2 Corinthians 1:3-7
SCRIPTURE: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” NIV
OBSERVATION: Paul allowed his trials and afflictions to be opportunities for him to be able to encourage and comfort others who were also suffering. At one point in his life, Paul had been completely overwhelmed and despaired of life as he and his fellow missionaries had faced an angry mob. What he thought was going to lead to a terrible death, God ended up miraculously delivering them! Paul’s theology regarding physical and emotional pain played a major role in how he responded to difficult situations, and he purposely shared with the Corinthian church what he went through AND how God had comforted him during his challenging and scary trials.
APPLICATION: I have not had to experience an angry mob coming against me like Paul did, but I have faced many challenging and scary situations. I can honestly say that for each and every trial that I have gone through, they have helped shape me by learning what a good and gracious God I serve!
One trial in particular that I faced was when I was forced to give life support to someone who was in code blue. When I couldn’t imagine life becoming more stressful, God came and brought life back into that person! Another trial was when I was on the other end of the phone talking to a person who had become hopeless and had decided it would be best to commit suicide. God rushed in and gave me words of hope to speak life which ended up miraculously changing that person’s mind! There was another trial that my husband and I faced. We received a call in the middle of the night telling us that our oldest son had been in a terrible motorcycle accident. We were told that he would probably not be alive when we arrived at the hospital! Thirty-two years later, we are able to look back and see how God not only spared our son’s life, but has helped him to be an over-comer, even while living with paralysis! And last year after rushing to my 93 year old dad’s side after he had suffered from a brain bleed due to a roll-over car accident, we are able to see how our gracious Miracle working God showed up and brought healing back into him! Through each and every one of those challenging trials, I was able to experience God’s merciful hand and get to see how He brought comfort into our lives!
PRAYER: Merciful God of comfort, You are so faithful to prove Your love to us when we are going through challenging times and struggles, and how blessed we are to be able to come out knowing what a good and faithful God You are as we experience the personalized provisions You give to us as we cry out to You. AND because we have experienced Your comfort while going through our trials, we are now able to comfort those who are going through their trials! I pray as I have learned to put my trust in You that I will be faithful to minister Your love to those who are going through any kind of trial or affliction, and I thank You that I am able to do this through the comfort which I have received from You.
- Robin Orefice
1 Corinthians 16 - 2.2.26
Scripture
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
”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 his plans to visit them real soon. Paul wishes to stay with them for a while 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. Finally, we need to make sure that we are the thermostats and not thermometers in this world. 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
1 Corinthians 13 - 1.30.26
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.
Observation
Paul is writing to the church in Corinth that was divided. Paul is talking about “Agape Love” which is the highest form of love, defined in the Bible as a selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial commitment to the well-being of others, modeled by God’s love for humanity. Unlike emotional, sexual or conditional love, agape is an action-oriented choice that persists regardless of circumstances, flaws, or lack of reciprocation. (Google)
Ephesians 2: 4-5
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -- it is by grace you have been saved.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God’s love is: Unmerited, Gracious and constantly seeking the benefit of the one’s He loves.
Application
Agape Love, modeled by Jesus Christ, is not based on a feeling; rather, it is a determined act of the will, a joyful expression to put the welfare of others before our own. Jesus gave us the example of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) who was beaten and left for dead. The Priest walked on the other side, so he didn’t have to look at him, the Levite also passed on the other side, but the Good Samaritan picked him up, bandaged him up and took him to an Inn, so he could recuperate from his wounds. The Good Samaritan paid for his stay and also told the Inn Keeper; to take care of him and he would come back and pay him any extra expenses. God tells us to: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The Good Samaritan was actively showing Agape Love.
Agape Love does not come naturally to us. Because of our fallen nature, we are incapable of producing such a love. If we are to love as Jesus Christ loves, that love “Agape Love” can only come from above.
These scriptures are used a lot in weddings, but I feel the real meaning of these verses are for our neighbors. The people we work with, the people that have a different political opinion than us, the neighbors down the street, the people protesting on the street corner, and the people driving next to us in traffic. Could you imagine if we actually lived our lives in obedience to these scriptures? With hearts that are eager to forgive and serve. What an impact we would make to a hopeless, angry world.
Romans 5:5 - And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
LOVE NEVER FAILS!
Prayer
Dear Lord, We ask you to show us how to love the unlovable. We ask you to teach us to love like you do. Give us hearts that burn with your love and help us to be a people of action. Break our hearts for what breaks Yours. Help us to always walk in obedience to your word. Thank you for your love and mercy that was poured out on us. May the world know that we are Christians by our love.
- Michelle Craig