Category: 1 Corinthians

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 9:22-27 before reading the devotional below.

I recently ran a 5K race. Hardly a marathon, but I did train for it by running three times per week and doing some strength training. After all that work, it would stink to be disqualified. I hoped to run, and run well (and while I didn’t win any prizes I did get a personal best!).

In today’s passage, Paul is comparing the Christian spiritual journey to a race. He wants to be able to connect with any person on the planet to be able to share the good news of Jesus with them. It doesn’t matter who they are, Paul’s race (and ours too) is about reaching everyone with this news. He doesn’t want to be disqualified because he neglected anyone or anything. His goal is to win an eternal prize.

Here’s your freedom for today:

Someone has run the race for you.

If you are reading this right now, someone else has run their spiritual race to make sure you heard about Jesus. Maybe it is a friend, neighbor, parent, or pastor — someone has invited, shared, and prayed for you. Now you have an opportunity to jump in the race and run it by telling others about the good news of Jesus. He came to save us all from destruction and death. Find someone to tell today!

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 10:1-11 before reading the devotional below.

It’s never a good idea to mess with the supernatural realm. It’s also not a good idea to mess with things God has commanded us not to do. Some people get hung up on guilt, but it’s really not about that. It’s about danger. Sin is dangerous. It will harm you.

Today’s passage reminds us of the stories found in the book of Exodus (the second book in the Bible). The Israelite people tested God. They did not take his warnings seriously. A lot of them never made it to the Promised Land as a result. They died in the wilderness because they wanted to hang on to a lifestyle that was harmful.

Here’s your freedom for today:

God wants to keep you safe.

God has promised eternal rewards for those who follow Jesus. He has an awesome life for you. His plans are literally out of this world. Sinful living destroys you. There’s no way around it. This is because in the supernatural realm there is no neutral ground. You are in God’s territory or you are walking into Satan’s. Sin brings us into an enemy camp in the middle of a war. You will be taken prisoner if you don’t take the escape God is giving you. Is there something you need to do to be spiritually protected today?

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 before reading the devotional below.

Today we consider just two verses that are packed with depth. Paul warns about pride, and I encourage you to check yourself in this moment. Do you think you are doing pretty well spiritually? If so, you may be in more precarious a position than you think. All of us are tempted, and no one is immune.

When temptation comes, God will give us an escape route. Sometimes this verse is misused as people apply it to all situations that are not describing temptation. This leads to trite “Christian” sentiments like, “God won’t give you more than you can handle” when people are facing crisis or tragedy. These verses are not meant to minimize pain. Instead, they speak to the reality that Satan does not own you if you are following Jesus. God will give you a chance to get out.

Here’s your freedom for today:

God is faithful.

Paul reminds us in these verses that God is faithful. He will not rescue you and then turn you back over to the clutches of the enemy. We walk right into traps all by ourselves when our pride gets in the way. Even then, God gives us an out. He is faithful. Are there temptations in your life today? Pause to think about your options. What is your way out?

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 10:14-33 before reading the devotional below.

Today we return to the debate over eating food sacrificed to idols. If we were reading this as a letter all in one sitting (as the original audience was), we would realize we never left that topic. Paul’s message is clear: don’t take up a minor cause and cost someone their salvation. What’s SO important to you probably is flexible or debatable, so maybe we need to put people’s salvation ahead of issue debates.

Paul reminds us that even taking communion is a reminder of our unity. We are one body, uniting with Jesus’ body as we remember his death on the cross. Paul writes in verse 24, “Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.” That verse may be misused to imply that we should not take care of ourselves or do what is healthy for us. Here in context we see that Paul is saying, “Don’t put your opinions ahead of someone else’s spiritual life.”

Here’s your freedom for today:

Your freedom will bring others freedom too.

I’ve said it already in this series: your spiritual life is not all about you. It is about Jesus, and it is about those on the journey with you. When you are truly free, it will not cost others their freedom. When we focus on ourselves, we are doing it wrong when it comes out as selfish or prideful. Do everything you do for God’s glory, and watch out who you offend. Jesus liked to offend the highly religious folks, and Paul reminds us here that we need to embrace both Jews and Gentiles. Don’t harm the Gospel by digging in on side issues.

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 before reading the devotional below.

Today we wade into some confusing and complicated waters. Before we dive head first into the shallow end of the pool, let’s pause to remember a key principle about reading the Bible. Let’s ask: what is God revealing about himself in these verses? Why would he include this in his inspired Word?

We just established in the last chapter that getting hung up on side issues like whether or not to eat meat sacrificed to idols was a distraction from the Gospel. We need to consider others and not cost anyone their salvation. We need to do everything for God’s glory. And now Paul is saying that men shouldn’t wear head coverings and women should. Men shouldn’t have long hair and women should. How does all this connect? Aren’t we just talking about old customs? It seems from the tone that Paul was trying to end a debate, not start one.

Here’s your freedom for today:

Freedom allows us to sit in the gray.

In a single blog post, I am not going to clarify or solve what has stumped Bible scholars for centuries. I would encourage you to click on the little footnote letters in the passage as they show some of the other translation options. I would encourage you to Google “commentary 1 Corinthians 11” and read the wide variety of opinions that exist. Today I’m going to sit in the gray with you. I’m going to ask, “Why is this in here?” and “What does this tell me about God?” First, I think this passage exists to teach us there is a lot we do not understand about the spiritual realm. Why do head coverings matter in the presence of angels? What aspects of spiritual authority are important there? Is there symbolism or a direct spiritual reason? Is Paul talking about hair or a veil of some kind? I am going to end by zooming in on the end of verse 3: “the head of Christ is God” (also translated: the source of Christ is God). We know that there is a special relationship within God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Christ IS God, there is no inferiority or separation there. In this passage there are also three: man, woman, and God. Paul says that we are not independent of one another. Perhaps one take away from this passage is that we are all to imitate the relationship of the Trinity. Men, women, and God in perfect harmony and unity, each with their own personhood and all spiritually feeding each other as we see within God himself. What else do you see in this passage?