, forgiving, and helping us to resist more and more each time faced with those temptations. So Stand up. 

A tough List

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

A TOUGH LIST

1 Cor 10:6-10

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry."   8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did — and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test the Lord, as some of them did — and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did — and were killed by the destroying angel.

NIV

Idolatry, pagan revelry, sexual immorality, grumbling and test God is quite a list of things not to do. And we have an example of seeing just how easy it is to yield to such temptations and what the result of doing so is. Now it is true we live in what is called the age of grace, and at least as far as we know, God has not struck down thousands of people in one fell swoop, yet should we be concerned as to God will react to us if we engage in any of this behaviors? More than likely we will not invest any of our time and energy in giving homage to any idol, nor make anything an idol, like success, money, security, material possessions, or even some celebrity or sports star or the whole team for that matter. It is doubtful we would ever indulge in pagan revelry, or commit sexual immorality. Most likely we would never test the Lord either, like if you are really Christ than you could do…… But this grumbling thing might cause us some problems. This would certainly be the result of not being content with who we are, with where we are, with what we are doing and with what we have or have not. It would seem no matter what God did for those people in the past, they simply were not satisfied, they wanted more. Are we guilty of that kind of thinking? Do we have to watch out for a certain type of angel? It would seem we really have no reason to grumble, but yet it also appears we could always find something to grumble about. Surely if we grumble about our lot in life, the amount of money we don’t have, our cars are not the newest, our clothes are not the finest, our job is the best, or some other material thing, we might be grumbling against God. If we simply grumble about our aches and pains is that grumbling against God? We can surely do something about all of those things, if we take it upon ourselves to follow our own desires, our own instincts, our own choices, our own ambitions, our own way of life. But would that in a sense be grumbling against God as well? Sure, being a believer does not preclude us from having all those fine things, if they come from the hand of God. If he directs us in that way, and desires for us to live at a certain social economic level it is for a reason, so we can share the gospel with others at that same level. But that is up to God and not us to determine. Grumbling is grumbling, not matter how much or little we have if we are not content. A tough list to contend with.

Follow His Lead

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

FOLLOW HIS LEAD

1 Cor 10:1-5

10:1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.   5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

NIV

We are going to see what this introduction is all about but we must first see the truth here. Is there any excuse to be ignorant of the facts? It appears we should all know the truth, but what we do about it is entirely another thing. Here we see that God had provided them with everything they were going to need for their journey. This cloud was in fact his way of providing leadership for them to follow as well as a way to protect them from the scorching heat of the sun’s ray in the desert, where most men cannot live. Just as we are considered baptized in Christ, they were baptize in the covenant of Moses, the law. God did everything for them, took care of them, feed them brought them water, manna from heaven, quail from heaven, and water from rocks. How could they ever think God was not the most powerful awesome God that had the power and authority over all creation? But something went wrong, for we see that God was not pleased with them, and their bodies were scattered over the desert. What happened to them? What in the world did they do to get that kind of treatment from God? Why did he let them die all over the desert? Could we ever be in the same situation? We are going to see in the next verses what they had done and so we need to leave that for that to deal with? But we know it is not a good thing to be in a situation with God not being pleased with us. If we are in Christ, what would ever cause him to be unpleased? We are going to find out. But we should note that this truth is of his provisions for everything we need is true. We need not, or should not look to anything else for our provisions, especially ourselves. If we think for one minute that we are the source of what we have, we are in real danger. God is our source and we should never forget that, not ever. If we get puffed up because of our wealth it is because we think we are the source of it. If we act like we are someone special or better than others because of the quality or quantity of our homes, cars, clothes, or toys we are in massive danger. God has provided it all for a purpose, for a plan that he has for our life. He is leading us somewhere and we need to follow his lead. 

Running

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

RUNNING

1 Cor 9:24-10:1

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

NIV

Are we looking for any rewards, any compensation, any praise or some form of a prize, a crown during our earthly life? Do we live as if the Kingdom of God exists to benefit us in some way while we stole aimlessly through life, with no real direction, or purpose? Do we in fact stroll through life with no real purpose other than to live our life to satisfy the needs we seem to have? Do we even work in the field of our dreams or somehow end up employed, not really knowing how he ever got there? What purpose do we serve in the grand scheme of things? Do we even know what our purpose is, other than our daily life? It appears we are to be runners in a race, which of course has a well laid out course, specifically designed to bring us to the finish line. We cannot wander around the course as if we are not interested in the arriving at the finish line and claiming our prize. We must recognize we have a purpose as runners in this race, and that is to reach the finish line. But in order to win the prize we need to be in strict training, continually developing our running skills, our bodies, our minds, and yes, in this case, and our spirits. We have the most excellent coach for this training and it is up to us to listen and obey His instructions. As we listen carefully to how we should train, we grow in our understanding of our purpose in the race, in running the race. In our training and running of this race, we can give all the credit to our great coach we have not only qualified us to run in the race, but has prepared us to win. We cannot afford to be distracted by the crowds cheering for us, and begin to think we are such a great runner. We must always see our purpose of bringing praise, honor and glory to our trainer, our coach, our Lord and Savior. 

All for All

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

ALL FOR ALL

1 Cor 9:19-23

19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

NIV

The point here is that we should not hold so fast, be so rigid in our way of doing things that we make everyone feel so uncomfortable around us that they what absolutely nothing at all to do with the gospel. Does that mean we have to forfeit our beliefs? Absolutely not, Paul sure didn’t, but he lived with love in his heart toward all men, so as to win them to Christ. We need to be able to identify with people, no matter their background, or current situation in life. If they dress different then we so, if they wear their hair with funny colors streaked through it, if they smoke and drink, if they use foul language, if they are covered in tattoos, or have face jewelry, if they have body odor, we need to love them, identify with where they are so as to share Christ with them. If they are super intelligent, if believe in numerology, if they believe God is a woman, if they chose to believe there is no God, if they think we are weak minded and use religion as a crutch, we need to be able to identify with them, recognize where they are coming from so we can share the gospel in a way that it makes sense to them, in order to win them to Christ. But if we stand with our arms folded, our minds closed, holding them in contempt because they do not believe in Christ, passing judgment on them as sinners, we are foolish and weak minded. If all we can do is conduct conversations about the gospel, we limit our opportunities to engage with those who need Jesus. If we hold them off at arm’s length because they are different then we are, we will never be able to hug them with the love of Christ. If we can learn to be like Paul, and identify with them, understand where they are coming from, know their struggle, which requires getting to know them, sending time with them, then we might share the love of Christ with them. Were we not once one of them? Maybe we do not consider that we ever were like them, that we were born saved, lived a pure and holy life from our first breathe, but that simply is not so. Have we forgotten from where we came? All things for all people. 

Compelled

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

COMPELLED

1 Cor 9:15-18

15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. 16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.

NIV

What then are we to think? We have learned that a preacher has the right to make his living from the gospel, yet we also see here that at least Paul will not claim that right. Are to think that it is far better to preach the gospel without compensation? Was Paul the only one who was compelled to preach the gospel? Is that why he felt he has to do it voluntarily? Is that the same reason any of us do anything for the Kingdom of God? Do we voluntarily serve in whatever capacity we serve in because we are compelled to do so, or because we think that is what we are supposed to do? Do we serve in the church so others may see us serving, or because we think others expect that of us? Do we serve because we were asked to by the pastor or someone else in authority, or do we serve because we are compelled to by God? It would appear the only time a reward by God is available for our service to Him would be if we are doing it voluntarily because we are compelled by Him to serve. If we preach the gospel or serve in any way for any other reason it would make sense we have already received our reward. We may have the praise of men, but may not have the praise of God. If we preach the gospel or serve in some way looking for some sort of compensation then we are not offering our service for free. Should we be compensated in any way out of the free will of others without any expectation from us would be another thing, but to expect anything for what we do, is simply not acceptable. Do we think “Woe to me” if we are not doing something for the Kingdom of God? Do we actually think that, if all we do is just attend church and are not involved in some way to benefit the Kingdom? We have to be careful not to judge others by that standard, for we should only judge our own motives, our own thoughts, and our own reasons for what we do or what we do not do. Do we need a check up from the neck up? Are we or are we not compelled?

No Hindering

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

NO HINDERING

1 Cor 9:12-14

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

NIV

We probably should not be breaking this whole discussion about what to do about people who serve the Lord on what appears to be a full time basis, yet there are truths within each section for us to notice. Although Paul had just argued that he has just as much if not more right to support, he now says he does not use that right, so as to not hinder the gospel. What we must ask ourselves is whether we do anything which hinders the gospel. It appears Paul would put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel. What are we willing to put up with for the sake of the Gospel? Would we keep our mouths shut if insulted? Would we refrain from any activity if we knew a non-believer was watching and weighing the validity of the gospel based on us? Do we value our own being, our own self-worth more than the Gospel? If the gospel is the most valued thing we have, do we lock it up and keep it all for ourselves as we do with the valued material items we own, or do we give away to all those we come in contact with? Or do we expect our hirelings, those who preach the gospel and make their living from it, to do all the work? Another though about making a living from the gospel would be for all us of as we share the gospel with others, we do the Lords will and thus we are making a living, an eternal living from the gospel. But we know that salvation, eternal life is free, and thus that might not apply, but still an interesting thought. Nevertheless we must still consider this fact of hindering the gospel. We must examine our thoughts and our behaviors, our actions and reactions, in and out of the presence of others. The scripture says we are what we think. If we are not thinking correctly about the gospel we will not behave correctly either and thus might be guilty of hindering it. So then we need to think about actually putting up with anything and remain true to the gospel so as will not be a hindrance to it.  

Sowing and Reaping

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

SOWING AND REAPING

1 Cor 9:7-12

7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? 8 Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more?

NIV

The continuation of his defense is within this passage but at the same time we also can see that it is appropriate for those who sown spiritual seeds to except to be supported by those who the seeds were sown. We cannot be sure if this was meant as a salary, or simply a free will offering. Of course today we have turned it into salaries and even incomes that are commensurate with the lifestyle of those who support them. We might even see that some seed sowers life much higher than those who support them. In fact we have seen some of those television “Evangelists” living so large it stagers the mind, and on the backs, or wallets, of those they have deceived. Yet we also have some “Men of the cloth” that shepherd such a same congregation that they have needed to find employment outside the church to help support their family and thus are only a “Sunday morning” pastor, perhaps an afterhours one. There is such a disparage in this principle of supporting those who sow spiritual seeds. Now again does this only apply to those who are considered hirelings of the church? What about all those people who spend so much of their time investing spiritual truths, sowing spiritual seeds among the children in Sunday schools?  Shouldn’t they be able to expect support? What about those others who spend so much time practicing to be a part of a band, or choir, in order to be a part of leading people into the throne room of God at the beginning of gatherings, shouldn’t they except some kind of support? What about all the others who serve in so many different ways, investing time and effort in order to help others gain some spiritual growth? Is this only about the hirelings? Are they the only ones who deserve to have support? Maybe we are looking at this principle in such a limited view we are missing the whole point. Should we not see that anyone who sows spiritual seeds among others is supposed to have some sort of material compensation from those who have gained from those people’s efforts, irrespective of position or title in the Body of Christ? But in our postmodern church that simple does not happen. What has happened to sowing and reaping?