Corinthians, Day 9 Are we running to win? What is our goal and focus as we go through each and every day? Paul gives us some ideas as we read 1 Corinthians 9. Paul had worked very hard to establish credibility with the people he was they’re speaking with. And he had it! Paul could explain why he was given the authority to say the things that he was saying. And then he issues this challenge: run the race in such a way that you will win. Paul is referring to the race of the Christian life. Every day we get up and we make progress down the path that…

Corinthians, Day 8 What freedoms do we take that others don’t understand? Paul tackles the difficult topic of our freedom in Christ. Read 1 Corinthians 8. The people in that day had a system set up where they would sacrifice meat to idols and then sell it fir people to eat. Paul, and many other believers understood that idols are completely false and so there is nothing specisl or wrong with using that meat. However, the younger believers didn’t understand that completely and when they saw more mature believers doing what appeared to be participating in worship of idols by eating that meat, they became confused and potentially stumbled in…

Corinthians, Day 7 Marriage relationships. These can be beautiful and rewarding, but also difficult and challenging. Read 1 Corinthians 7. As Paul is sharing with the people he is dealing with a direct issue that has come up in the church. The issue of marriage and who should be married. Interestingly, Paul gives a lot of specific advice, and he often states that he is giving his own opinion. So when it comes to marriage, what if you are in a situation where you believe in Christ, but your spouse doesn’t? Paul indicates that we should stay in the relationship because we never know if we might be a witness…

Corinthians, Day 5 Lost people are going to act like lost people. Paul reminds the church of this in 1 Corinthians 5. Paul is a dressing a very specific issue that has come up in the church. There is a member of the church who claims to be a Christian who is acting in a way that is not Christ like at all. Paul is condemning that person for their actions. But Paul makes a very large distinction here. People who are outside of the church and who don’t know Christ, they’re going to act like people who don’t know Christ. We’re not to judge those people for those actions.…

Corinthians, Day 4 Imitate me. Those seem like amazingly bold words that Paul speaks here, but are there really? Read 1 Corinthians 4. As Paul speaks here, we see him explaining more about the attitude of following Christ. Paul is sharing with the people the importance of following him every single day and then Paul issues this amazingly bold statement. Paul tells them that if they will follow and imitate Paul then by doing so, they will be following and imitating Christ. Could we make such a bold statement ourselves? Discipleship is not about perfection but it is about progress. Are we progressing down the path to be more and…

Corinthians, Day 3 Are we growing in Christ? Do we continue to learn every day? Read 1 Corinthians 3. When we become believers in Jesus Christ, we begin a journey. That decision is not the end, it is simply the beginning. We start a journey in which we learn and grow and understand more about Christ each and every day. If we are not continually seeking to understand and know Christ better, we are not growing. Just like a physical child that stops growing, a spiritual child that stops growing is cause for great concern. We would not stay babies physically forever. That just would be odd and unusual. Our…

Corinthians, Day 2 What do you think you know? How often do you rely on what you think you know? Read 1 Corinthians 2. As Paul was writing to the Corinthians, he wanted them to understand that the only thing he knew when he was with them was Jesus Christ and him crucified. Paul didn’t come to them with fancy words or with amazing theological debate. Paul came to them with Jesus Christ. That was all. Thankfully, that is all they need. Sometimes, we try to make the Christian life so incredibly complicated. We add so many things in and put so many expectations on people that they lose sight…

Corinthians, Day 1 God shared amazing truths to the Corinthian people through the letters that Paul sent them. We are going to take the next couple of weeks and go through those letters, chapter by chapter, and see some of the key truths that God reveals. Read 1 Corinthians 1. God starts off reminding the Corinthian people that he is powerful. God is more powerful than anything that we experience or could possibly have on Earth. God’s weaknesses are stronger then the strongest human strength. When we look at the situations that we face and the difficulties that we go through, do we recognize and acknowledge God’s strength and God’s…