The Rights of the Laborer
1 Corinthians 9December 19, 2024
Day 354Here, Paul turns to the right of God's workers to be paid for their work. This is a sticky subject. It is certain that God has millions, maybe billions of workers who do all they do for love of Him and their brothers and sisters and ask no pay. Even Paul points out that he doesn't insist on his rights, so that he can speak freely without sounding like he's demanding his own pay. But we do know that full-time workers for God deserve full-time pay. That's one of the reasons we tithe. Notice, too, verses 19 to 23. What does Paul do? That's hard! Have you tried it? How can we safeguard ourselves when “being like” someone to reach them?
Washed, Sanctified, Justified
1 Corinthians 6December 16, 2024
Day 351Sometimes, once someone learns about the freedom of God's unlimited and astonishing grace, at first they go too far in the opposite direction. As in verses 12 and 13, people say, “I can do anything—God will love me!” Yes, He will. What you do doesn't make Him love you more or less. But you can certainly miss a blessing, and worse, hurt others as well. What are some of the sins listed in this chapter, and why do you think they are particularly dangerous?
Serious Sin
1 Corinthians 5December 15, 2024
Day 350Now Paul has passed on from the childish infighting to something far more serious. There is sexual immorality in the church and they are fine with it! There is a difficult passage here, in verse 5. It obviously can't mean just to give the person over to Satan and give up on him, or to literally destroy his flesh, or he wouldn't be able to be saved. Paul must mean to allow him to face the consequences of his actions so that he will make better choices, and come back a better man. Notice how Paul says to be sure the power of Christ is present before such serious action. How could they make sure of that?
Immature Christians
1 Corinthians 4December 14, 2024
Day 349See how gently Paul rebukes the Corinthians. He could shout and thunder, but he doesn't. Think of it this way: there are two good reasons for being an immature Christian. One is being young. Of course children, even though they are just as committed and just as loved by God, are not going to be as experienced as older followers of Jesus. Second, they may not be young, but merely new Christians. Well, during Paul's time, all Christians were new! Some were very experienced in being godly people who had always followed what God taught, but some came from paganism, and they had to learn, like all of us. What are some things you are learning?
Safe Building Practices
1 Corinthians 3December 13, 2024
Day 348What is the trouble among the Corinthians, according to what you have read so far? Have you seen that kind of trouble among people that you know? Paul lays out the only safe way to build a church. What is the foundation? Who builds the walls? How do God's people work together to raise a church (the group of worshipers, that is, not the physical building) that will honor and glorify God?
The Spirit’s Wisdom
1 Corinthians 2December 12, 2024
Day 347After Paul takes the time to speak affirmingly about the good things he is proud of in the Corinthian people, he also lays out his own credentials for speaking. How many points can you find that show why he has the right to correct their course? Next, he calls on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, pointing out that only He knows people's hearts and God's heart. What happens when human beings rebuke each other without the Spirit's wisdom? Have you seen or experienced that?
Personal Greetings
Romans 16December 10, 2024
Day 345Sometimes we are tempted to skip over these personal greetings, but you can learn some things about the early church from reading them carefully. What kinds of church work do you see listed here? How many men are named, and how many women? What kinds of personal instructions or warnings does Paul send his friends? How would you have felt if your name were in a letter like this, sent by a highly-respected church leader for the whole church to share?
Help Each Other
Romans 15December 9, 2024
Day 344Paul sees himself, and rightly so, as a strong person, humanly speaking. He is no doubt tempted at times to be impatient with weaker souls, but he says we are not here to please ourselves, but each other. He points out that all of us are nothing compared to Jesus, and He accepted us, so let's accept each other. Then he turns to the personal part of his letter. These ending salutations are very interesting, through all the letters we will be reading, because they give us a personal insight into the lives of the people. What things does he say he wants?
Weak and Strong
Romans 14December 8, 2024
Day 343This chapter must be learned from experience by our brother Paul. He used to judge everybody, first as a legalistic Pharisee, then as a persecutor of Christians, and even in some ways after he became a Christian. But Paul is learning what all Jesus' followers learn—I am the chief of sinners. We are not to look at anybody else, or even judge ourselves too much. We are simply to look to Jesus. What do you think would happen in your church, school, and neighborhood if the admonitions in this chapter, of leaving each one's conscience to that person and God, were taken seriously?
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