Tag Archives: 1 Corinthians

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be an Example

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But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of [Christian] brother if he is known to be guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater [whose soul is devoted to any object that usurps the place of God], or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusing, reviling, slandering], or is a drunkard or a swindler or a robber. [No] you must not so much as eat with such a person. —1 Corinthians 5:11

The apostle Paul told the Corinthians not to associate with a believer who had a foul tongue, which included gossiping and criticizing. In order to be a good example to people who are sinning, you must be careful not to do the negative things they do or to say the hurtful things they say. You don’t want to give the impression that you think you are better than they are, but you must lovingly, humbly, and gently decline to be involved in conversation and in other behaviors you know are displeasing to God.

Don’t be passive and let other people infect you with their bad attitudes and evil conversation, but instead make a decision to be a good influence on them.

Power Thought: I will not gossip, criticize, or spread rumors about others.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — My Kind Of People

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Our Daily Bread

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus. —1 Corinthians 6:11

Years ago in a worship service, pastor Ray Stedman stepped to the pulpit and read the text for the day: “Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that” (1 Cor. 6:9-11 NLT).

Then he looked up, a bemused smile on his face, and said, “I’m curious: How many of you have one or more of these sins in your background? If so, will you stand?”

There was a young man there who had never been in a church before. He had recently been saved at a Billy Graham crusade and came with fear and trembling to church that Sunday, not knowing what he would find. He later told me that when he heard the pastor’s question, he looked around to see if anyone would stand. At first no one did, but then most of the congregation was on their feet. He said to himself, “These are my kind of people!”

We can all find ourselves in Paul’s list in 1 Corinthians. But when we confess our sin and accept the gift of eternal life paid for by the death of Jesus, we become a new creation saved by grace (Rom. 6:23; 2 Cor. 5:17). —David Roper

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling.

Bible in a year: 2 Kings 1-3; Luke 24:1-35

Insight

The key word in today’s passage is the word but (three times in verse 11). After listing the characteristics of those who will not “inherit the kingdom of God” (vv.9-10), Paul says, “such were some of you,” and then he adds the word but (v.11). Despite the Corinthians’ past, they had been washed, sanctified, and justified. No sinner is beyond receiving forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. Paul himself (the writer of the letters to the Corinthian church) says that he “was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man,” but “the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant” (1 Tim. 1:13-14).

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Shout Hallelujah!

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Our Daily Bread

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

O Death, where is your sting? —1 Corinthians 15:55

A few days ago, I spied my old friend Bob vigorously pedaling a bike at our neighborhood gym and staring down at a blood pressure monitor on his finger.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Looking to see if I’m alive,” he grunted.

“What would you do if you saw you were dead?” I countered.

“Shout hallelujah!” he replied with a radiant smile.

Over the years I’ve caught glimpses of great inner strength in Bob: patient endurance in the face of physical decline and discomfort, and faith and hope as he approaches the end of his life journey. Indeed he has found not only hope, but death has lost its power to tyrannize him.

Who can find peace and hope—and even joy—in dying? Only those who are joined by faith to the God of eternity and who know that they have eternal life (1 Cor. 15:52,54). For those who have this assurance, like my friend Bob, death has lost its terror. They can speak with colossal joy of seeing Christ face to face!

Why be afraid of death? Why not rejoice? As the poet John Donne (1572–1631) wrote, “One short sleep past, we wake eternally.” —David Roper

For the Christian, dying is the last shadow of earth’s night before heaven’s dawn.

Bible in a year: 2 Samuel 16-18; Luke 17:20-37

Insight

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is more concerned with dealing with problems than it is with teaching doctrinal truth to the church. However, in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul’s focus is not on problem-solving but on the vital importance of the doctrine of the resurrection. Obviously, the resurrection of Christ is one of the central truths of the Christian faith, so it is not surprising that the apostle would want his friends to grasp its reality and significance.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The End?

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Our Daily Bread

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. —1 Corinthians 15:57

Everything in this world eventually comes to an end, which at times can be disheartening. It’s the feeling you get when you read a book that’s so good you don’t want it to end. Or when you watch a movie that you wish would go on a little while longer.

But all things—good and bad—do come to “The End.” In fact, life ultimately does come to the end—sometimes sooner than we expect. All of us who have stood by the casket of a loved one know the painful emptiness of a heart that wishes it wasn’t over yet.

Thankfully, Jesus steps into the fray of terminal disappointments, and, through His death and resurrection, He interjects hope for us. In Him “the end” is a prelude to a death-free eternity, and words like “it’s over” are replaced by a joy-filled “forever.” Since our bodies are not an eternal reality, Paul assures us that “we shall all be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51) and reminds us that because of Christ’s conquering work we can confidently say, “O Death, . . . where is your victory?” (v.55).

So let not your heart be troubled. Our sorrow is real, but we can be filled with gratitude because God “gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.57). —Joe Stowell

Lord, keep our eyes and hearts fixed not on the

temporary joys or disappointments but on the victorious

realities of eternity. Thank You for Your death and

resurrection that guarantee our forever future.

In Christ, the end is only the beginning.

Bible in a year: Isaiah 53-55; 2 Thessalonians 1

 

 

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – You Are Indwelt by God Himself!

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“Haven’t you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that He lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

The Bible teaches that there is one God manifested in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and that God lives within everyone who has received Christ.

One of the most important truths I have learned as a Christian is that this omnipotent, holy, righteous, loving, triune God – our heavenly Father, our risen Savior and Holy Spirit, Creator of heaven and earth – comes to dwell within sinful man at the moment he receives Christ! And, through Christ’s blood, sinful man is made righteous at the moment of the new birth!

Meditate with me upon what this means. When you fully grasp that the God of love, grace, wisdom, power and majesty dwells within you waiting to release His matchless love and mighty power is absolutely awesome.

You are His temple, and if you invite Him to, He will actually walk around in your body, think with your mind, love with your heart, speak with your lips and continue to seek and save the lost, for whom He gave His life 2,000 years ago. Incredible! Incomprehensible to our finite minds, this truth is so clearly emphasized in the Word of God and demonstrated in the lives of all who trust and obey Him that there can be no doubt. If you have received Christ, God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – now indwells you and your body has become His temple.

Bible Reading: Acts 2:37-40

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will begin every day by acknowledging that my body is a temple of God. I will invite the Lord Jesus Christ to walk around in my body, think with my mind, love with my heart, speak with my lips and continue to seek and save the lost through me. I will invite the Holy Spirit to empower and enable me to live a holy, supernatural life and be a fruitful witness of God’s love and grace – that my life will bring praise, honor, worship and glory to God the Father.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Run by the Rules

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I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. —1 Corinthians 9:26–27

I read an article about a British runner named Rob Sloan who finished third in the Kielder Marathon in the UK. Sloan burst across the finish line with a time of 2:51:00. But everyone noticed that he had so much energy and hardly any sweat while the others runners were exhausted. As it turned out, he ran most of the race but then left the course at mile 20 and caught a shuttle bus the rest of the way. As the leading runners were heading toward the finish line, he trotted out of the forest and onto the race route. But it wasn’t long before the race organizers found out what had happened, and Sloan was disqualified. He didn’t run according to the rules.

When you are running a race, you have to run by the rules, and you are told what those rules are from the beginning. In the same way, in the race of life we must play by the rules—God’s rules. The apostle Paul said, “I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:26–27).

As we run, we have to run according to God’s rules. We don’t make up the rules as we go. We don’t say, “Well, I don’t agree with this rule, so I am not going to live by it.” If that is how we run our race, then we will be disqualified because that is not how it works. God is the one who sets up the rules. We are the ones who need to run by them.

Are you running by the rules? Or, are you facing disqualification?

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – One Life to Give

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I die daily [I face death every day and die to self].

—1 Corinthians 15:31

You and I were not born knowing how to love others. In fact, we were born with a selfish, “all about me” attitude. The Bible refers to this as “sin nature.” Adam and Eve sinned against God by doing what He told them not to do and the sin principle they established was forever passed to every person who would ever be born.

God sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins, and to deliver us from them. He came to undo what Adam did. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, He comes to live in our sprit and if we allow that renewed part of us to rule our decisions, we can overcome the selfish, sin nature of our flesh. It won’t go away, but the greater One who lives in us helps us overcome it daily (see Galatians 5:16). That does not mean we never sin, but we can improve and make progress throughout our lives.

I was greatly encouraged one day when I discovered that the apostle Paul wrote, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me approximately twenty years after his conversion (Galatians 2:20, NKJV). Learning to live unselfishly was a journey for him, just as it is for everyone else.

Paul also wrote our verse for today: “I die daily.” In other words, even this well-known apostle struggled with putting others first; he found that doing so was a daily battle and required daily decisions. Each of us must decide how we will live and what we will live for; and there is no better time to do so than right now. You and I have one life to live and one life to give, so the question is: How are you going to spend your life? I firmly believe that if each of us does our part to put the welfare of others first that we can see and be part of a revolution of love—and that kind of revolution has the potential to change the world.

Love God Today: Remember that whatever you do for others, you are doing for God.

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – God Notices the Grateful Heart

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Max Lucado

God notices the grateful heart. He took a praise-singing shepherd boy and made him a king.

There’s no hint of God getting out of sorts if we aren’t thankful. But there is evidence that we are affected by our own ingratitude. What of the disastrous days?  The nights I can’t sleep and the hours I can’t rest?  Am I grateful then?  Jesus was.

The Bible records, “On the night he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it.”  (I Corinthians 11:23). It’s not often you see the words betrayed and thanks in the same sentence, much less in the same heart. In the midst of the darkest night of the human soul, Jesus found a way to give thanks.

Anyone can thank God for the light. Jesus teaches us to thank God for the night. He says to us, “You’ll get through this!”  And we will.

From You’ll Get Through This

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Weight of a Life

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Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. —1 Corinthians 3:12–13

If Billy Graham ever had anything close to a personal intercessor, it would have been Pearl Goode. She lived in Pasadena, California, and for many years, she prayed in secret for Billy Graham and his crusades. When the Graham team was finally made aware of this, they started bringing her with them to the crusades so that she could pray on site. She lived to the age of 90, and at her funeral, Ruth Graham said, “Here lie the mortal remains of much of the secret of Bill’s ministry.” While Billy Graham was doing his part, Pearl Goode was doing hers. While he was preaching, she was praying.

When awards are given out in heaven for faithfulness, we might expect them to go to the spiritual heavyweights. Names like Corrie ten Boom, Jim Elliot, and Billy Graham might come to mind. Maybe we would be surprised at the prospect of a woman named Pearl Goode sweeping the awards. After all, she wasn’t a bestselling author. She didn’t have a hit song on Christian radio.

This is what we need to remember: it isn’t about how famous we are; it is about being faithful with what God has called us to do.

Daniel said to the wicked King Belshazzar, “You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting” (Daniel 5:27). A loose paraphrase would be: “Belshazzar, you’re a lightweight. You’re a spiritual bantam weight.”

On God’s scales, you don’t want to be a lightweight. On God’s scales, you want to be a heavyweight. You want to have substance and meaning in your life.

It isn’t about what God has called another Christian to do; it is all about what God has set before you to do. Have you been faithful? If you have, then you will be rewarded on that final day.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Built to Last

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For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. —1 Corinthians 3:11

Spending time on the beach, I have watched people construct some very elaborate sandcastles that took hours and hours to build. I have admired their work. But I also knew those impressive structures wouldn’t be around for very long. It was only a matter of time until either a tide came in and swept them away or a toddler appeared out of nowhere and demolished them.

Some couples will build a marriage on sand, like those momentary sandcastles. They build it on fleeting emotions or sex or some other thing. But a marriage must be built on something stronger that will sustain it.

Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount with an illustration of what we should build our lives on—and it is also a perfect picture of what to build a marriage on:

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24–25)

Notice that Jesus did not say if a storm comes but when a storm comes. Marriages go through changes. They go through trials. So build your marriage on the right foundation. If you do, then you will come to know the truth of Proverbs 18:22: “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD.”

Is your marriage on the Rock or on the rocks? If it is built on the Rock, then it will stand the test of time. If it is built on the Rock, then it will weather the storms. If it is built on the Rock, then it is built to last.

 

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Maintaining Spiritual Effectiveness

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John MacArthur

“Stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11).

In 1 Corinthians 16:9 Paul says, “A wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” That’s typical of spiritual warfare. The more opportunities you have to serve Christ, the more adversaries you’ll face. That’s because Satan seeks to hinder your spiritual service.

Often seminary students ask me if ministry becomes easier over the years. In one sense it does because you learn better study skills, time management, and the like. But in a greater sense it becomes more difficult because as you labor in the Word, contend for souls, and struggle against your own weaknesses, Satan opposes you at every turn.

You can sense something of the difficulty of ministry in Paul’s words to the Thessalonians: “Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God” (1 Thess. 2:8-9). To the Ephesian elders he said, “Be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears” (Acts 20:31).

Every sphere of ministry is important–whether you’re a pastor, homemaker, factory worker, or student. Consequently, every ministry encounters opposition as Satan attempts to cause friction and discouragement within families, churches, and work places. Thus, believers must be humble and gentle toward one another, “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). When we do that, the Body of Christ is strengthened and Satan can’t gain a foothold.

Ministry is hard work and the obstacles are great, but the victories are even greater. So be faithful, knowing that God will reward you richly.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Thank God for the privilege of serving Him–even during the hard times.

Thank Him for the encouragement you receive from His Spirit, His Word, and your fellow believers.

For Further Study:

According to Romans 8:18, what was Paul’s perspective on difficulties?

 

 

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Benevolence Without Love

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John MacArthur

“If I give all my possessions to feed the poor . . . but do not have love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor. 13:3).

If you’ve ever donated to your church or another charitable organization out of obligation, peer pressure, legalism, guilt, a desire for recognition, or simply a tax deduction, you know what it means to give without love. In our society it’s easy to fall prey to that kind of giving because the needs are so great and fund raisers appeal to every conceivable motive. In addition, many cults and false religions encourage the giving up of possessions and other sacrificial gestures as a supposed means of earning God’s favor. But God is more interested in why you give than what you give.

Paul’s hypothetical illustration in 1 Corinthians 13:3 is of someone who sacrificed everything he had to feed the poor. The Greek word translated “to feed” means “to dole out in small quantities.” Apparently this guy didn’t simply write out a check for a food distribution program; he was personally involved in a long-term, systematic program that would eventually consume every resource he had.

Paul doesn’t mention motives–only that this person lacked love. Consequently, the benefits of his benevolence were limited to the physical realm. Any spiritual benefits were forfeited.

Jesus, making a similar point, said, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 6:1). If your motive for giving is to gain the approval of men, their accolades will be your only reward. If you’re motivated by love for God, He will reward you abundantly (vv. 2-4).

When you give to the Lord, what is your motive? Do you want others to think more highly of you? Do you feel obligated? Those are subtle influences, so be sure to guard your motives carefully. Remember, the only acceptable motive is love.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to keep you sensitive to the needs of others, enabling you always to give out of genuine love.

For Further Study:

Read Luke 18:9-14.

How did the Pharisee’s prayer differ from the tax- gatherer’s?

How did God respond to each prayer?

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Greg Laurie – K.I.S.S.

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Someone once asked the great British preacher C.H. Spurgeon if he could put into a few words his Christian faith. “Yes,” he replied, “I can give it to you in four words: Jesus died for me.”

That is what it all comes down to.

The gospel in a nutshell is that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day. That is the cornerstone of our faith. So when you share the gospel, remind those you speak to that Jesus died for them. He shed His blood for them.

Paul the apostle was a brilliant person, known for his majestic and commanding letters. He had a phenomenal grasp of various cultures and languages. If anyone could have intellectually convinced a person of the validity of some proposition, it was Paul. Yet listen to what he said about preaching the gospel: “Dear brothers and sisters, when I first came to you I didn’t use lofty words and brilliant ideas to tell you God’s message. For I decided to concentrate only on Jesus Christ and his death on the cross” (1 Corinthians 2:1).

We can actually hinder the message of the gospel by complicating it. Remember that it is the simple, powerful, yet profound message of the cross of Christ that has the power to change lives. It changed your life and mine, didn’t it?

Here is a simple thing to remember when presenting the gospel: K.I.S.S.

Keep It Simple, Stupid!

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Greg Laurie – Dialogue, Not Monologue

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When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some—1 Corinthians 9:22

Our world today is full of religious people, but they don’t use that word to describe themselves. They use a different word: spiritual. They will describe themselves as very spiritual and then will add, “But I’m not into organized religion.”

Statements like this can become a segue for sharing the gospel. As believers we can say, “Really? I am a spiritual person too. In fact, I am really into spiritual things, and I want to talk to you a little bit about some really important spiritual truth I have discovered.”

This isn’t compromising. Rather, it is simply using understandable language to build a bridge so you can talk about your relationship with Jesus Christ.

When the apostle Paul addressed the men of Athens, he said, “I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about” (Acts 17:22–23).

Paul didn’t say, “Hey, what you are doing is legit.” He simply used language they could understand to connect with them about the most important message. Evangelism is a dialogue, not a monologue. You ask a question, and they give you an answer. Then you respond to what they said. They say something, and you say something.

This is what Paul was talking about when he said, “Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). One of the best ways to reach someone is to just listen.

However, we must never lower our standards to extend our reach. Don’t compromise your message, but try to establish a dialogue.