Contentment is the Key

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

CONTENTMENT IS THE KEY

1 Cor 7:25-28

25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. 27 Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

NIV

There is not much doubt that this was spoken by Paul under the direction of the Holy Spirit, for a certain time in history for a specific culture. Yet the fact remains there still has to be a value in this for our lives in this present time and culture. We might be under the impression marriage is a bed of roses, but it would appear marriage may also bring us many troubles in life. Or because this is not a command of God, but rather a judgment of a trustworthy man, could it simply be his opinion because of his own experiences? Nevertheless we can still agree with God’s word in the sense that we should be who we are called to be. It is true some people feel called to be single while others feel called to be married. There is no fault in either case as well as there is no difference in the relationship with God by either person. But the married and the single can serve in the Kingdom of God for He is no respecter of persons. He does not show favoritism. Could married life add to the troubles of a person? Most likely there may be some addition burdens associated with being united to another person. The responsibilities, both as a spouse and perhaps as a parent may well bring extra concerns which could divide our time for God. Yet God said that it was not good for man to be alone, so He established marriage. So would singleness be disobedience to what God has established? Is there conflict here? We will learn more in the rest of this dissertation, but for now we should at least see there is was trouble in that society and that we could see the same kind of trouble in ours someday. But for now it would appear we can serve the Lord no matter of marital status, although some denominations take this to heart and insist that their clergy remain unmarried. Yet we who live as simple servants of our Lord can be married or single. Yes some additional trouble may arise being married, but there can also be much temptations being single, that is being a virgin. So what should we all do? Stand firm and be who we are, serve the Lord with all that we are and be content with wherever and whatever God has called us to be. That is it, contentment is the key. 

As He Pleases

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

AS HE PLEASES

1 Cor 7:17-24

17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts. 20 Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you — although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.

NIV

Just because we get saved doesn’t mean we have to change every aspect of our lives, although in some cases it would be good to remove ourselves from the circumstances of some living conditions. Such as in the case if we were living in a drug infested culture it might be a good idea to leave that social setting and move into a more desirable locations suited living drug free. But this point here is that no matter our position in life, we can still serve the Lord with our whole heart. When we get saved if we are an highly educated professional making obscene amounts of money that is fine and we should continue to live in the manner we live, but serve the Lord with all that we are. If we get saved and are homeless it does not mean we are any less than those who are of great wealth, but it does mean we can even remain homeless and serve the Lord with all our heart. Certainly we can understand that whatever our position in life is there are others within the same position. If would be extremely difficult for person with a high degree of education and a person with very little education to relate to each other. It would be difficult for a person with abundant means and a person barely making ends meet to relate to each other.  We enter the Kingdom of God from all walks of life and we are seeing here we should simply continue to live in the Kingdom of God in whatever walk of life we are in. God may well need, in fact He does need us to live and serve Him where He has called us. Does He bring about a change in life circumstances for some of His servants? Indeed He does, but it is not for the purpose of simply bringing them from one place in life to another for their own pleasures, but so they might serve as a blessing to those around them in their new environment. We see here it is all about being responsible to God. Whatever He decides is the best place for us to be, is the best place for us to be. What matters if other people are in different places in life, is that not entirely up to God? It is just like when Peter asked Jesus about John, and Jesus said If I want him to live forever, what is that to you, you must follow me. We need to just follow God no matter where we are in life and not worry or concern ourselves with where other people are in life. God is God, we are His creation, He has saved us, and we are His to do with as He pleases.

The Love of God

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

THE LOVE OF GOD

1 Cor 7:12-16

12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

NIV

It is all about relationships here. If would seem rather in the course of a relationship when two people find love between them and decide to marry in order to be in the company of each other for their lives, that when one of them finds the Lord as their personal Lord and Savior that love which those two people share is still there. We would think that in love there is a complete willingness to share each other’s life, which would include ambitions, desired lifestyles as well as those personal experiences which cause some change in our thinking and behaviors. Open communication would be at the forefront of a marriage built on the principal of love and respect. Yet it appears there was some troubles with these situations in Corinth as well as we might find it the same in today’s church. If a marriage consists of just one spouse finding the Lord, which does seem to happen, the marriage finds itself in this situation spoken of here. It is a strange concept to understand how an unbelieving spouse could be sanctified, but nevertheless God makes them holy ceremonially in order that any children born in that union would be holy, as least until they reach the age of accountability. This might imply that children who are born of unbelieving parents are not automatically sanctified until they reach the age of accountability. Yet we would think that within the marriage of a believer and an unbeliever love, respect, communication would still exist. Of course the question has been raised about believing wives having to obey their unbelieving husbands, or best respecting them. We do need to notice that God has called the believer to live in peace, not making war against the unbelieving spouse, not pounding them over the head with scripture, keeping after them day and night about them being sinners and their need to repent and accept Jesus, but loving them as Christ does. If there is love in the marriage both spouses will still love and respect each other. If the unbeliever simple cannot come to terms with the situation we see what is approved of, but the point here is that in the most intimate relationship of marriage, a believing spouse might well love their spouse right into the Kingdom of God. After all is said, it is about the love of God.

Something to Consider

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

1 Cor 7:8-11

8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. 10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

NIV

This is a hard command which does not seems to bear much weight in the modern church in this cultural we now find ourselves in. We not going to concern ourselves with what it looks like what Paul thought, as a man, we are not really sure why that was included as breathe by God. Although it is very evident that if a person is not married then they should be absolutely chaste. That may not bear much weight either in the modern church when we consider it. But we should deal with this idea of marriage, divorce and remarriage in the church for it seems as though we, the church have taken on the values of society rather than of God. It may be true that there is always extenuating circumstances in certain situations and there is no possible to way to reconcile between a husband and wife, if in fact, both are believers. There are words from God after these which deal with believers and non-believers, but this certainly is about everyone being believers. This is what it is and we simply have to accept it as it is. As believers once married we should not divorce. Death does bring freedom to remarry, but it would appear divorce does not. Yet in our modern culture that surely seems not to be the case as this kind of behavior is considered acceptable and normal. But have we allowed that kind of thinking to infiltrate our thoughts as well? Again, we must always allow for those situations of which there is not control. There will be relationships so damaged by abuse or infidelity that no repair is possible and divorce is the only recourse, but we have to understand that all of that is not pleasing to God. Yes, do we make mistakes; make bad judgments, bad decisions? Absolutely! But we cannot allow those choices to separate us from God. If we seek him and ask for His forgiveness, we can be assured He will forgive and make the best of our lives from then on. God is a God of mercy and forgiveness, and we cannot walk away from Him if we do fail, after all, every form of sin, is still sin and still disobedience. This behavior is just another form of disobedience as all sin is, like gossip for instance and as such is forgivable if we seek the Lord for it. But still we must acknowledge it for what it is and then move on with our walk with Him. But this does give us something to consider.

Together We Stand

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

TOGETHER WE STAND

1 Cor 7:1-7
7:1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.   2 But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 
NIV
It would appear at first the Apostle Paul was rewriting the expressed comment of God that “Is it not good for man to be alone”. Yet within the context it, the original language, the footnotes to this NIV and other translations it is best stated that Paul was saying it is best not to attach or touch a woman. This would be aimed at men visiting those temple prostitutes. The instruction here is instead of continuing with those kinds of immoral behaviors, that the institution of marriage should be honored. Surely Paul interjects some, what seems, to be personal opinion about staying chaste for we know that God determined He would provide a woman for man as a mate for the very expressed reason of filling the earth with other men and women.  Marriage is an institution of God, although we can agree that it would seem the opposite here. But we are sexual beings just as God has created us. He gave us those desires, and the functions to fulfill them. The problem is fulfilling them outside the marriage vows. We are instructed that we cannot refuse our spouses of that fulfillment for any reason other than by mutual consent. That simply means no, “not tonight, I am tired” or “I don’t feel like it tonight” to be honest here, both by the wife and the husband. Now even though we do not have the temptation of visiting temple prostitutes we surely are bombarded with all sorts of visual temptations for both the woman and the man. In addition we are also faced from time to time with opportunities to indulge desires outside the marriage bed. Our society in some sense is not that much different than that of those in Corinth. We who are believers should take special note and examine, with complete honesty and sincerity, our hearts to insure we do not fall into any trap set by Satan to dishonor our marriage vows, in thought, word or deed. It is for certain that we are not perfect, and that we might possibly fail in this area at some time briefly, or even for a season. But we must also know that we have fallen and repent, and restore. Yes we make mistakes sometimes that we cannot undo and must go forward from that moment recommitting our faith and our solemn oath as a member of one family. God gave us to each other and let no man, not even Satan tear us apart. Together we stand.

Living In The Spirit

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

LIVING IN THE SPIRIT

1 Cor 6:12-17

12 "Everything is permissible for me"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"-but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"-but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."   17 But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

NIV

Once again we glance into the past lives and what they were doing even though it appears they had already accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It seems they just continued or reengaged in visiting those temple prostitutes of their old beliefs. Maybe they just thought they were just adding Jesus to an already existing belief and not actually repenting of what God considers sin and turning from their evil ways and following Christ. Then again, maybe they had turned away, but were enticed by their own evil desires back into their old ways. Even though this is speaking directly to sexual immorality, we could apply that concept to every area of our lives as well. Does our freedom in Christ give us that kind of freedom to fulfill our every desire no matter what that might be? Maybe, but as we see here it may not be so beneficial for us to indulge ourselves. Truly we may behave openly in a manner how we think everyone else expects us to, but what about those inward thoughts, feelings, and desires that no other person can see? When we behave poorly openly others can see we are uniting ourselves with the sinful world. When we behave or live in the same way the world does, isn’t that the same as uniting with a temple prostitute? Sure we have to work to provide our daily lives and have all the material things like homes, clothes, food, cars, and all that other stuff. But have we engaged in the same sort of beliefs the world has? Have we continued or reengaged in believing we need to provide for our own future, storing up wealth for our older years? That is just one of many of the world beliefs. Do we actually think, as believers in God, we are more powerful than He is and we can destroy what He created? That is what the environmentalist thinks, but we should not. If we are united with Christ then we need to apply all our efforts toward being like Him, and not like the world.  We need to be thinking like Christ thinks. We need to be about our Fathers business, not ours. We need to see we have the freedom to live free from the constraints of this world, and truly live in the Spirit. 

Washed

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

WASHED

1 Cor 6:9-11

9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

NIV

That is quite a list of offenses those people used to be. Why would Paul be bringing that up if they used to be that, and are now washed, sanctified and justified? Could they be returning to some of their own habits? Have we returned to any of our old habits? Surely some of those behaviors on the list were never even a part of our life to begin with yet in some sense in our modern world we could translate many of them into the lifestyle of this world. We may not worship anything in the world as an idol, but have we built any shrines to anything in this world? Certainly we do not steal, yet have we every robbed God? We surely cannot be greedy for we give so much of what we have to others, but do we give out of our abundance which really does not distract from our greed for more? We could find some things to connect with in this list, but the point is that we should be very aware that we were all sinners, and may still, in fact do still have sins within us. Slander, is just anything word of gossip and who of us can say we have never done that. We have become so good at gossip; we can even try to disguise it as a prayer request for a friend. Whatever our failures, whatever our sin, we need to see that we have been washed; we are washed in the blood of Jesus. God sanctified us; he set us apart for a His sacred use. God justified us, declared us innocent, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ by His Spirit. Just think about that, God did it all, He washed us, set us apart for his use declared us innocent. If that does not raise our spirits what will? It does not matter how vile we once were, nor does it matter if we are not perfect now, although we surely should not willingly continue in such behavior just so God’s grace may abound even more, but the fact is even in our imperfection, He has declared us innocent because of the blood of Jesus Christ. With all God has done on our behave; we really should try to live in a manner which is pleasing to Him making every effort to forsake anything which would cause us to hamper our relationship with Him. He will never forsake us, but do we at times forsake Him for our own benefit? Yet we are washed.

Getting Over Ourselves

DEVOTION

1 CHORINTHIANS

GETTING OVER OURSELVES

1 Cor 6:7-8

7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.

NIV

Well we should have included this with the preceding thoughts about lawsuits, but we did not and so we must find some truth for our lives within these words. It certainly appears those who lived in Corinth were already defeated and in a dreadful condition as believers. It would seem the root cause of all this conflict and turmoil between those believers was self-centeredness. If wronged or cheated their sense of self was so overwhelming strong they just had to seek justice and retribution for being treated in that way. Surely we are not like that. Surely we never feel like we would like to revenge our being wronged. That is the question we must ask of ourselves in this truth here. Do we ever think when we are wronged as to how we might exact some form of retribution? How about when our ideas are refuted and challenged, do we try to find a way to repay our fellow believer in the same manner at some other time? No matter how we feel we have been wronged, the root of that feeling is self-righteousness or self-centeredness or said in another way, thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to. If we are so concerned about our own self than perhaps like those in Corinth we are already defeated. Should we not be making every effort to live in peace with all men? How can we do that if we have any feelings at all about repaying or seeking justice for what we think is a wrong against us by a fellow believer. Would it not be more appropriate to go directing to who we think wronged us and seek forgiveness for creating an atmosphere which caused that person to act in such a manner? Would that not bring peace instead of retaliation and more hard feelings, and more wrongs? We know two wrongs do not make it right. Isn’t is just a simple matter of getting over ourselves?  

As Believers

DEVOTION

 1 CORINTHIANS

AS BELIEVERS

1 Cor 6:1-6

6:1 If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church!   5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? 6 But instead, one brother goes to law against another — and this in front of unbelievers!

NIV

It seems so unbelievable that is church in Corinth was actually a church of believers because of all the corrections they were told to make. Surely we in this modern church do not sue one another over any matters of dispute. So how do we see any instruction for us in this statement? The one thing we could notice in this is that even men of little account in the church should be able to resolve any dispute that might arise between believers. Of course it does seem a little bizarre that there should even be any disputes, even those of legal matters in need of a civil judge, in the church. If we are all living in the ways of God, filled with the same Spirit, serving the same Lord, then how in the world could we ever have disputes? Well maybe that is just it; we could have disputes because we are in the world, rather than in Christ. That is a radical thought. How can a group of believers behave like a group of unbelievers, bringing each other to court over matters of dispute? Although it is true we are in need of legal assistance from time to time in this modern world with its complex legal system. It is true that at times we might require functioning within the confines of our countries legal code in order to resolve matters within the course of our life working and living as a member of this society. We certainly cannot live outside the law of the land and thus we are subject to it and may require the use of its judges, but as far as any matters of dispute within the Body of Christ, and it could mean even those matters of a legal nature, we should resolve them between ourselves as to not make a spectacle of our disagreements in front of those unbelievers. Now, of course, that would also mean they would need to know we are believers in the first place. If we simply lived in the same manner as they do, never professing the need for repentance and salvation to them, never telling them of our faith in Christ, never sharing the Gospel message with them, how would they ever know to think poorly of us as members of Christ’s body, suing one another? For all practical purposes we would appear just the same as them. Even those individuals who are regarded as having little account in the church, which would certainly mean those who are not in leadership positions, or are regarded as distinguished members of the church because of their wealth, their giving, their educational or professional experience, would be qualify to resolve disputes in the church, all because of the Spirit of God who resides in us all, for God does not favor one more than another, He does not show favoritism. So, where does this leave us? Let us strive to be the church we should be resolving matters as believers. 

Expel Wickedness

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

EXPEL WICKEDNESS

1 Cor 5:9-13

9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."  

NIV

Surely we may well be guilty of judging those of the world, thinking how foolish they are for being so stubborn about giving up their sinful ways or for being so much in love with money, that is with being successful and acquiring wealth to squander on their own pleasures. Maybe we judge them to harshly for making idols of material things, movie stars, sports figures, or anything else of this world. Have we closed our church doors, or the door of our hearts, to the likes of them, hoping to keep ourselves isolated from their influence on our lives? It appears we would be wrong in doing so, for how do we would never be able to share the Good News with them if we were not first engaged in a manner of friendship with them. The days of standing on the street corner with a microphone and handing out tracts may well be over so we must find more personal ways to help them find Christ. But here we are not seeing just that kind of instruction about those outside, but in fact there must be people with those same kinds of behaviors right within our midst. That is quite a list of behaviors for someone in the church to be engaged in. It could be just one man who has but one of these faults, or it could mean many people all engaged in one or more of this kind of behavior. This “expel the wicked man” phrase in the original language also can mean plural, as in wicked people. Surely we think of sexual immorality as wicked, but have we lost sight of greed, idolatry slander and the rest as being wicked? Are there those among us who desire wealth before doing what is right before God? Are there those among us who idolize material things, or certain celebrities, especially the star football, baseball, basketball or whatever sporting event, player on some special favorite team? Have we those among us who gossip, which is nothing more than slander? And what about those who are drunkards and swindlers, surely we do not have any of those among us. Are we really to expel them if we determined we do have people like that in our congregation? Perhaps this is talking about those more famous people who make a living from the Gospel, taking advantage of the weak minded less mature believers who follow after them supporting their lavish lifestyles. Maybe it is those individuals we should expel from among us. In either case it would be a good thing to first judge our own hearts, and expel any of this wickedness from among us if we find any to be there. 

Being Unleavened

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

BEING UNLEAVENED

1 Cor 5:6-8

6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast — as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

NIV

Although these people of Corinth were surely trumpeting about their superior knowledge and wisdom and in such busy about setting up their respective teachers which they were supporting the church in Corinth was filled with scandalous activities and was in danger of complete ruin if they  did not purge such individuals from their midst. That is the effects of yeast on dough explained here. But of course we do not have those kinds of situations in the church today. We do not have people boasting about their great knowledge. We do not gather in specific churches because of the superior knowledge or great personality of the preacher. We do not go about setting up individual churches supporting all sorts of different doctrines or styles of worship. We do not boast that we have the right interpretation of God’s Word while others are misguided. How is it that we do not see anyone in the church today as that little yeast which will spoil the whole batch? Surely the Spirit of God would tell us, if we were listening to Him instead of our own pitiful selves as those people of Corinth were. We would think the Word of God is so plan, and so concise without any contradictions and that the Spirit of God has been given to us to lead us into all truth that we all would see the plainness of this truth and live together in harmony not every thinking anyone is better or worse, wise or foolish, smart or dumb richer or poorer, having more blessings then another, or anything that would separate us from each other. Are we not all simply creations of God, people who derive their very existence from God? Are we not all the same people who having been created by God for His own purpose? Are we not all subject to His wrath or His mercy? Can any one of us ever expect to be anything else? So why are some so boastful of their own abilities? Why do some feel they should be lifted up and supported by many others? Are not we all called to serve each other? Are we not all called to encourage each other? Boasting in anything other than Jesus Christ is but foolishness. Should we not all be filled with sincerity and truth? Should we not be unleavened?

Tough Questions

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

TOUGH QUESTIONS

1 Cor 5:1-5

5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

NIV

A most difficult passage to deal with in that it is about a specific incident which occurred in a defined time in history in a particular social setting. Rather than attempting to regurgitate the facts, or the views of various historians, scholars/commentators, it might be wise for us to just accept this as a warning against any such grievous acts or for that matter, thoughts that would come even close to this form of sin. We might note that being given over to Satan in the flesh, which is the original language, could be a very horrible experience. To be inflicted with all manner of disease and infirmities such as in the case of Job, even though it was not for this sort of thing, would be something we surely should desire to forego. Maybe we should understand there is question whether the father was still alive when the son interacted with his father’s wife, which as stated would have not been his mother, but rather his step-mother. The fact they were proud might come from the idea they thought they were practicing the concepts of one brother taking the wife of his dead brother who died without a son, as outlined in Deut 25. But this is far more than that, and we should take notice if we live in any manner which offends Christ we should be ready for what may come. Yet it seems that some forms of sexual immorality have infiltrated the church. We see pre-marital relations we should not. We see extramarital relations we should not. We see marriage and divorce much the same as the world, which we most likely should not. The question is what do we do about it? Surely we are not proud of this kind of behavior as it would appear the Corinthian people were. Surely we do not judge it either, for who of us is worthy to cast the first stone? It is true some of this behavior may have occurred before salvation and has been washed by the blood of Christ, and is therefore not part of this discussion. Yet if we have engaged in any manner such as this, after salvation, most certainly we have repented and sought the forgiveness of God. Yet if there is such behavior within the Body of Christ, should we be turning a blind eye to it? Yes we must love those who might be caught in those circumstances, and respect them as beloved members of the Body of Christ, but should we not also intervene in such a way that would protect them from any physical harm, as this poor son, spoken of here looks toward? Would it not be right for us to do both? Keep ourselves pure of this kind of behavior and assist those who have been entangled by it? Are we the Church or are we just pretending to be the church? Are we the temple of God, or are we just trying to look like it? Tough questions.

Filled With Power

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

FILLED WITH POWER

1 Cor 4:18-21

18 Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21 What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?

NIV

It sure appears some people were really thinking a whole lot more of themselves than they ought to. They must have been a real bunch of smooth talkers spreading ideas that were not part of the Gospel, but rather aimed at making them look like they were more spiritual than the rest. It sure is a good thing we don’t have anyone like that in our time, in our churches. Well, maybe we actually do have people like that. But it interesting about what the Kingdom of God is like, for it surely is not about smooth talk. We can remember how people were healed just by the shadow of Peter. We can remember what kind of power Paul was filled with and how he spoke boldly even under much persecution. So what are we to think? Should we listen to those who simply talk about living as Christ did, or should we listen to those who are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit? We know how to discern the difference between the two for we also have the Spirit who gives us this discernment. In our modern era, many people believe that only those who have paid enough money, spend enough time, and graduated from some school of highly learning run by one denomination, have the right knowledge to preach the Gospel. But then it is possible their talk may by just that, talk. Now there surely is some of them who are filled with the power of God as well, but it is not the school or the degree which has filled them, it is God and He surely also fills people who have never been to one of those places. For years before our modern times, God called and fill people to share His message, He does not change and so we should listen to those called and filled by God, and not to those who just have the smooth talk, the great orator, the ones who only have a great style of delivery but no power from God. It would seem clear this passage contains a prophetic statement concerning the coming of Christ. Shall he come with a whip of in love and with a gentle spirit? When Jesus returns what will happen to those arrogant people who use the Gospel for their own benefit? What will happen to those who think themselves the intelligent, educated ones who are the only one filled with the knowledge of God? Is a whip waiting for them? Yet for those how speak with the power of God, Jesus comes with love and with a gentle spirit. We all need to live as ones filled with the power of the Spirit. Do we live with human effort, or do we live with the power?

Reminded

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

REMINDED

1 Cor 4:14-17

14 I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. 15 Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

NIV

And not we see there are two ways of life that believers seem to participate in. There is the life in which it would seem the Corinthian poeple were indulging in and the way in which Paul was living. He was in fact warning them of their style of Christianity and telling them they should be living in the manner he is. What are we to discover in this contrast between their life and his? It would seem from what we have seen so far, their life style was not that much different than when they lived in ignorance of the Gospel. We certainly know Paul underwent a most drastic change from being a persecutor of the Church to being an apostle of the church, instead of spending all his efforts trying to destroy believers, he now spends all his efforts building the church, sharing the Gospel, and continuing to encourage, instruct and correct those believers God has empowered him to bring to Christ. It might serve us well to take some of this truth to our own way of life. Do we spend most of our time and efforts on the pursuit of our own style of Christianity, that is to say, pursuing our own goals, ambitions, happiness, thinking we only need ask God for whatever we want for our own self needs, and He, like a genie in the lamp, fulfills our every request? Or do we spent our energies in the pursuit of His will for us, seeking His calling on our life and how we are to live in order to be a benefit to the Kingdom God? We see that Paul is sending Timothy to remind them of the right way to live in Christ Jesus; so in fact, we know they were living the wrong way. Who will remind us? Has God sent anyone to instruct us in the right way to live in Christ? Do we pay any attention to that instruction? Or are we so steeped in our own brand of Christianity that we cannot hear the truth? Perhaps it is not a matter of imitating Paul, but rather a matter of imitating Christ. Can we live in the way of Christ and the way of the world at the same time? Can we serve both God and money? How did Christ live? How did Paul live? How do we live? Are we reminded?

Embraced

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

EMBRACED

1 Cor 4:8-13

8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings — and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you! 9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

NIV

It would seem that there is some difference between accepting Jesus and following Jesus. We might think that those in Corinth surely had accepted Christ, but by the tone of what Paul is saying here, it would appear he was letting them know that he was following Christ and that as such life was different. Is there such a thing accepting Christ, but living as kings in the ways of the world? Oh we say God is blessing us with so much, he desires that we live as children of a King. But what about Paul and the other apostles, didn’t God what then to live like children of a King? Why does Paul feel like he is the lowest member of the totem pole? He compares himself to them is so many ways, each making them far better off them him, or could this be a bit of sarcasm? Are they living far too much in the ways of the world and are accepted by the world being considered as no threat to them at all, while all that Paul is and says is nothing but a treat to those who refuse and or despise Christ? That sure brings it home to us with the same force. Are we living so much like the world that it has no problem embracing us as one of its own? Or does it even know that we are not one of its own, but that we belong to Christ? Do we live to influence the world, or have we been influenced by it? Have we infiltrated the thinking of the world with the Gospel or have we allowed the world to infiltrate out thinking. Are we trying to show the world the love of God by just doing humanistic things, that any unbeliever can also do, or are we speaking out, living out loud, telling them they need to be born again or they are going to hell? Do we tell them that God loved them so much He sent His only Son to die on the cross for their sin and they need to repent and accept Him as their Lord and Savior or do we think they will just see how different we are and ask why, especially when we are no different. Oh sure maybe some of us do not smoke, drink adult beverages, go to movies, or do not dance, or use foul language, but does that actually make us different? It is not what we do not do, but what we think, say and do which makes us different, and if we are actually following Christ then perhaps the world would see our difference and not like us so much, as those who despise Christ would despise us as well. So who do we embrace, God or the world, and who does the world embrace, us?

Who's Boasting

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

WHO’S BOASTING

1 Cor 4:6-7

6 Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. 7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

NIV

It is certainly true that some men might think that God has spoken directly to them rather than sticking to what has already been recorded of what He said. There must have been a few of these men in Corinth who were puffed up all over themselves regarding what they thought was there great knowledge of the Gospel. They surely must have thought themselves better than the rest and were even boastful about it. Paul was telling them that any knowledge they had of the Gospel came from him because as an Apostle, he heard directly from God and told them, but they were boasting as though they had not received that knowledge from him, but rather directly from God. It would seem not much has changed in the church. Some men have gone beyond what is written and created their own form of the Gospel message adding all sorts of rules and regulations which are imposed on others. It is true, that not all think of themselves as better than those they impose those added features of the Gospel on, but there surely is a significant number of them. It would do us all good to recognize that we all have the Spirit of God to lead us all into all truth, which is course what already has been written. “There is nothing but the truth, so help us God”. We have but one mediator between us and God and that is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We should not make any man greater the Jesus, nor should we ever think that we are greater than any man, or that any man is greater than us. We have all received the same truth from the mouth of God, recorded and saved through the ages for our benefit to be able to know the way of salvation. No other man has any additional truth to be added to the Gospel. If men preach, teach or write about any supposed truth which is not expressly declared in the Word of God, they surely are among those who think more of themselves then they should, boasting in self rather than God. We need to always be aware the truth is the truth and we all have the knowledge of the truth because we all have the Spirit and thus we all are the same as everyone else. We all are saved by grace and not of any works, skill, talent, knowledge, education, or wisdom, lest anyone of us boast about anything other than Christ. 

For Men or God

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

FOR MEN OR GOD

1 Cor 4:1-5

4:1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

NIV

Are there two classes of people? Those entrusted with the secrets of God and those who are not? Who is the ‘us’ that Paul in talking about, just him and Apollos or all of us that men should consider as servants of Christ? Does the Spirit of God divulge more secrets to just a few men then what he does to all followers of Christ? It would appear this might be the case, but then it may not be the case also. Do not we all have to be proved faithful? Are we not all required to have a faithful heart? True, just as Paul, we may not be innocent, totally free from all sin, but if it is our desire to follow Christ, if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and thus have had our sins covered by His blood, we can have a clear conscience. If we sit around all day trying to judge other peoples motives or actions, it is purely a waste of time for of what value is the judgment of the human court, the human mind? We are told here that even Paul does not judge himself, but leaves that up to God. We should be careful then about wondering what is to be judged and what is not. It should be clear that it is the motives of our hearts which is what is hidden in the darkness. As Paul might have been speaking about those men who preach, teach and write words giving instructions to others as to how to live might be doing it with motives of personal gain, recognition, and for the praise of men, it also applies to all of us. Why do we do anything for the Kingdom of God? Why do we serve in any capacity within the Body of Christ? Why are we Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, ushers, choir members, instrumentalists, greeters, audio-visual workers, board members, or any other place of service? Why do we serve? Is it for the praise of men or for the praise from God? Maybe we should not even judge that for ourselves, but leave that up to God to judge. Yet it does raise the question as to the motives of our hearts. We do have to make sure we do not mistake this for God judging every single behavior of our lives, for that would be Him judging our sin, which has been forgiven and covered by the blood of Christ. But He is judging the motives of our heart as to why we serve Him. If our conscience is clear, and our motives for serving Him are out of our love for Him them surely we will receive praise from God. We well here those words, “Enter in, my good and faithful servant”. But if what we do is for the praise of men, well then “Here comes the Judge”. 

Just Give Me Jesus

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

JUST GIVE ME JESUS

1 Cor 3:18-23

18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; 20 and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."   21 So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future — all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

NIV

Once again, let us not base our faith on the personality of some pastor or preacher or for that matter on any denominational set of rules for that would a futile thing. Whatever the mind of man, no matter how intelligent it might sound, determines as a wise and noble thing, is but foolish to God. It appears that man will always get catch in his own trap of wisdom. Whenever we make who we think is some great pastor, teacher, evangelist, author out to be our favorite source of truth because of his particular style, we have fallen into that same trap. Whenever one of those people, the pastors, teachers, evangelists and authors think they are some great source of truth, they are for sure but a fool for thinking they have any wisdom at all. Not one of them or us can ever have the wisdom we think we have. In speaking about the wisdom of the world, there is none. After all science is nothing more than man discovering what God has established in His creation of all things. If man thinks for one minute that all this is, including all of us, has nothing to do with God, then the all the wisdom of those thinkers, is just a bunch of foolish thoughts, children trying to deny they have a parent. It is like so many movies Hollywood made with the children being the leading roles, making all their own life choices, and some distant obscure parent playing in the background. No, we are to live not by that kind of wisdom. We are not to live following the wisdom of those who think they know the truth, both the world’s truth and the truth of God. We are not to make any man our mediator between us and the truth of God, for we are of Christ. Now, of course, some man might say or write something which causes us to think in a certain way, or see some truth about God, but we should not make that man anything more than what he is, a man. All truth is ours because we all have the Spirit of God dwelling within us. We are all members of Christ’s body with Him being the head. Each of us has the Spirit to guide us into all truths. We do not need any of the wisdom of this age, we only need Jesus. Just give me Jesus.

His Temple

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

HIS TEMPLE

1 Cor 3:16-17

16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

NIV

We are the temple of God. No longer is there any need for a temple of stone and gold for God does not need that type of temple to signify the place that He dwells for He has us now. It is difficult to understand the reason some still feel the need to have such an elaborate edifice for a place of worship? Do they think the greater the building the more it represents the presence of God? Instead of joining in this kind of temple building, we should be very aware of the building of our spirits, as a fitting place for the Spirit to live in. Surely those temples, or churches of stone and gold can be destroyed by a variety of nature elements, tornados, hurricanes, fire, floods or even a great wrecking ball made with the hands of man. But how can we destroy our temple which is made of flesh and blood, which houses our spirit which the Spirit resides in? It would seem the way to destroy the temple, us, would be to corrupt it with so much sin, it would be unfit for the Spirit to dwell in. Can both sin and the Spirit of God dwell in the same temple? Surely we know that those who have refused to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have also refused to allow God’s Spirit to dwell in them, and they are living in the state of sin and therefore have already destroyed any temple they might have, and we know that someday they will be destroyed. But what about us, we who have accepted Jesus, can we destroy our temple? We know that we cannot be perfectly free of all personal sin, yet we are free of that original sin, Adam left of us with, due to the fact we have been washed in the blood of Christ. So if we remain in Christ, then we, God’s temple, are fit for the Spirit to dwell in. It would seem the only way to destroy this temple would be to walk away completely, turning our back on God, denouncing any faith in Him at all. That would surely bring about complete destruction. Yet, if we allow this personal kind of sin to grow within us and do nothing the put a stop to it, then could we be in danger of not being  fit as His temple? If we recognize this sin, and refuse to repent, accepting it as part of being human, would that put us in danger? And we are not talking about grievous sins like murder, stealing, or adultery, but the little well hidden sins of jealously, envy, bitterness, unforgiveness, gossip, greed, self-centeredness, pride and the like. Could these gone unchecked make us unfit for the Spirit of God to dwell within? Could these cause destruction of the temple? We must remember we are sacred, God has set us apart for His purpose and He has given us His Spirit to teach us and guide us in all truth. We cannot afford to be anything less than His Temple.

Master Builders

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

MASTER BUILDERS

1 Cor 3:10-15

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

NIV

If this is not a warning about those fancy tongued preachers who use God to build an empire of fancy homes, cars, churches, and other forms of wealth, living in extravagance and excess, what is? Surely us common folks are not among the people spoken about here. Paul was speaking about the others who had visited Corinth and were out evangelizing as he was, but it seems some of them were out for their own benefit rather than for the benefit of the Kingdom of God.  Here is where we come in and can find some truth for our lives. Maybe we are not out preaching the Gospel for personal gain, adding to or changing the message of Jesus Christ, but are we living as a believer for the purpose to benefit the Kingdom of God or living to see how the Kingdom of God is benefiting us? What this means is simply from what perceptive do we approve our daily life? When we pray, do we pray for our own needs, or for the will of God to be done in our life? Sure God told us to bring all our requests to Him. Yes, Jesus said to ask anything in His name and the Father would give it to us. We can find all sorts of scriptures which tell us God will provide all sorts of things for us, but still that seems sort of a self-orientated way to live, doesn't it? Should we not be concerned about building the Kingdom of God, being a benefit to God, giving back all we are to Him? Sure, God does not need anything, He is God, but what is this reward for the quality of our work building on the foundation of Jesus Christ?  We are to be master builders, building on nothing but the foundation of Jesus Christ Crucified. Maybe all these denominational doctrines, rules and regulations, are what is spoken about here. Maybe some have indeed added to Jesus, as such building with gold, silver, stone, wood, and hay, which are all those rules and regulations. Maybe we simply need to see the truth of the Gospel message, Jesus saves. Once we were lost but now we are found. Is there anything else which needs to be said? So let us live as believers, being builders of the Kingdom of God, not using the Kingdom to build our little empires of self-centered desires. Let us be master builders.