Thoughts from reading 1 Corinthians

Thought from 1st Corinthians

Christians must not first consider their rights, but how best shall they act in situations to glorify God and reveal Christ’s life in them.

Our all-absorbing preoccupation is to be holy in all matters of life and to come to a mature understanding of God’s will for us and our place in church life.

From 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

We should look at ourselves to see if we truly reproduce Christ’s love in inward emotions, mental attitudes and outward actions. Am I: patient for a long time? Kind? Not jealous? Not boastful? Not arrogant? Not rude? Not insisting on my own way? Not irritable? Not resentful? Not happy over another’s fall or over wrong? Do I rejoice over another’s good? Or over right?

Love in view of eternity! God wants us to love!

Good advice for Christians in the New Year

How to Live from Romans 12:9-13 and 15-18

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor.

Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Contribute to the needs of saints, practice hospitality. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited.

Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all.

Jesus said, “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight.” Matthew 10:27
This means to be quiet when things are the darkest – listen to God. He will give you a precious message for someone when it’s light again.

To resent and resist God’s disciplining hand is to miss one of the greatest spiritual blessings we Christians can enjoy this side of Heaven. Christians who are strong in faith grow if we accept and not become bitter and resentful. If we accept with joy we know God is controlling our lives. There is joy to be discovered in suffering. A lot of those who suffer are more enviable than those who seem to be set apart, untouched like a piece of fine china in the locked chest. Without dark clouds in our lives we would never know the joy of sunshine. We can become callous and unteachable if we do not learn from pain.

When we are weak and powerless, God is there to give us strength. When we lack wisdom, He will supply it. Healing is not instantaneous; it is a process. When we admit that we cannot heal ourselves and fall to our knees and ask God to take over, we will be on the road to spiritual health.

Psalm 91:15 promises: “He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble.”

“Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

Our natural tendency when we have a painful happening in our lives is to go into action – sometimes it is wiser to wait and just be still. The answers will come.

There are many times when God withdraws to test your faith. He wants you to trust Him in the darkness. Reach up in faith. His hand will be there. God will never leave or forsake us.

We are called to encourage, support and let lonely, hurting people know they are not alone. God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but to comfort others.

A Psalm to remember when raising children (Ps. 72:15)
“Pray continually and praise daily.”

Hypocrites!

In Isaiah 1:11,14 God says, “I have had enough of burnt offerings…your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates.”

What’s THAT all about?

Didn’t He spend most of Exodus and Leviticus telling Moses and the Israelites in minute detail about what festivals they should celebrate and how? What burnt offerings they should be making? What grain offerings? What peace offerings?

So why is a God who never changes telling them He now hates those things?

It is because although the people claimed to be close to God, they were really disobedient and just going through the motions. Religion had become routine instead of real. And God knew that.

Just like He knows today who is coming to church to really worship Him… and who is just coming. Who is singing hymns of praise… and who is just singing.

Jesus quoted Isaiah’s condemnation of Israel’s hypocrisy when He spoke to the Pharisees in Matthew 15:7-9, “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said: this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.”

The key is faith not works.

Being a descendent of Abraham. Living in the Promised Land. Having trusted God at one time. None of these were good enough. We need to have faith in God. A personal relationship. That is why we are set apart. Ask yourself; are you relying on your Christian heritage? The rituals of worship? Past experience? Or do you have faith that puts you in a right relationship with your Heavenly Father?

God expects our belief in Him to penetrate all areas of our conduct and to extend to all people and circumstances. Amos 9:13-15

Don't Lose Your First Love

When the apostle John was an old man in exile on Patmos, the church was made up of second and third generation Christians. Christ still hadn’t come back. Some of the wonder and newness had worn off. And Jesus knew this would happen.

In Matthew 24:12, He said, “The love of many shall grow cold.” And it was to the church of Ephesus where John had lived and preached a long time that Christ says in Revelation 2:4, “Nevertheless I have something against you, because you have left your first love.”

When you love someone you want to know everything about them. You want to spend time with them: please them. You are excited by the very thought of them.

But later, sometimes, you might go through a period where you're a little bored with them. Or too busy to pay them much attention.

It’s the same in individual Christian lives. We’ll have mountain top experiences and we’ll have long dry patches. Sometimes Christian living gets tedious. We find ourselves not wanting to be holy and set apart anymore. We just want to blend in with the rest of the world.

As Christians we are given a new ethical demand: a new standard of moral purity, a new sexual ethic, a new kindness, a new service, a new forgiveness… and it’s difficult. Then when we lose that first thrill and enthusiasm, it’s harder and harder to stand against the world. Especially today in an America that idolizes material things and celebrities.

Memories help spark a fading love. Remembering your husband’s face when he proposed, the look in his eyes when you walked down the aisle or when you told him he was going to be a father. Remembering how God loved us so much He sent His only Son: perfect, sweet, sinless Jesus, to die a terrible death for us so we could spend eternity with him in Heaven.

It helps to spend time with that person. Not the rushing around, catching each other on the fly, leaving interrupted sentences hanging in the air, but uninterrupted, quiet time learning more about this person you love. Thinking about your future together and thanking Him for being a part of your future!

Live a life worth of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle: be patient, bearing one another in love. Ephesians 4:1-3