Search This Blog

Translate

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Short Reflection from 1 Corinthians 1-16

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (BRW-M) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[6:51 am, 17/01/2022] S.R:

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙:𝟚

"To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, 𝕊𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕤 𝔹𝕪 𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:"

If there's any Christian community in the Bible that is so unworthy to be called saints, it's the church of Corinth. When we read the following chapters, we see how sinful they were before and even after their conversions.

Yet, God called them "saints" in the words of Paul, why? Because it's not what we do that made us saints. We are made saints by His calling!

Praise God that I am a sinner, at the same time, a saint because He has called me in Christ!

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟚:𝟙𝟞

"For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ."

According to Philippians 2, this mind of Christ includes humility.

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟛:𝟛

"For you are still fleshly. For since there is 𝕁𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕪 and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?"

Who does not struggle with jealousy, btw?

Yesterday, I just met a man who will be going for theological studies. I thought he was going abroad. When he said that it was in India, Nagaland, I was relieved!

Wretched man, I am! 🤦‍♂️

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟜:𝟙𝟞

"Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me."

Jesus commanded us to imitate Him.

Paul commanded us to imitate him.

Scriptures commanded us to imitate good behaviour.

Likewise, friends, imitate me in updating regularly!

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟝:𝟡-𝟙𝟘

"I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world."

Indeed, evil company corrupts good morals. Let's be mindful of those we associate.

And in the secular world, when we make friends with godless people, let's do so to influence them and not to become like them.

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟞:𝟙𝟚

"All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything."

Nice verse to memorize. That's why I don't drink. That's why I don't gamble. That's why I don't text girls after 11:00 PM

That's why.... 😂

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟟:𝟙

"Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman."

Indeed, one should touch only his woman that also after marrying her!

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟠:𝟠

"But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat."

This is why I disagree with my Seventh-Day Adventist friends to eat pork! 😎

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟡:𝟙𝟞-𝟙𝟟

"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for 𝕨𝕠𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕞𝕖 𝕚𝕗 𝕚 𝕕𝕠 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕘𝕠𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕝. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me."

There are sometimes I want to stop preaching, but it also means I want to stop living. Woe is me if I don't enjoy the Gospel!

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙𝟘:𝟛𝟙

"Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

This is my go-to verse in counselling, evangelism, and discipleship. This week alone, I have sat down with 2 different individuals, explaining it. Everyone ought to know, memorize, and be able to explain this!

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙𝟙:𝟙𝟜

"Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him,"

𝕀𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕖𝕕, nobody thinks a guy with long hair is a normal guy!

Go cut your hair, if you don't want to be abnormal! 😎

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙𝟚:𝟚𝟟

"Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it."

Every day I go to church, I have to remember this truth. When I take bath, I make sure that everything in me is clean. Likewise, in church, my goal is for everyone's sanctification!

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙𝟛:𝟚

“If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

Love is the greatest and noblest among all virtues. But we often fail to understand love. God loves us perfectly and we still ask, "Does God love me?"

So, don't just give in to anything at the chorus of "love love love"

Some people love chicken and eat them. Some people love their Gfs and kill them. Etc., etc.

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙𝟜:𝟙𝟚

"So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church."

 To build up one another in Christ! 😊👍

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙𝟝:𝟛-𝟝

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve."

The most important Christian doctrine is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that He came to die for sinners!

 

𝟙 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙𝟞:𝟚𝟚

"If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha."

The greatest tragedy is not loving Christ. Learn to cherish Christ. Learn to love Him more and more day by day!