Category: 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 12:1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.

These verses present some specific gifts of the Spirit, but I think there are many more: compassion, encouragement, wisdom, love. It’s really neat to look around at the people in my life and to think of the specific ways God has gifted them.

1 Corinthians 12:4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.

My sisters both have the gift of love and hospitality. My husband has the gift of assistance—anyone, anywhere, any way he can. I am an encourager. One of my children has the gift of empathy and the other has the gift of focus and follow-through. All these gifts can and should be used for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 12:5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.

Lord, Thank You for the wonderful people You have placed in my life and the gifts You have given us. Help us, always, to use those gifts to comfort Your people and to bring You glory. Amen.

1 Corinthians 12:6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

1 Corinthians 11:11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.

While the biblical commentary I read every day does a good job of providing me with historical context, I often disagree with the finer points of theology as presented by said commentary. I think, as a Christian, that it is important to constantly examine God’s word, cultural commentary, and my own personal beliefs to try to discern God’s truth.

1 Corinthians 11:12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

Goodness knows that you can find commentary to support just about any view imaginable, so it’s important, to me at least, to continually examine His word and seek His truth, not man’s truth. I’m absolutely certain I don’t always get it right, but I think that pursuit of Him is crucial.

1 Corinthians 11:27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

Lord, Thank You for Your word, which is active and alive. Thank You for the abundance of commentary to help me navigate Your word. Thank You for a desire to read and think and discover as I draw closer to You. Be my center. Guide me always. Amen.

1 Corinthians 11:28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.

Have a blessed day.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

As a runner and one who occasionally indulges in races, I take exception to Paul’s argument here. While it is true that only one person can cross the finish line first, that’s never my goal. I know I’m not that fast. My goal is always to try to PR, set a personal record, do my personal best. For me, it can’t be about beating out the competition.

1 Corinthians 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.

And so it is with my relationship with Christ and His people. My goal is always a PR, a personal best, to try to show by my words and actions the gracious presence of my amazing Savior in my life, to try to infuse my life, real life with His compassion and hope.

1 Corinthians 9:25b …They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Lord, For some, the competitor analogy is fitting, but You didn’t create me as a competitor. You created me as an encourager, cheering people on, always trying to be better than I was yesterday. Thank You for the gift of encouragement. Help me use it to shine Your light. Amen.

1 Corinthians 9:26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.

Have a blessed day.

1 Corinthians 8:1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.

“Knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” What a true and powerful statement. If I think I know—what’s really going on, that I’m right and you’re wrong, etc—then my focus, typically, is on proving my rightness. Love is nowhere to be found. There is definitely no building up going on there.

1 Corinthians 8:2-3 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.

Not only does love build up others, loving God makes you known to God. By loving God and loving others, I am known to God and I am building up others. I think love can be a leaven, too. A little bit of love, steadily applied, can permeate the entire loaf and make it rise, lifting everyone up.

1 Corinthians 8:9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

Lord, As a culture, we are often hardwired to defend our rightness. But that way lies pride and destruction. Help us, instead, to make love our default. Help us to steadily apply love in all situations, so that we may be part of a beautiful building up of humanity instead of tearing it down. Help us, Lord. Amen.

1 Corinthians 8:12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

Have a blessed day.

1 Corinthians 7:3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.

My friend Paul, a pastor, recently wrote about this chapter, including lines that he often includes in weddings: “In marriage we belong to each other, and with affection and tenderness, freely give ourselves to each other. God gave us marriage as a holy mystery in which we are joined together, and become one, just as Christ is one with the church. In marriage, we are called to a new way of life, created, ordered, and blessed by God.”

1 Corinthians 7:4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife.

Today the hubs and I celebrate 25 years of journeying together in this holy mystery of marriage. We have experienced a lot of ups and downs in that time, but we know that God brought us together, that God is with us, and we strive to glorify Him through our marriage.

1 Corinthians 7:5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Lord, Thank You for the holy mystery of marriage, for this beautiful way of life, created, ordered, and blessed by You. Thank You for being able to use each of us in Your service, exactly as we are. Draw us closer. Amen.

1 Corinthians 7:6 I say this as a concession, not as a command.

Have a blessed day.

1 Corinthians 6:19a Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?…

I am reminded this morning of my caustic inner critic, the one who criticizes my rolls and curves, my height and weight. The one that criticizes Every. Single. Thing. about me.

1 Corinthians 6:19b …You are not your own…

My inner critic needs to understand the truth of 1 Cor 19-20. God created my body, knit it together in my mother’s womb. To criticize myself is to criticize Him, and that’s not ok.

1 Corinthians 6:20a …you were bought at a price….

Lord, I know that that caustic inner voice is my own. My shortcomings are many, and my inner critic has a magnifying glass, but You are my Author and Creator. This body You have given me has nurtured and cared for the people You have placed in my life. Help me to see all the good in this body. Help me to be kinder to myself. Help me to glorify You in my body and in my life. Always. Thank You, Lord. Thank You. Amen.

1 Corinthians 6:20b …Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Have a blessed day.

1 Corinthians 4:3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.

Humans are really quick to judge others. My caustic inner critic seems to support that we are really quick to judge and criticize ourselves, too.

1 Corinthians 4:4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.

But Paul reminds us that judgement is reserved for God alone. Truly, it is an incredible act of pride for humans to stand in judgment of others. We are instructed to edify each other, to build each other up, not tear each other down.

1 Corinthians 4:5a Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart.

Lord, The world we live in makes judgment of others second nature. Thank You that this world is not our home. Help us to combat the inclination to judge and instead to encourage each other and build each other up. Help us to bring You glory in all things. Amen.

1 Corinthians 4:5b At that time each will receive their praise from God.

Have a blessed day.

1 Corinthians 3:5-6 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.

I believe that God is present and active in my life, that He created me for a purpose, assigned me a task, loves me completely and beyond measure. I believe that God created us to crave connection and community—with Him and with His people.

1 Corinthians 3:7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

I believe in the need to work together, that our stewardship of God’s resources can best be served when we lean on each other, supporting and uplifting each other as we fulfill our purpose and glorify God.

1 Corinthians 3:8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.

Lord, I am human, fleshly, and fallible, yet You love me completely and unconditionally. Thank You. I am prone to taking credit for work that is of You and for You, getting my nose out of joint when my efforts are not recognized, yet You have made me a co-worker in Your service. Help me to live into that humbling responsibility. Help me to give You the glory in all things and always. Amen.

1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Have a blessed day.

1 Corinthians 2:1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.

Paul was far from a perfect man. He zealously murdered Christians because He thought it was the right thing, had a blinding religious conversion, saw the light (literally and figuratively), and became a leading figure in the spread of Christianity.

1 Corinthians 2:2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

I love that Paul not only doesn’t try to be something that he is not, but he doesn’t try to put on any airs at all. He doesn’t try to eloquently persuade. He doesn’t want anyone’s conversation to be about him but to be only about Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

1 Corinthians 2:3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.

Lord, You only ever ask me to be myself, the person You created me to be. You don’t want me to put on airs (or to stress or to be angry or overwhelmed). You ask me to be myself and to center myself on You and in You alone. That’s enough. Help me to live out Your purpose for me. Amen.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

Have a blessed day.