August 29, 2018
NOT SELF-CONFIDENCE BUT CONFIDENCE IN GOD
Paul did not want the Corinthian believers to think that his confidence came from any strengths or abilities of his own, but that it came from confidence in God. Paul claimed no self-sufficiency, no self-confidence and no self-empowerment. His calling, message, and authority all came from and continued to be empowered by the Lord. Although Paul claimed the Corinthians as his “letters of recommendation” (2 Cor. 3:1), he wanted to make it clear that the true author was God Himself, and Paul, merely the pen in God’s hand.
Our modern emphasis on self-esteem and self-confidence find little basis in biblical Christianity. In fact, God often allows circumstances to come our way that tear down our self-confidence, so that we might learn to place our confidence in God alone. Didn’t old Paul have to experience blindness on the road to Damascus before he could truly see?
When we esteem Christ above all others, especially ourselves, we find our true identity and value in Him. And when we put our confidence in God alone, we find ourselves qualified for any task or role that He calls us to fulfill.
August 28, 2018
PREACHING FOR GOD’S APPROVAL ALONE
The apostle Paul contrasted the authenticity and authority of his preaching team with those who preach for personal profit. The wealthy church of Corinth was apparently susceptible to the hucksters of that day. Paul wanted to protect them from these false teachers, who invariably show up to steal sheep when new believers are first coming to Christ and are most vulnerable to false teachings.
Hucksters seek to tickle their hearer’s ears that they might earn their approval and gain access to their wallets. Those who preach the Word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, do so for the approval of God alone, knowing that only God can save.
August 27, 2018
DON’T LET SATAN TURN A FOOTHOLD INTO A STRONGHOLD
Paul instructed the believers in Corinth to forgive the man who had received church discipline. He does not name the man, but he may be referring to the incestuous person of 1 Corinthians 5:1-8. At any rate, Paul is making it clear that church discipline is intended to be corrective, not condemning. If a person repents, they are to be restored quickly, so that Satan will not be able to create disunity in the church, nor to discredit it among outsiders.
For Satan is a real being, full of evil cunning and plans against God and His people. He is like a lion, ever seeking whom he may “devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). We need not focus on him, nor fear him, but we should be mindful of him, putting on the “full armor of God” that we might “stand firm against” him (Eph. 6:11). If Satan finds a gap in our unity, whether in the home or in the church, he will see an opportunity for gaining a “foothold” (Eph. 4:27). If he gains a foothold, it won’t take long for him to turn it into a stronghold, therefore anger and disunity must be addressed quickly. So, be forgiving and reconcile quickly, that Satan finds no place to outsmart.
August 26, 2018
LEARNING TO RELY ON GOD ALONE
The apostle Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians how the hardships he and his fellow believers had experienced in Asia Minor had nearly crushed them. Yet, their experience taught them to rely only on God.
God often uses trouble and suffering to crush our self-reliance in order to teach us to rely wholly on Him. The self-reliant see no need of God. Those who have learned to rely on God alone, see no need for any other. For they have learned that only God can raise the dead.
August 25, 2018
THE GRACE OF GIVING
Ironically, the church in Corinth, one of the most wealthy among the 1st Century churches, was the one that Paul had to do the most teaching on generosity. In the poorer churches, like the churches in Macedonia, it seemed giving came easily. They gave with such generosity that Paul was astounded, because they gave “beyond their ability” (2 Cor. 8:3) and this, with great joy and willingness. Yet, even in Paul’s second letter to the well-to-do believers in Corinth, it is obvious that they still weren’t living with generosity.
Notice Paul’s helpful instruction, he taught them…
1) When to give: every Sunday “first day”
2) Who should give: every member “you should each”
3) How much to give: a portion based on your earnings
Corinth was wealthy in every way except in generosity. They abounded in “everything–– in faith, in speech, in knowledge” (2 Cor. 8:7), yet Paul would have them abound in the grace of giving.
August 24, 2018
WHAT WILL OUR FUTURE BODY BE LIKE?
People today spend a great deal of money and effort on extending the youthful appearance of their bodies. Yet inevitably, our earthly bodies will age and die. This is the inheritance that we received from our father, Adam, the “earthly man.” However, those who have been born again in Christ have received a new inheritance. They have been given the Holy Spirit as a “guarantee” (Eph. 1:14) that they will also receive a new body when the dead in Christ rise at His return. This new body will be like the one that belongs to the “heavenly man,” who is Christ Jesus. He is the “firstborn from among the dead” (Col. 1:18), the prototype of our future resurrection body.
What will our future body be like? It will be like the resurrection body of Jesus. As the apostle John wrote, “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is” (1 John 3:2).
August 22, 2018
WHERE DO YOU GET ADVICE?
Most people ask advice of those who will tell them what they want to hear. Rarely does one ask the godly. For the godly counselor will tell them to do what is right. And people rarely want to do what is right. They want to do what they want. This is why the wrong way is broad and well traveled. And why the right way is narrow and few choose to travel it.
August 21, 2018
TAKE MY HAND, PRECIOUS LORD, LEAD ME ON
David trusted the Lord to guide and direct him. He had no doubt that the God of the universe had interest in the details of his life. He had learned that God not only delighted in directing him, but the Lord was also always present to lift him up should he stumble.
David’s intimate relationship with the Lord can be ours through Jesus Christ. Reading this psalm today, I am reminded of my mother’s voice singing that old spiritual written by T.A. Dorsey, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.”
🎶 “Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m lone
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home”🎶
August 20, 2018
LOVE NEVER GIVES UP
Paul’s love chapter (1 Cor. 13) is one of the most wonderful descriptions of “agape” love found in any literature in human history. Yet, its lofty attributes are beyond mortal humanity absent the Spirit which inspired Paul’s writing. For “agape” love is God’s kind of love. It is unconditional, enduring and sacrificial. It is most fully demonstrated in that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
God has not given up on us because agape love never gives up. “For God is love” (1 John 4:8).
Who do you know that needs God’s kind of love, the kind of love that never gives up?
August 19, 2018
EVERY SPIRITUAL GIFT NEEDED IS PRESENT IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
It is the Lord that gives out spiritual gifts to those who have believed and received Jesus. He gives them to each according to His will, so that the local church has every spiritual gift it needs to function and fulfill His commission. Yet, many churches seem to limp along as if missing some key part. As a result, little harmony is seen, disunity prevails, and members fail to care for one another.
Has the Lord, who has “put the body together,” failed to give the church a necessary gift? Certainly not. The problem is that many members of the body are not putting their spiritual gifting to use in the church. Some because of ignorance or immaturity. Others because of a lack of spiritual zeal or some distracting or disabling sin area.
Church members often come to the pastor suggesting the church needs this missing ministry or that unmet service. Could it be that the person who saw the need is the one that the Lord has gifted and called to fulfill it? After all, the church is us! It’s the people, not the steeple! If the church is missing something, isn’t it because someone in the church isn’t being the member of the body that God called them to be?
Do you know why the Lord has put you in the local body of Christ? Are you fulfilling His purpose for your life in a way that makes for harmony in the church and cares for others? If the church is missing some ministry, perhaps it’s because you are not answering His call.