1 Corinthians 8:1-3 Glorify God with Your Love!

1 Corinthians 8:1-3  Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.  But the man who loves God is known by God.

Love is a nebulous concept for most of us.  Our love often depends on the situation or circumstance we find ourselves experiencing and sometimes hinges on whether it is reciprocated or not.  If someone rejects our smiles, endearing words, and affectionate actions, we tend to back off in our display of love towards that person.  If we feel a person does not care for us and for our ideas, we usually treat him or her coldly, without deference.  I have seen Christian athletes displaying unchristian actions when the athletic contest is on the line or when another player does something they do not like.  What about football players who testify of Christ in their lives; yet they claim in a game they caught a ball when they know they are actually lying.  On the basketball court, many Christian players, caught in a contested game, will fabricate about whether the ball went off them or their opponent in an out-of-bounds situation.  They will lie to the officials, to the fans, to the opposing players.  Their hundred percent effort to win the game has caused them to shake off the testimony of Christ.  The scriptures call Christians ambassadors of Christ who should love the world as themselves, but when the game could be decided by one play and when there are high expectations from coaches, teammates, and fans, these ambassadors of Christ give in to their circumstances, their situations.  Their love and claims of Christ in their lives become evasive.  Their love as with the above focus is dependent on circumstances, even on their freedom in Christ's redemption.  Of course, this kind love that is often found in our relationships, in our activities, in our interests is more than evasive, it is totally dishonest, and it is known by God.  Our claim of loving God should not depend on circumstances at school, on the job, or at home.  Our love is not based on our freedom to do or say anything we want, even if it seems appropriate and correct.  Our actions and words should express God's love for ALL HUMANITY.  Therefore, we should say or do that which will not hurt anyone and that which glorifies the Lord.  Jesus said, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  (Matthew 5:16 KJV)

In today's focus, we see Paul discussing how our knowledge about something can erase the guiding principle of loving others as ourselves.  Paul tells the Corinthians they should be careful how they act in their daily lives.  Just because they know that idols and other gods are not real, they should not take advantage of that knowledge by eating food in the temples of idols.  As we read the rest of this chapter, we will see that Paul warns them that doing so might hurt a weaker brother.  A weaker brother might be led away from the true gospel of Christ because of their freedom to eat in the temples of idols.  Because of the actions of the stronger brethren, a brother or a sister who is not as strong in the faith might start to believe these false gods really do have power or authority over their lives, giving credence to the lie that there are other gods in existence.  Paul wants them to know that their correct knowledge about a certain circumstance can be hurtful to others.  They must not forget their obligations to the whole church, even their weaker brethren.  A person's  perception of being completely free because of perceiving the word of God correctly, can cause great damage to the church.  We might think we contain the absolute truth about something or that we have freedom to act or say anything we desire.  Even sometimes thinking we can lie when it helps us can hurt others.  We might rely correctly on God's mercy and grace in all situations, but Paul is saying, we really know nothing as we ought to know.  Later in this letter Paul brings restraint to the believers: All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.  (1 Corinthians 10:23)  We do not really understand that the love of God is for everyone, in all circumstances.  Our liberty, used correctly or not, does not set us free from our obligations to others.  When the contest of life is on the line, we cannot use our freedom to undermine our weaker brethren.  We must live and act above reproach.  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.  (Philippians 4:5)    

The man or woman who loves God places God in all their activities and words.  This person of dedication is known by God, is recognized by God as his own son or daughter.  Our knowledge about the truth or our freedom we have in Christ must not be used capriciously for our own benefit at the expense of others.  We must be people of integrity: honest, truthful, obedient to God.  We must consider our weaker brethren in our daily words and actions.  How does what I do affect someone else who is weaker than I am in a certain area?  Love for God is personified in the actions and words of Jesus Christ.  When Jesus prayed at the Mount of Olives, He said, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  (Luke 22:42)  He allowed himself to go to the cross, to be stripped and beaten, to die an ignoble death, alone, with people cursing him and spitting on him.  Love for God is not evasive, circumstantial, based on the reciprocation of others, and our needs.  Love for God is sacrificial when we do not want to sacrifice.  Love for God is living a life of commitment when committing costs us everything.  Today in some Middle Eastern countries, a person can die for professing Christ as Lord or sharing the Good New with others.  God's love does not depend on circumstances; it is the power that sets us free.  Jesus' words are as true today as when He spoke them:  Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.  I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  (John 14:11-12)  Remember his words, ". . .anyone who has faith in me WILL DO WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING."  We are to be about our Father's business.  We are to do his work.  If the ball goes off you at a vital point in the game, be faithful to the Word.  Follow your Jesus.  For there are weaker brethren watching you.  You can either solidify their lives in Christ or you can lead them astray to another way, one that will lead them into death.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  (Mark 12:30)  Amen!  

1 Corinthians 7:36-40 Win the Prize of Your Calling!

1 Corinthians 7:36-40  If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants.  He is not sinning.  They should get married.  But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin — this man also does the right thing.  So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.  A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives.  But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.  In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is — and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

Once again in the above focus, Paul presents his perspective on following Christ wholeheartedly.  Christ is life to Paul, everything else is incidental in his understanding of what it means to live.  We see Paul telling the man who will not get married for Christ's sake that he does better than if he had married.  He tells the women whose husbands have died to stay single, not to get entangled again with the demands of married life.  Why?  Because in their singleness they might live lives more committed to Christ.  Christ is everything in Paul's teaching.  He makes this clear in these words: But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  (Philippians 3:7-8)  Paul considered all relationships within the purview of serving Christ.  In last week's breakfast we thoroughly addressed his comment: I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.  (1 Corinthians 7:35)  In this week's focus we see him doubling down on this theme of sole commitment to God.  He desires men and women to serve Christ in undivided devotion to the Lord rather than serving their own emotional, psychological, and biological needs.  He clearly addresses all of this within the context of whether a man should or should not get married.  If he does get married because of harboring a guilty conscience concerning how he has treated his virgin, it is appropriate to marry.  If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants.  This decision to marry is acceptable as far as Paul is concerned, but he who does not marry her does even better.  Implied in all of this is that living for the Lord is better than living to fulfill your personal needs.  By adding that he has the Spirit of God, Paul implies that God would want what Paul has described for his children.

In finishing chapter 7, we should consider how the Spirit of God desires for us to live?  How should we plan our lives to give God preeminence?  Paul tells us to remain single if possible, to avoid entanglements in the world, to live for Christ and not for ourselves.  Paul kept his eyes on Jesus.  He said, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:14)  But our lives are often entangled in the things of this world.  We have jobs, relationships, spouses, children, and daily duties.  We have all of these cares; plus we live in communities, social, political, and religious, that demand our participation and best efforts.  Within these responsibilities, how do we live our lives for God with total commitment to Christ as Paul has demanded?  Is it possible to live in the twenty-first century fully surrendered to Christ?  Can we marry the concerns of Paul to our daily existence as Christians?  Is it possible to know Christ in our daily lives in an intimate way without totally isolating ourselves from the cares of life?  Paul reminded Christians that they were not to become one with the world.  He quoted the words of the Lord in his second letter to the Corinthians to make this clear: “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.  Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.  I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”  (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)  We know many religious orders in the Middle Ages established monasteries on high pinnacles of mountains so they might be protected from the demands, rigors, and chaos of daily living.  In their enclaves, they committed to serving God without distractions.  In some of their orders, they were forbidden to speak at certain times so they might hear God.  They were to dress differently, look differently than the ordinary person.  They dedicated many hours to prayer, meditation, and Bible reading.  All of this was so they could commit totally to God.  But this is not a reasonable model for most of us today.

Yet, are we not the temple of God?  Does not God dwell in us?  Seeing Jesus, John said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  (John 1:29 NKJV)  The perfect Lamb was slain for us that we might have an intimate relationship with God in our personal temples.  Our temples have been cleansed by the blood of The Lamb of God.  No matter where we are or what activity we are participating in, God through the Holy Spirit is present in our temples, these human bodies.  His voice is in us; the voice that created all that exists.  We do not have to go on some mountain or to an isolated place to commune with God.  We do not have to avoid others to make God real in us, for He is in us at all times.  If we draw near to him in our spirit, He will draw near to us; for the Word says, Come near to God and he will come near to you.  (James 4:8)  God is not only personally involved in our temples; He has also placed us in the body of Christ, his church.  We know God singularly and corporately: For in fact the body is not one member but many.  (1 Corinthians 12:14)  Well then, what is Paul's concern in chapter 7 if God is always with us in our temples and if He goes where we go?  Paul asks us not to clutter up our lives with our own self-interests.  He wants us to be vibrant testimonies of Jesus Christ and his works in us.  He wants us to seek first the kingdom of God in all our choices and decisions.  Our mornings should open with prayer, and our evenings should end in prayer.  Our voices should express him in words and with songs.  Christ's nature should be obvious in all of our interactions and relationships.  Everyone should know who we are because of our love for humanity.  We should be the epitome of mercy and grace to all, deserving or undeserving.  We will be more generous than the world.  We will not be as the world--critical, judgmental, angry, deceitful--for these are instruments of darkness and death.  The temple of God brings life; we are the temple of God.  Wherever we go, the temple goes: the image of God to the world.  Listen to his voice today, for He constantly speaks to us.  He is The Advocate, The Counselor, The Comforter that dwells in us.  He is the pillar of fire at night, the cloud by day.  Look for that fire, that cloud, and follow him through life.  When you do, He will order your life correctly.  You will produce abundant fruit for his glory.  

1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Fully Devoted to the Lord!

1 Corinthians 7:32-35  I would like you to be free from concern.  An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs — how he can please the Lord.  But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world — how he can please his wife — and his interests are divided.  An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.  But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world — how she can please her husband.  I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. 

Paul advises the Corinthians to remain as free as possible from the entanglements of this world.  He wants them to live lives one hundred percent committed to Christ, dedicated to Christ's affairs and not their own.   I would like you to be free from concern.  He is not necessarily talking about being married or not: he is talking about how they should look at life and live lives fully devoted to God.  Christians should be totally in, willing to give all for the purposes of Christ.  I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.  The right way, the only way for Paul, was to be completely dedicated to Christ and his message.  For Paul, any other way would be a failure.  Paul was taught this message first on the road to Damascus when he met Jesus: “Get up," the Lord said, "and go into Damascus.  There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do."  (Acts 22:10)  In Damascus, Ananias came to see him and told Paul:  "The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.  You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.  And now what are you waiting for?  Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name." (Acts 22:14-16)  Paul's assignment was very direct and pointed to what he must do in his life.  However, Paul believed all of God's children have a special purpose for their lives, for they are all members of Christ's body, and as members of his body they must fulfill their positions in that body.  When Paul describes the entire body growing up with Christ as the head, he says, From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  (Ephesians 4:16)  To do so, they must be committed to Christ' affairs and not their own affairs.    

Jesus' teachings and his life clearly reveal the need for our lives to be dedicated to God's purposes and not our own.  He loved the Father and did everything to please him.  We claim to love Jesus, but are our lives lived for Christ in first place as we claim?  Or are we living primarily for ourselves: our needs, wants, and connections to this world.  Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  (Matthew 10:37-39)  Paul took up his cross, his purpose in life, and followed Christ in everything that he did.  Christ was the center of his life.  When the disciples were called, they immediately and wholeheartedly left everything to follow Jesus.  The world's affairs were put behind them.  Peter states this truth in Luke 18: 

Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”  Jesus' call to them was definitive, follow me one hundred percent, and I will make you fishers of men.  This is our call no matter of what position we have in the body of Christ.  He will make us fishers of men because we will reflect God through our lives.  This reflection of God will convict men of their sins, causing many to turn to the Creator, becoming children of God.  When we live in the 

right way in undivided devotion to the Lord, we will be witnesses to the world, ambassadors of Christ.  Paul presents this challenge to the Corinthians: live the right way for God's purposes, not your own.  When we read Paul's words, we have to consider whether our devotion to God is undivided.  Can a mother make her home a haven for her family and Jesus at the same time?  Can a businessman make his company the most successful among others in his field while nurturing his faith and witnessing to others?  The answer is yes and no.  The answer is no if one is not constantly aware of the presence of Jesus.  The answer can only be yes with an intentional will to seek God's will first and foremost.  As Jesus said, But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.   (Matthew 6:33)

Are we living the "right way" according to today's verses or are we mostly concerned about our own affairs?  Is Christ and his message the primary focus of our lives or even our secondary concern?  Where do we place Christ in the decisions we make every day?  Paul tells the Corinthians that serving Christ is so important that perhaps they should not get married.  For Paul, Christ was everything, the first thing in morning and the last thing at night.  He wanted the Corinthian Christians to be just as dedicated as he was to living for Christ.  In life or in death, Christ was all.  As he wrote to the church in Philippi: I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  (Philippians 1:20-21)   For us in the twenty-first century, is Jesus Christ the center of our lives or is He at best on the periphery?  Is He the cherished guest in our homes, preferred above everyone else, or is He basically ignored, lost in the clamor of daily living, only brought forward when we feel stressed or in need?  We will spend hours upon hours avoiding him.  His voice in us does not compete well with the din around us.  We think of him being silent within us, but we have caused his voice to seem silent in the presence of our blaring technology.  An axiom Paul struggled with is that flesh will do what it really wants to do when we yield ourselves to its will.  If we want to oppose this axiom of the flesh, we must know the Word and follow it through God's power.  These verses say it well: For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  (Romans 8:13-14)   The children of God do His will, commit their lives to His life, and follow him by the voice of the Holy Spirit.  Are we being people of the Spirit or of the flesh?  Paul asks the Corinthians to be people of the Spirit.  The rewards are great for those who will follow Christ all the way.  

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”  (Luke 18:28-3)  Today, choose life in the Spirit, life abundant and full.  God bless you!  

1 Corinthians 7:25-31 The World Passes Away!

1 Corinthians 7:25-31  Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.  Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are.  Are you married?  Do not seek a divorce.  Are you unmarried?  Do not look for a wife.  But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned.  But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.  What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short.  From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them.  For this world in its present form is passing away.

The idea of holding this world lightly is an on-going focus in the Bible.  Living for God preeminently while living for ourselves less represents a major theme of  the New Testament.  We see in the Old Testament where God is intimately involved with the tent people going through the desert to the Promised Land.  He is there at night as fire and each day as a cloud to remind them he is an intricate part of their journey to the land He has prepared for them.  Their tent lives were constantly on the move, following the Spirit of God every day.  We who are alive now should be as those tent people, ready to move as the Spirit leads.  In the above passage, Paul reminds us our lives should not be attached to this world in a permanent fashion.  We should be able to pull up our tent stakes quickly if the Lord desires us to move.  What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short.  From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them.  Why?  For this world in its present form is passing away.   To nail our lives down to this Earth and the things of this Earth is foolishness to Paul for he knows them to be only temporary.  He knows there is no eternal value in anything that is fixed to this earth.  Likewise, Peter wrote:  Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  (1 Peter 2:11)  These godly men knew heaven and Earth will pass away someday.  All that is of this world will turn to nothing, so why live so passionately to establish a foundation here.  Instead, Paul beseeches believers to put their treasures and hearts' desires on things above, not on things below.  He asks the church in Corinth to look above the horizon, above the institutions of this world, to fix their eyes on the true purpose of living, on God's plans for them: to allow the Holy Spirit to make them into sons and daughters of the Most High. 

Over the centuries, the message that Christians must redeem the time has been an integral part of Christian dogma.  What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short.  The urgency of accepting Christ, living for him, and sharing your faith with others represents the salvation message we proclaim.  Paul makes this clear in his second letter to the Corinthians: As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.  For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”  I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.  (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)   Today is the day of salvation is a major theme for just as it was for the early church.  Do not wait for tomorrow, Paul clearly says; for tomorrow might be too late for you.  Paul wants the Corinthian Christians to live a "today" life, functioning in the now, doing what God calls them to do.  He asks them to stay as they are in Christ, so Christ will be magnified in their lives.  His passion for them is to have their lives centered on Christ now and not on things of this world or on themselves.  Paul knew lives burning for Christ rather than engrossed in secular interests would bring glory to God and advance the kingdom of light.  He knew such lives would be a huge contrast to the barbarian world of darkness and sin where everyone was going his or her own way.  John described the world of darkness when he wrote: This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  (John 3:19)  Paul knew lives of light, lives committed to Christ in Corinth, would entice many to the message of hope and salvation through Christ.  When great darkness permeates people's existence, lives committed to Christ will shine brightly in contrast with that darkness.  Paul wanted them to consider themselves as living in tents, holding nothing here so dearly that Christ's life in them would take a back seat.   

Are we living a "today" life, viewing our homes as tents we can move easily as God directs?  Or are we so deeply rooted and grounded in this world that we live only for ourselves and the activities that hold us to the earthly realm?  Are we so engrossed in our personal lives and fleshly desires that Christ and our spiritual walk with him take a back seat?  Is He an afterthought that comes to us when we feel guilty for neglecting him?  Does He come first only during a time of trial when we bargain with him, making promises that we soon break, going back to our lazy, self-centered ways?  When chastising the Pharisees, Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah: These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  (Matthew 15:8)  Paul knew the heart had to stay pure.  Paul was writing to believers, those who had counted the cost and were following Christ in their lives.  He simply wanted them not to become involved in changes that would decrease their spiritual fervor or detract from their commitment to Jesus.  He was keeping them on the right path.  Some of us are in need of a spiritual tune-up so we can travel successfully on the right path.  We have made changes in our lives and strayed from our walk with Jesus to the point He is in second place.  Our allegiance is no longer to him first with all else second.  As we take inventory of our time and the energy we invest each day, we know we are neglecting him and our service to him.  He does not condemn us: He calls us with an everlasting call.  Look back over your lives, and you will see time and time again where He was there to meet your needs, there to receive you into his loving arms.  Today, He reminds you that He does not want to compete with other lovers in your life.  He loves you most of all, and He will never leave you or forsake you.  He says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30)