1 Corinthians 16 - 12.25.23
Scripture
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NLT
”Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.”
Observation
Paul is giving his final instructions to the Corinthian Church. He tells them of his plans to visit them real soon. Paul wishes to stay with them for awhile when he does visit them. Until then, Paul encourages the church to be on guard, be strong in their faith, to be courageous, and to do everything with love.
Application
Paul’s instructions to the church in Corinth still ring true for the Church today.
With the current state of the world and the Church, it would be wise for we as Christ Followers to take heed to Paul’s counsel. You see, the Church is under attack from this world’s culture, false teachers, and from the old sinful nature of its members. So now more than ever, we as a Church need to stand strong in our faith. We need to fight and be courageous in what we believe in. We need to remain in a close, intimate relationship with Jesus by knowing His Word, and understanding His Word so we are not fooled by counterfeits out there. We need to stand united with our brothers and sisters in Christ, loving each other, and loving others around us. And finally, we need to make sure that we are the thermostats and not thermometers in this world. Or to put it another way: Are we changing the culture around us, or is the culture changing us? 🤔
”Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.“-Romans 12:2
Prayer
Father God I come to You today to ask and pray for strength and courage to stand firm in my faith for You. May I live my life trying to please You, rather than trying to please the world. May I love others the way You love me…and that’s unconditionally. Help me to be a thermostat and not a thermometer. I pray these things in Jesus name, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi