Category: 1 Corinthians Devotionals

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

Though we live in troubled times

1 Corinthians

Looking at the daily news, it clear that we live in troubled times. And sometimes, it’s hard not to feel depressed, fearful, or discouraged.

But it’s in these days that I think Paul’s words are particularly apropos.

Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. Do everything in love. (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)

“Be alert.”

Why? Because the devil will try to discourage us. To make us fearful.

As Peter said, Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. So watch out for him. (1 Peter 5:8)

“Be courageous. Be strong.”

Why? Because Jesus who is in us is greater than our Enemy who is in the world (I John 4:4).

And through Jesus, we already have the victory. (1 Corinthians 15:57-58).

And he is coming again.

The first time, he came to deal with sin.

The next time he comes, he will end all evil and bring salvation, making all things new. (Hebrews 9:28)

“Do everything in love.”

Why? Because it is love that distinguishes us from this world. And it is only through our loving those around us that we can make a difference in these troubled times.

So let us stand firm in the faith. As David sang, “We will see the goodness of the Lord.”  (Psalm 27:13)

Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart be courageous.
Wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

Building each other up

1 Corinthians

In this passage, we see a lot of instructions Paul gives the church, particularly concerning the use of the gifts of tongues and prophesy.

These instructions are important, but if that’s all we see, I think we’re missing something.

What is Paul’s main point?

His main point is that in the church, we should not be primarily thinking about ourselves and building ourselves up. Rather, we are to think of others and how to build them up.

Again and again, he talks about building up the church. But he’s not talking about building up the church as an organization. He’s talking about building up God’s people. For God’s people are the church.

Paul essentially says that when we go to church, if all we’re thinking about is if we’re being built up, we’re thinking like children. (1 Corinthians 14:20)

So many people come to church saying, “I want to be built up. I want to be encouraged.”

I hope you are built up and encouraged at your church. But Paul tells us that each person should bring something to build others up. (1 Corinthians 14:26)

So if you’re going to church this week, look for someone you can build up. Intentionally reach out and touch them. Encourage them. Pray for them.

And if you can only attend an online service, think of someone you can call or do a video chat with. Again, be intentional about it.

Let us be a church where we intentionally touch and build one another up.

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

What’s most important

1 Corinthians

It strikes me that as much as Paul is talking about the spiritual gifts, it is not his primary concern. He never goes into details on the gifts as he would have if the gifts themselves were his primary concern.

His concern is that the schisms in the church be taken out.

He reminds them again and again, “You are one body. You share the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God. The gifts you have are to benefit all in the church. You need each other. You are to honor each other.

“Is one of you suffering? Their pain is your pain. Is one of you honored? Rejoice with them! They are part of you and you are part of them.

“You desire all these spiritual gifts. Great! But remember that you are one. So cast out the divisions among you.”

And that leads straight into 1 Corinthians 13.

How about you?

Do you value God’s church and the people in it as much as Paul did?

Or are you thinking like the Corinthians?

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

Judgment and discipline

1 Corinthians

One of the problems in the Corinthian church was that while they were supposedly remembering the Lord and his sacrifice on the cross through communion, at the very same time they were despising his body.

That is, they were despising the poor Christians in their church. As a result, some were being judged by the Lord, some getting sick, others even dying. (1 Corinthians 11:22, 30)

It was a very severe judgment they received, and so Paul warns the church, “Search your hearts before you take communion so that you can avoid such judgment.” (1 Corinthians 11:28, 31)

God’s discipline can be severe. But it would be good for us to remember something important: the judgment we receive from the Lord is different from the judgment unbelievers receive from the Lord.

Paul says,

but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:32)

No discipline we receive from the Lord, no matter how severe, leads to eternal death. In that sense, we do not need to fear the Lord’s wrath.

Still, make no mistake: God does not take sin lightly. Neither should we. When we do, his discipline can be quite painful. In that sense, we very much do need to fear the Lord.

God loves us, but that does not mean we can escape his discipline. So remember the words of the writer of Hebrews.

My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly
or lose heart when you are reproved by him,
for the Lord disciplines the one he loves
and punishes every son he receives. (Hebrews 12:5-6)

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

Who and what we live for

1 Corinthians

It’s been interesting reading these chapters this past week. And I think it’s important that we see them as one whole set.

There are two running themes throughout these chapters.

One is the way the Corinthians were thinking, “Everything is permissible for me as a Christian.” (1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23)

For them, that meant sexual sin was okay and eating food offered to idols was okay. As we’ve seen, Paul strongly disagrees with the first (6:18, 10:8) and gives a qualified agreement to the second. (I Corinthians 8).

The second theme running through these chapters is Paul’s correction of the Corinthians way of thinking. And it comes down to two questions: Who do we belong to? And what do we live for?

Who do we belong to? We belong to the Lord who bought us with his blood on the cross. (I Corinthians 6:19-20, 10:14-20).

What do we live for? We live for God and his kingdom.

And that should shape our thoughts on marriage (chapter 7), ministry (chapter 9), and our own freedoms and rights in Christ (chapters 8 and 10).

When we make decisions on these and other life issues, our primary concern shouldn’t be ourselves.

Rather, it should be how we can best serve God and his kingdom. How can we reach as many people as possible for him?

Paul sums all this up with this word:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved. (1 Corinthians 10:31-33)

Let’s also remember Jesus’ own words.

But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things (that is, all your needs) will be provided for you. (Matthew 6:33)

What shapes your way of thinking? What shapes your life?

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

Pleasing God

1 Corinthians

I have written on this passage before, so I won’t bother to go into the detail that I did then.

But it does strike me that this passage has a strong connection to what Paul wrote in chapter 6.

(It is worth pointing out by the way, that Paul wrote this letter without any chapter or verse numbers.)

As you may recall, he quoted a pet phrase the Corinthians had, namely,

Everything is permissible for me. (1 Corinthians 6:12a)

But right after that, Paul answers by saying,

but not everything is beneficial. (1 Corinthians 6:12b)

And here, we see another example of how some Corinthians were applying their pet phrase: “Because idols are nothing, it is permissible for me to eat food eaten to idols.”

Now Paul actually agrees with this. (1 Corinthians 8:4-6, 8)

But the problem was that their eating food sacrificed to idols was not beneficial to the church because Christians whose consciences were weak were having their faith destroyed because of it. (1 Corinthians 8:10-11)

So even as Paul agrees with them that eating food offered to idols is not in itself sinful, he reminds them,

…for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. (8:6)

I don’t think Paul said this just to make a theological point. I think he was reminding them of what he said in chapter 6.

You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

And so he warns them,

Now when you sin like this against brothers and sisters and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ. (1 Corinthians 8:12)

In this case, an action that in itself was not sinful became sinful because it caused their fellow believer to fall.

So let us remember again, “What is permissible” is the wrong question.

What is the right question?

The right question is: “Who do I belong to? And what is pleasing to him?”

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

The wrong question

1 Corinthians

The Corinthian church had a lot of problems. People were cheating each other. There was also sexual immorality in the church.

And a lot of it seems to have come from this saying that had spread throughout the church: “All things are lawful for me.” (1 Corinthians 6:12)

This appears to be a twisting of Paul’s teaching that “we are no longer under law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14-15)

A lot of Christians today twist Paul’s teaching the same way the Corinthians did. They turn God’s grace into a license for sin. (Jude 1:4)

But Paul makes clear that so-called “Christians” who willfully sin this way with no hint of repentance have no part in God’s kingdom. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

There are other people, however, that are always wondering, “Where is the line? How close can I get to sin without sinning.”

For example, “How much touching is allowed between boyfriend and girlfriend?”

But that’s the wrong question.

As Paul said, some things may be “permissible,” but they are not beneficial. (12)

And if we’re not careful, they may just lead to sin.

What then is the correct question?  

The correct question is, “Who do I belong to? And what is pleasing to him?”

If you’re a Christian, the answer is clear.

You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Who do you belong to? Are you doing what is pleasing to him?

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

A willfully sinning “Christian”

1 Corinthians

“Don’t judge.”

“We must be tolerant.”

Those are the words of many in this world today.

There is a sense in which those words are true.

Jesus warns against hypocritical judging. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Paul warns against judging those outside the church. (1 Corinthians 5:11-12a)

But then he specifically tells us we are to judge those who claim to be Christians and yet live in unrepentant sin. (12b)

Specifically, he says,

Remove the evil person from among you. (13)

This is not to say that our primary response should be anger and self-righteousness. Rather, we are to grieve. (2)

We are to desire and pray for their restoration. (5)

But we are not simply to tolerate their behavior. Rather, we are to remove that person from among us.

The principle comes from God’s law in Deuteronomy 17:12-13. In talking about dealing with sin and judging God’s people, Moses said,

The person who acts arrogantly, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there serving the Lord your God or to the judge, must die.

You must purge the evil from Israel. Then all the people will hear about it, be afraid, and no longer behave arrogantly. (Deuteronomy 17:12-13)

In those times, the punishment for such arrogance was death.

In these times of the church, the punishment is excommunication.

But the principal is the same: arrogant, unrepentant sin is not to be tolerated in the church.

Unfortunately, the Corinthians were arrogant. They were boasting about being so “accepting.” And so Paul rebuked them sharply for it.

It is one thing for a person to fall into sin and yet mourn over it and repent. It is one thing for a person to struggle with certain sins in their life, the key word being: struggle.

We are to help, pray for, and encourage such people.

It is another thing altogether to say, “I will live however I like, regardless of what God says.”

No person who says that can honestly call themselves a Christian. And God’s church cannot simply “tolerate” such a person.

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

A clean conscience

1 Corinthians

Paul says something very interesting in verse 4.

For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. It is the Lord who judges me. (1 Corinthians 4:4)

I think Paul would say that it is important to keep a clean conscience before God. That is what he strove to do.

But he also realized that the human heart can be deceitful. We can fool ourselves into thinking we’re okay, when in reality we’re not.

In fact, when he wrote these words to the Corinthians, Paul seemed to be thinking of what God had said through the prophet Jeremiah.

The heart is more deceitful than anything else,
and incurable—who can understand it?

I, the Lord, examine the mind,
I test the heart,
to give to each according to his way,
according to what his actions deserve. (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

Compare those words to what Paul says in verses 4-5.

So what am I saying? Should we always be worrying about whether we are clean before our Lord?

Should we always be thinking to ourselves, “Is there some hidden sin that I’m unaware of? Is there some wrong motive that I haven’t noticed in my own heart?”

No. I don’t think God wants us to live in a state of perpetual fear and guilt.

Nevertheless, it is good to have a heart of humility before God.

It’s good to pray each day as David did, “Search my heart. Show me if there’s anything wrong there.” (Psalm 19:12-13; 139:23-24).

If God shows you something, then confess it and ask for forgiveness.

If not, then thank God for the grace you stand in.

The truth is, if God were to show us all our sins at one time, we’d be overwhelmed.

But by his grace, he will strengthen us until the end, and we will stand blameless before him on the day of judgment. (1 Corinthians 1:8)

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

The foundation of our salvation

1 Corinthians

God is faithful. (1 Corinthians 1:9a)

Think about those words for a minute.

God is faithful.

If there is one reason that our salvation is sure, it’s those three words:

God is faithful.

Through his great love, he called us into fellowship with his Son. (9b)

By his grace, he sanctified us. He called us as his saints. (2)

And because of his faithfulness, he will strengthen us to the end so that we will stand blameless before him on judgment day. (8)

I’m so glad my salvation doesn’t depend on my faithfulness. Because there are so many times I am unfaithful.

But as Paul wrote Timothy,

if we are faithless, he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:13)

So if you’re ever feeling down on yourself for your faithlessness to him, remember those three little words:

God is faithful.

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

To become like him

1 Corinthians

There are lots of good stuff in this chapter. I particularly like verses 9-10.

But this being the Christmas season, it is verses 48-49 that strike me.

In those verses Paul compares the first man Adam with the second man Jesus.

And in verse 49, he wrote,

And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust (Adam), we will also bear the image of the man of heaven Jesus). (1 Corinthians 15:49)

As I read that, the thought came to me: “Jesus became one of us, that we might become like him.”

Even now, in our struggles with sin, Jesus is working in our hearts, purging out our sin, and making us more like him.

And when he returns to this earth, we will become complete.

I quote this verse a lot, but I think it’s a good one to remember and memorize.

We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.

And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. (1 John 3:2-3)

So as we think of Christmas and Jesus becoming like a man, let us strive each day, by his grace and power, to become more like him.

And though we may fail sometimes, let us hold tightly to the hope that we will be like him someday.

As as Paul says,

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

Just a choice?

1 Corinthians

One thing I have often heard (and taught for that matter), is that love is not a feeling, it’s a choice. After all, how can you command a feeling? And yet God commands us to love.

As I think on this passage, though, I’m starting to rethink that idea.

After all, according to Paul, you can choose to give your life for Jesus and still be lacking in love. You can give all you have to someone and yet be lacking in love. (1 Corinthians 13:3)

My point?

Love is not just a feeling, but it’s not just a choice either.

If our actions don’t flow from our hearts, they’re not true expressions of love.

They may be obedience, I suppose, but not love.

Also, while you can of course choose to do kind acts, and choose to show patience, how about not being irritable? Or not holding bitter thoughts toward someone? (5)

Those things are very connected to our feelings.

So what am I saying?

In order to love as God does, we need a new heart.

And to have a new heart, we need to be connected to him.

As we abide in him, and his love starts to pour into our hearts, it changes us. And that gives us the ability to love those that are not so easy to love.

How about you? Are you abiding in Christ and in his love? Are you rooted in that love?

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

A challenge for men

1 Corinthians

I am fully aware that this part of the passage seems to be addressing more of a problem with the Corinthian women than with the men, but being a man, it’s these words that strike me the most.

But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man. (1 Corinthians 11:3)

He then says,

Every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head dishonors his head. (4)

Now whatever the significance is of Paul requiring the Corinthian men to pray with their heads covered, and regardless of whether or not those words concerning head coverings apply to this day, two things are certain.

1. Christ is our head.

2. As Christ is our head, we are to honor him with our lives.

Men, do you recognize these two facts in our your lives? Not just as a theoretical concept, but in your day to day life?

Christ is our head. Our leader. Our king. We are answerable to him.

More, with every word, with every deed, we are to honor him.

But how often, do we act as if we are only answerable to ourselves.

How often, through our words, do we dishonor him? How often through the way we treat our wives, our girlfriends, our coworkers, our neighbors, our in-laws, do we bring dishonor to our head?

And when we do, does it even cross our mind our need to repent?

It would be well worth our time at the beginning of every day to repeat Paul’s words to ourselves.

But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man. (3)

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

Selfishness and pride

1 Corinthians

If there is one theme that I’m consistently seeing in 1 Corinthians, it’s the problem of selfishness and pride in the Corinthian church. And so time and again, Paul tries to bring them back to what is central: God.

That’s what we see in chapter 8.

Some Corinthians were saying, “I know! I’m mature. I’m strong as a Christian. You don’t know. That’s why you have such a weak conscience concerning things that shouldn’t bother you at all (in this case, eating food offered to idols).”

But Paul reminds them:

“Hey! Remember what’s central here. You’re not living for yourself.

“You know that there is one God. Great! Remember what that means. He made you, and you exist for his purposes.

“You know that there is one Lord, Jesus. Great! Remember what that means. Remember that it is through him that all things were created and that all things, including you, exist.

“You’re not the center. He is.

“Remember this too: your brother (or sister) also loves God and is known by him. And if you destroy someone that Christ died for by your “knowledge,” you’re sinning against Christ, and God will hold you accountable.”

How about you? Where is your faith centered? Is it centered on you? Or is it centered on Christ?

The truth is, the moment we center our faith on ourselves, we lose sight of the gospel. We lose sight of our need for Christ, and we start thinking ourselves better than we are, while judging those around us.

We never outgrow our need for the gospel. So let us keep our lives centered on Jesus and the grace he has extended to us, and in humility and gratefulness live each day for him.

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1 Corinthians Devotionals Psalms Devotionals

Keeping a pure heart

1 Corinthians

Today I was reading I Corinthians 5 and Psalm 19, and as I meditated on them, the two passages connected in my heart.

In I Corinthians 5, Paul was talking about sin in the church and the need to discipline Christians living in unrepentant sin.

But as I read that passage, I also thought about how it applies to our personal lives.

Paul said concerning the Corinthian church’s response to this man,

And you are arrogant! Shouldn’t you be filled with grief and remove from your congregation the one who did this? (1 Corinthians 5:2)

Again, he’s talking about dealing with a Christian living in unrepentant sin.

But how often do we have that same attitude toward our own sin? Instead of grieving over our sin and asking God’s help to remove it from our lives, we blatantly continue to live in it.

Paul later tells the church,

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little leaven, leavens the whole batch of dough?

Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new unleavened batch, as indeed you are. For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed.

Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old leaven or with the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)

A little sin can spread quickly in our lives, and soon we start making excuses for everything we do.

So Paul says, get rid of the old leaven, the sin that dominated our lives before we became Christians, and live in sincerity and truth.

Christ cleansed us of our sins on the cross. Why go back to it?

What does this have to do with Psalm 19? David’s words and prayers at the end of it. May it be ours as well.

Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins;
do not let them rule me.

Then I will be blameless
and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
LORD, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:12-14)

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

Who we are answerable to

1 Corinthians

Last Sunday, I gave a message at church, and one thing I shared was that so many times people are swept away by the expectations of others, and even themselves.

As a result, they get weighed down by those expectations, tire, and eventually burn out.

But God does not want us to burn out. He wants us to burn brightly.

And so the question we need to ask is, whose expectations are we trying to live up to? Others’ expectations of us? Our own expectations of ourselves? Or God’s expectations of us?

Paul says in chapter 3 verse 23 that we belong to Christ, and thus we see in chapter 4 verse 4 that it is the Lord who judges us.

He is the one we are answerable to. Not to others. Not to ourselves. But to him.

So as Paul says, don’t worry so much about how others judge you. Don’t even put so much weight in how you judge yourself.

We might think we’re doing perfectly fine, but in fact our hearts are not right before God.

It’s also possible that we are judging ourselves too harshly, criticizing ourselves where God is not criticizing us at all.

So what do we do? Leave the judgment to him.

Don’t let others judge you and put burdens on you that God is not.

And as you look at yourself, if you think you’re doing well, ask God to search your heart. Ask him if there’s something you’re not seeing that he does.

And as I said a couple of days ago, be honest with yourself. When God confronts you with truth in your heart, acknowledge it, and confess your sins before him.

If, on the other hand, you’re being harsh on yourself, ask God, “Am I judging myself rightly? What do you see?”

Chances are, if you’re always condemning yourself, you aren’t judging yourself rightly.

So listen for his voice, do your best to be faithful to what he’s asked you to do, and leave the judgment to him.

You just may be surprised that on judgment day, Jesus will look at you, and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

Not ready

1 Corinthians

“You’re not ready yet.”

Those are pretty piercing words, don’t you think?

That’s what Paul told the Corinthian church.

“There’s so much I want to teach you. There’s so much more I want to build on that foundation I laid…but you’re not ready yet.”

In the Corinthians’ case, it was a case of severe immaturity in character. They were “enriched in every way, in all speech and knowledge,” blessed with every spiritual gift. (1 Corinthians 1:5-6).

And yet there was division, jealousy, and pride infecting the church. Despite all they had, they were not ready.

I wonder how many Christians that way.

Sometimes Christians think to themselves, “I’m ready for more, Lord. Look at all these gifts I have. Look at all I know. Look at all I can do. Use me.”

And when God doesn’t, they get frustrated.

“Why don’t people appreciate what I can do? I could do a much better job than so-and-so. God, why don’t people notice me? And why do you use so-and-so instead of me?”

May I suggest a big part of it may be your character? What words of division, jealousy, and pride infect those words above?

The biggest problem is that they’re all self-centered. And if there’s one thing you see in this chapter is that it’s not about you. It’s about God. It’s about Christ.

It is the Lord who gives roles to each person as he sees fit (5).

It is God who gives the growth to all that we sow and water. (6)

We are God’s laborers, his field, and his building (9).

Christ is the foundation of that building. (11)

The church is God’s temple. (16)

We belong to Christ. (23)

As long as your life is self-focused instead of God-focused, your perspective is all wrong, and your character will be warped by that perspective.

And as long as that remains the case, you won’t be ready for what God wants to do in and through you.

The sad thing is when this kind of problem infects the church.

When division, bitterness, jealousy, and selfishness infect the church, God can’t do much with it. The church isn’t ready yet.

And I’m not talking simply about the local church, but the church at large.

What would God say to the church in America? What would God say to the church in Japan? What would he say to the church where you live?

Would he say, “You’re not ready?”