One Year Bible Devotions

August 31, 2018

WHAT WILL OUR ETERNAL BODY BE LIKE?
Paul encouraged the Corinthians not to give up, for the present troubles of this world are temporary, but the coming glory is forever. He urged them to focus on this coming glory when our “earthly tent” will die, yet we shall live forever in an “eternal body” made by God.

What will this eternal body be like? It will be like the resurrection body of Jesus. For Jesus is the “firstborn from the dead” (Col. 1:18, Rev. 1:5), whose body is the prototype of all who are raised in Him.

So, don’t be overcome by the sufferings of this world, nor the groanings of our earthly tents. For we will one day receive a new and eternal body fit for heaven made by God Himself.

August 30, 2018

MAKING JESUS FAMOUS (AND OURSELVES A FOOL)
Paul didn’t care what people thought of him as long as they heard him proclaim Christ as Lord. But the Corinthians were easily impressed by appearance and eloquent speech. Though Paul had been the one who had first preached the gospel to them, to which they believed and were saved, they were swayed by fancy preachers who came later. In response, Paul reminded them that he and his preaching team sought to make Jesus famous, not themselves. In fact, in Paul’s first letter he told them that “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Cor. 1:21). And further he wrote, “We are fools for Christ’s sake” (1 Cor. 4:10).

If our life’s purpose is to make Christ Jesus famous, then we must give up on making much of ourselves. We proclaim not ourselves, nor our church, but Christ! The world may think us foolish, but we have given up on pleasing men, seeking to please God alone.

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).