Category Archives: 1 Corinthians

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Love Is…

Reflect:
I Corinthians 13:1-13

“Now the greatest of these is love.” (I Corinthians 13:13)

Love is… Love is the beginning, the end, and everything in between. Love is the motive, the fuel and the goal of life. Love is the thing, and there is really nothing else.

God is love. Love is the highest law of his universe. It is the most powerful force in existence. Love is what God intended human beings to know and give. Since God is love, God intended that his highest creation, man, should be love too. That Divine intent was obviously and tragically broken at the fall of man, but in the restoration of his eternal plan, now expressed through the church, God’s love once again is to reign supreme. The church, made up of believers like you and me who have been the unlikely and undeserving recipients of God’s redemptive love, is to embody and express love as God designed it before a watching world.

Love is… Love is a verb much more than it is a noun. Love is a choice. Love is not a poem; it is a principle. Love is a universal law, much like the law of gravity, or the law of sunrise and sunset. Love is an action that originates with God and flows from the redeemed life. Like water naturally flows from a spring, so love should naturally flow out of the life of a Christian unconditionally. Love is, not because of what is done for it, but because of Who is love’s true wellspring.

Your assignment as a Christian, above all, is to love. In all that you do—in thinking and interacting, in acting and reacting, in serving, sharing, and singing, even in expressing the gifts of the Holy Spirit as Paul has been talking about in the two chapters that sandwich this “love chapter” love is to motivate you, love is to guide you, love is to be the outcome.

Everything else in life comes in a distant second to your willingness to be the conduit of God’s love for you flowing through you today. Nothing else is as important.

Love is… And if you will permit it, love will change your world today!

“Open your hearts to the love God instills…God loves you tenderly. What He gives you is not to be kept under lock and key but to be shared.” ~Mother Teresa

Reflect and Apply: Offer this simple prayer before you do anything else: “Lord, above all else, will you remind me today that I am the living proof of your amazing love? Make me ever mindful of allowing your love to flow through me in every situation I encounter. Use me to change my world through the power of your love.”

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A Way Out

Reflect:
I Corinthians 10:13

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 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 endure it.”

Did you catch that? Your battle with temptation is winnable. The last part of the verse says so: “When you are tempted, he will also provide a way out.”

That’s good news. There’s always an escape route—always—when you are being enticed to break God’s law. And not only is there a way out when you are tempted, but it is God himself who will provide that way of escape; he will make a way. God has provided the door, but here’s the deal: You and I must look for it; we must walk through it!

Are those escape routes mysterious, accessible only to the spiritually elite, hard to grasp and even harder to enter? Not at all—they are very clear, quite simple, and easy to access.

One way of escape is to immerse yourself in Scripture. Psalm 119:9 & 11 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word…I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

That’s how Jesus battled temptation in the wilderness. Every time the tempter came at him with something that would tear him away from his Father, Jesus came back at Satan with the truth of Scripture. There is no more potent weapon against temptation in your life than in reading systematically, meditating daily, and memorizing strategically God’s Word.

Another escape route from temptation is to become accountable to another believer, especially for your particular weakness. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” We need to bring our temptation into the light of accountability to other people—as difficult as that may be.

Proverbs 27:5-6 says, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” You would do yourself a huge favor by finding someone with whom you can be accountable for your weakness.

And yet another way out is to ask God to deliver you daily from the tempter. Jesus taught us to pray a daily prayer that acknowledges both our weakness and our need for divine power in this area: “Deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13)

As simple as that sounds, the amazing thing is, God hears those prayers. And he always provides a way out.

“Temptations, of course, cannot be avoided, but because we cannot prevent the birds from flying over our heads, there is no need that we should let them nest in our hair.” ~Martin Luther

Reflect & Apply: As you are meditating on I Corinthians 10:1-13, look more closely at the ways we have identified as God’s way out for you. Can you connect them in specific ways to the common temptations you are facing? Can you identify some other “ways out” the Bible teaches that God has given you in every temptation? Today, look for those divine exits—and take them.

 

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Eternal Security & The Great Finisher

Today’s Reflection:

“God will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (I Corinthians 1:8,9)

Do you believe in eternal security? The eternal security of the believer has been hotly debated for hundreds of years by theologians much smarter than me, so it’s not likely that I’ll resolve the issue for you.

Perhaps you’ve already taken a position on this yourself—most Christians have. Maybe you’re of the camp that believes you cannot lose your salvation—once you’re saved you’re always saved. Or it could be you’ve joined doctrinal sides with those who’ve found Biblical support that it is indeed possible to “backslide” and fall away from God.

I grew up in a theological tradition that supported the latter. I like to say we believed in backsliding—and practiced it regularly. But all kidding aside, the older I get and the longer I’ve been a Christian, honestly, I’m not sure where I stand on this issue anymore. Frankly, there are compelling arguments for both sides. I sometimes wonder if there is a third alternative that will be revealed to us when we get to heaven. Wouldn’t that be great!

But one thing I do believe, and that is, if it is possible to lose your salvation—and I say “if” it is possible—then it must be exceedingly difficult to walk away from your relationship with God and into a life of sin for the very simple fact of the truth revealed in these verses—I Corinthians 1:8-9. You see, you are not in this all by yourself; your salvation is not up to you alone. In fact very little of it is up to you. That’s not to say that you don’t have a part to play—you do. In verse 9, Paul says it is a partnership that you have been called into with Jesus Christ at the moment of your salvation. You have to believe, obey, love and serve God.

But even then, God is helping you to do that. According to verse 8, God is giving you the strength, and he will supply the means to fulfill your end of the partnership until the day Jesus returns and finds you blameless. Isn’t that great news? You are not alone in your spiritual journey; someone greater than you is at your side helping you each step of the way.

And he is committed to finishing what he started in you. Paul says it this way in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Now here’s the deal: when God starts a good work, he always finishes it. He doesn’t have a workshop full of half finished projects. He completes them all—each and every one of them. And since you are one of his good works, you can have that same kind of confidence Paul talked about when he said that God will take you from the starting line to the finish line of your salvation marathon.

The book of Jude says the same thing, “Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and present you before his throne without fault and with great joy…” (Jude 24) God is able. You may feel weak and incapable in your spiritual walk at times; you may worry if there might be a time in the future where you would walk away from God. But let me say it again:

You are not alone. Your salvation is not all up to you. God is able to keep you from falling. God is able to take you from start to finish and present you in the winner’s circle without fault (Jude 24), complete (Philippians 1:6) and blameless (I Corinthians 1:8).

So if you can lose your salvation—if—then it must be the most difficult thing in all creation, since you will have to overcome God’s saving, sustaining, completing grace to do it.

No—you are not alone in your salvation. You now belong to the Great Finisher!

I hope that makes your day better!

Something To Consider:
“If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear. His eye is upon us, his arm over us, his ear open to our prayer—his grace sufficient, his promises unchangeable.” ~John Newton

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Jesus, Risen and Exalted One!

Read Revelation 19

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white
horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice
he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire,
and on his head are many crowns. He has a name
written on him that no one knows but he himself…”
(Revelation 19:11-12)

Thoughts… It is only right that all of creation will one day look upon Jesus Christ as the risen and exalted One. God’s justice demands it. Those who crucified Christ, literally, and those who bear responsibility for his death spiritually, will one day see him, as verse 16 describes, “The King of all kings and the Lord of all lords.”

The last time the world looked upon Jesus, he was hanging on a cross. He had suffered the humiliation of death by crucifixion. He had been flogged, beaten, pierced, and nailed naked to a tree like a common criminal. His executioners mocked him, the crowds jeered him, the religious leaders clucked their self-righteous tongues at him, and Satan laughed at him. Jesus died alone, abandoned by his followers, and was buried in a borrowed tomb like a penniless pauper. In the eyes of a sinful world, that was the end of this would-be messiah’s sad story.

Of course, what the world saw as the humiliation of God’s Son, believers see as God’s perfect plan of redemption: The sacrifice of the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. We love Jesus for willingly enduring the pain, shame and sorrow of the cross. We worship him as the crucified but resurrected Lord. We know that death could not contain him—that he rose victorious over sin and Satan. We know that he is the Master and Ruler of all.

But the world rejects what we know. They still deny Jesus as the Son of God and rightful ruler over all creation, and will continue to do so right up to the end of time as we know it. So God’s justice demands that they see Jesus as the great Spoiler of Satan’s plans, the great Judge of sin, the great Redeemer of those who put their hope in him, the great God and King of all the universe.

And on the day John describes in this chapter, the One riding the white horse whose name is Faithful and True will make a grand entrance onto the great universal stage, and everyone—saints and sinners, demons and the devil, himself—will finally and definitively know Who is really in charge. The saints will be vindicated, sinners will be judged, the beast and the false prophet will be sent packing for all eternity, and Satan will be quaking in his boots—because he knows what’s coming.

Aren’t you glad you worship Jesus, the risen and exalted One!

I think at this very moment it would be appropriate for you to join me in doing what the great multitudes will do on that day when Jesus is finally and fully revealed as King and Lord of all by shouting, “Hallelujah!” (Revelation 19:1)

Prayer… Lord Jesus, you are King and Lord of my heart, and one day you will literally rule and reign as King and Lord of all. I worship you now in anticipation of the day when the entire universe will bow its knee and confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

One More Thing… “The Lord Jesus Christ would have the whole world to know that though He pardons sin, He will not protect it.” —Joseph Alleine

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Open Doors and Devilish Opposition

Read I Corinthians 16

“A great door for effective work has opened to me,
and there are many who oppose me.”
(I Corinthians 16:9)

Food For Thought… We are accustomed to associating open doors and effective work with freedom from opposition, but such is not the case. In fact, every open door will be strongly opposed by Satan. Effectiveness in our work only invites resistance from our Enemy. Rather than rolling over and playing dead, Satan resists every good work of God, and the more successful that work is, the fiercer the fight he will put up.

If you have stepped out in faith to do something for God, opposition will come. Wear it as a badge of honor. Take it as a sign that you are on the right track. Use it as motivation to press into God for more grace. The more you are opposed, the more you should ramp up your commitment to carry through on what you have been called to do. And whatever else you might do because of opposition, do not give up! It is very likely that the greatest opposition Satan will throw at you will come right before your breakthrough moment.

Have you taken a step to share your faith with an unbeliever? Don’t be surprised if they suddenly appear disinterested or get distracted. Don’t give up! Are you praying for an unbelieving spouse or family member? Don’t get discouraged if conviction is accompanied by sudden grouchiness. Don’t back off! Have you taken a step to tithe your income to the Lord? It is quite possible that a financial test will be thrown your way. Press in with your commitment! Have you taken on a new ministry? Be prepared for various kinds of opposition. Don’t quit! Have you rearranged your life for a closer walk with God? It should come as no shock that your quiet time will get interrupted early and often. Don’t let it!

Satan doesn’t want you doing anything for God. And the greater the faith, the greater the obedience, the greater the potential impact, the greater the effective work and open door you have before you, the greater the Satanic opposition you will face.

But greater is He that is within you than he that is opposing you! (I John 4:4). So go with the Greater!

Prayer… Lord, teach me to embrace opposition as opportunity for greater kingdom impact.

One More Thing… “Satan, the Hinderer, may build a barrier about us, but he can never roof us in, so that we cannot look up.” —J. Hudson Taylor

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Good Grief!

Read I Corinthians 15

“I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does
the perishable inherit the imperishable.”
(I Corinthians 15:50)

Food For Thought… I suppose I have conducted close to a hundred funerals as a pastor. You have been to your fair share of them as well—or you will by the time you reach the end of your journey. Death is simply a part of life. It has been ever since the fall of Adam and Eve when sin entered the human race. And the fact of the matter is, you and I will die someday, too, because the last time I checked, the death rate was still hovering around 100%.

What is so profound is the amazing difference in the funerals I have conducted for non-believers and memorial services that I have led for Christians. I use the terms “funeral” and “memorial” as a very purposeful distinction. And I can sum up the difference in three words: hope, joy and peace.

Funerals don’t have much hope; there is not much deep and lasting joy at the death of an unbeliever; people don’t leave a funeral service for a non-Christian with much peace—if any at all. I am not saying that a non-Christian didn’t leave good memories. In many cases, they did. They just didn’t leave eternal hope, joy and peace.

To be sure, in a memorial service, there is grief at the loss at the passing of a Christian. But there is an amazing and undeniable sense of hope that pervades the atmosphere and sustains those who are grieving. It is the hope that Paul describes here in I Corinthians 15 that the dead body of that Christian has been transformed into a eternally living, spiritual body. As the wife of the great preacher R. A. Torrey said at the death of their twelve-year-old daughter, “I’m so glad Elisabeth is with the Lord, and not in that box.”

There is also a special kind of joy that just doesn’t make sense in the natural. I have often sat in amazement at such services as songs of praise and gratitude are lifted to the God of all comfort. That just doesn’t happen at the funeral of a non-Christian, where typically, wailing rather than worship fills the air. But at a Christian’s memorial, it is not untypical for worship and wonder to drown out the sounds of death.

And then there is the peace that passes all understanding that accompanies the believer’s death. It is the kind of peace that guards the hearts and minds of those whose lives have been touched by loss. It is God’s gift of peace, and it makes such a loss endurable. It is the kind of peace that comes from knowing that our gracious God is in control—even in the death of a loved one—and that our God does all things well, and will bring good out of loss and glory out of grief. It is peace that the world cannot give and the world cannot take away.

Of course, there is grief at the loss of a Christian loved one—but it is a good grief. How can that be? One word: Jesus. Sin and death entered the human race because of Adam, Paul says in I Corinthians 15:45-48, but through Jesus’ death and resurrection, the power of sin and the sting of death has been neutralized. Thanks be to God for our resurrected Lord and Savior, Jesus. Through him, we can defiantly declare to death,

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?

Prayer… All thanks to you, Father God, for you have given me victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ my Lord.

One More Thing… “Death stung himself to death when he stung Christ.” —William Romaine

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Demystifying The Prophetic

Read I Corinthians 14

“Proclaiming God’s truth to the church in its common language
brings the whole church into growth and strength.”
(I Corinthians 14:4-5, The Message)

Food For Thought… I grew up in a tradition that embraced all the gifts of the Spirit, and actively welcomed their expression in our church services. Judging from the church’s collective reaction to a “move of the Spirit,” the gift of prophecy, which is what Paul was speaking of in the above verse, seemed to rank at the top of these expressions.

What I witnessed in both the drama surrounding a prophetic outburst as well as the congregation’s response to it led me to the conclusion that this gift was, for one thing, a very spooky, quite mysterious gift. A corollary to that conclusion was that the one speaking the prophecy must therefore have attained some high-ranking level of spirituality to be used in such a manner, i.e., they were a bit “spooky” too!

Another observation led me to conclude that the manifestation of a prophetic gift was synonymous with either predicting the future or revealing a secret sin or a deep dark struggle in the life of someone sitting in the church service, and although we never knew whom that person might be, it was sure fun trying to guess. In retrospect, neither of those outcomes—prediction and revelation—occurred, at least to my knowledge.

To be sure, if the Holy Spirit wants to reveal either an upcoming event or a personal struggle, he is free to do that—and the church ought to embrace that aspect of the prophetic. But I think the more healthy and helpful approach to practicing the prophetic in the church would be to take the mystery out of it and look at it as a much more practical gift. I agree with Eugene Peterson’s rendering of this verse in The Message version of the Bible, which defines the prophetic gift simply as “proclaiming God’s truth to the church in its common language” with an outcome that “brings the whole church into growth and strength.”

If we embrace that definition of this gift, several positives things will happen: One, prophetic utterances will no longer be only in the domain of the spiritual elite, but open to even ordinary Christians. Two, a prophetic gift will be delivered in the “common language” of the church rather than the special “God language” that often is “worked up” for a prophecy. Three, prophecy will be reduced not to foretelling the future, it will express itself in forth-telling truth; not just revealing secret spiritual stuff, but affirming what should be commonly known and embraced by the church.

Finally, by this definition, an authentic prophetic word will bring growth and strength to the congregation. If it weirds people out, spooks the saints, and causes the cringe factor, it is likely that the expression was either inappropriate and off the mark, or it was delivered in a way that was over-the-top, inartful, and inauthentic, the result of prophecy wrongly understood.

So, and this is just my opinion, but I am convinced of it, we ought to demystify prophecy (and the other utterance gifts as well). We would enjoy them and be edified by them much more often than we are now.

Prayer… Lord, let there be a resurgence of all the gifts of your Spirit in the body of Christ, rightly understood and authentically expressed.

One More Thing… “The gift of prophecy is not a new revelation, but a clearer understanding of already-given truth.” —Ray Melugin