Not Causing to Stumble
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Some issues were hard for new Christians to understand. One question for these new believers in Corinth was this: “Should we avoid food sacrificed to idols?” They didn’t want to be polluted by things associated with idols, yet meat that was not sacrificed to idols was hard to find unless they went to kosher Jewish butchers if they could find one. Paul had taught them to stay away from any kind of immorality. For some Corinthians, this principle seemed to indicate that they should have nothing to do with meat or any other thing associated with idols because doing so could associate them with idol worship, including the rampant practice of prostitution in the false religions that permeated their culture. They were also confused by some questions associated with other truths about their faith: Weren’t they free from law-keeping as the way to be justified? Didn’t their freedom allow them to eat this meat as long as they didn’t participate in the worship of idols? Weren’t idols just inanimate objects and not gods at all? Aren’t all things permitted for believers if the object or activity is offered to God to glorify Him? Paul established several clear principles to help the Christians navigate these difficult problems. He offered them several very good principles to help work through this issue while taking responsibility for their choices and their influence on others. Those principles can be seen in the answers to these core questions — answers that come from Christian love for and support of your brothers and sisters: Is the activity or behavior helping you love your brothers and sisters, or is it a source of personal pride and a sense of importance? Eating food or avoiding food doesn’t move you closer to or farther away from God. So is it worth making what you eat a significant issue in the life of another believer, especially if that believer is a new Christian? Why would you eat, drink, or do anything that would cause brothers or sisters to fall away from God and into their old lives of sin? Does participating or not participating build up and encourage your brothers and sisters? Are you doing or refusing to do something based on glorifying God, or is there another reason? Does doing this activity or eating this food or drinking this drink offend an ethnic or social group within the body of Christ? Remember, you not only are in relationship with Me as your Lord and Savior, but you are also connected to every other believer, especially those in your fellowship. You should not be living to please yourself, but Me. You should not be living to bless yourself, but others whom you influence. Follow Paul’s example and take the time to learn the needs, the vulnerabilities, and the struggles of your Christian brothers and sisters. Then adjust your use of your freedom as My disciple to bless and build up these other believers in the best possible way. Verses to Live While this discussion appears to be from long ago and far away because of the whole issue of idolatry, think of other situations where you can apply these principles. Ask yourself the core questions above (the six numbered questions) to help you examine your own motives and your brothers’ and sisters’ needs. As to the concern of eating food dedicated to idols: we know that all of us have knowledge, but knowledge can be risky. Knowledge promotes overconfidence and worse arrogance, but charity of the heart (love, that is) looks to build up others. Just because a person presumes to have some bit of knowledge, that person doesn’t necessarily have the right kind of knowledge. But if someone loves God, it is certain that God has already known that one. So to address your concerns about eating food offered to idols, let me start with what we know. An idol is essentially nothing, as there is no other God but the One. And even if the majority believes there are many so-called gods in heaven and on earth (certainly many worship such “gods” and “lords”), this is not our view. For us, there is one God, the Father Who is the ultimate source of all things and the goal of our lives. And there is one Lord — Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King; through Him all things were created, and by Him we are redeemed. But this knowledge is not in everyone. Up until now, some have been so familiar with idols and what goes on in the temples that when they eat meat that has been offered first to some idol, their weak consciences are polluted. This is the issue. Again, here’s what we know: what we eat will not bring us closer to God — we gain nothing in feasting and lose nothing by fasting. Now let me warn you: don’t let your newfound liberty cause those who don’t know this to fall face-first. Let’s say a person (someone who knows of Jesus) sees you eating in the temple of an idol; and because the person with a weaker conscience is still unsure of things, he becomes confident, follows your lead, and eats idol food. Now, because of your knowledge on display in your conduct, the weaker brother or sister — for whom the Anointed One died — is destroyed! Ruined! What’s more, by living according to your knowledge, you have sinned against these brothers and sisters and wounded their weak consciences — and because you sinned against them, you have sinned against the Anointed One, the Liberating King. So if any type of food is an issue that causes my brothers and sisters to fall away from God, then God forbid I should ever eat it again so that I would never be the crack, the rise, or the rock on the road that causes them to stumble. (1 Corinthians 8:1-13) So what does all this mean? I’m not suggesting
Today’s Verse – Romans 8:3-4
For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. —Romans 8:3-4 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Thankfully, God gives us two gifts that fulfill the Law’s righteous demands, which the Law itself could never give us. First, he gives us the perfect sin offering — his Son Jesus — to forgive, cleanse, and redeem us from our sin. Second, he gives us his Spirit to empower us to be what he wants us to be. God gives us in the New Covenant what the Law and the Prophets promised was coming. Praise God for his plan, his promises, and his gifts! My Prayer… Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your incomparable kindness and grace in giving me your great and perfect gifts — your precious and perfect Son and the blessed Holy Spirit to empower us. In Jesus’ name, and by the intercession of the Holy Spirit, I praise and thank you, dear Father. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
What About Sexual Intimacy and Marriage?
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, Today’s set of verses is long. In these verses, Paul spoke about the issue of sexual intimacy and marriage. He was applying what I taught in My ministry to a variety of life circumstances being faced by the Corinthians. I am not going to comment on all that Paul said in these verses. I want you to read the entire passage. Pray about what you read. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you apply Paul’s teaching to your life’s circumstances. However, I do want to speak about a few specific truths Paul taught in the verses below. The Corinthian Christians tended to take things to extremes. These extremes existed in both their involvement in sexual immorality as well as their avoidance of it — even to the point of not sharing in sexual intimacy in marriage. Some said that since it is important to be holy in their sexual practices by not participating in sexual immorality (yesterday’s devotional), then it would be even more holy to not have sex at all, even in marriage. Paul spoke plainly to this issue when he said, “I disagree.” His rationale for disagreement is very important. He used significant and detailed teaching about appropriate sexual intimacy from a number of important angles and circumstances. Please take what Paul said here seriously. Especially notice the following truths that he taught the Corinthians. First, Paul emphasized that if a believer can remain single and stay pure, then he or she should do so, especially in view of the difficulties that the Corinthians would be facing. Remaining single allows such a believer to serve Us — Father, Son, and Spirit — without distraction. Some of Our most dedicated servants through the ages have been holy and single. For example, remember that I was single as were John the Baptist and the apostle Paul. Do not look down on singles as being less complete. Appreciate their whole-hearted devotion to Me and to the kingdom. However, this single and celibate lifestyle is not for most people. It is only for those to whom the gift of fulfilled singleness is given (Matthew 19:10-11). Most people are not gifted to live single and chaste, so they should marry. Also, notice the teaching Paul gave to different groups about this issue. (See the underlined words in the verses below to help you recognize these different groups.) Second, you can glorify Us with your sexuality. When sexual intimacy is shared appropriately with your spouse in marriage, it is a good and glorious gift given to you by Us. Your sexual life in marriage is not something dirty or anything negative. It is a holy way to honor and glorify Us in your body as you fulfill and bless your spouse in your marriage (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:21). Third, when We created humanity, We made people male and female. Both men and women are created in Our image. We blessed a man and a woman to enjoy the one-flesh union of sexual intimacy and We declared this to be “very good” (Genesis 1:27-31; Genesis 2:24-25; Matthew 19:4-6). The principles of love, care, faithfulness, pleasure, fulfillment, and blessing need to be applied equally to both the husband and the wife. In most cultures in Paul’s day, the wife was viewed as little more than property. Notice the care Paul takes in all of his instructions to apply the truths he teaches equally to both husband and wife. Paul’s teaching was not only against the cultural standards of his day, but against most religious teaching in his time — it was transformational and revolutionary. However, Paul’s teaching is what We had intended from creation. Both husband and wife are created in Our image. Each, and the pleasure and joy and fulfillment of each, are important to Us. As you read the verses below, notice the words in bold that will help you see how Paul took such great care to emphasize this principle We built into creation. Fourth, responsibly procreating as good stewards of creation is one purpose of sexual intimacy (Genesis 1:28), but it is far from the only reason we blessed you with this intimacy. Sexual intimacy can help you relieve your sense of being alone and needing a partner in the world (Genesis 2:18-25). Sexual intimacy is a gift We gave you as a way to enjoy, serve, and fulfill each other (Proverbs 5:15-19). Finding joy in sexually pleasing, blessing, and fulfilling your spouse is a great way to guard against the pull and lust of sexual immorality as well as a way to show your love for your spouse. Notice what Paul said: Because of our tendency to embrace immoralities, each man should feel free to join together in sexual intimacy with his own wife, and each woman should join with her own husband. Pleasing, blessing, and fulfilling your spouse is a responsibility you have to your spouse. Again, notice what Paul said: Each husband has the responsibility to meet his wife’s sexual desires, and each wife should do the same for her husband. In marriage neither the husband nor the wife should act as if his or her body is private property — your bodies now belong to one another, and together they are whole. So do not withhold sex from one another, unless both of you have agreed to devote a certain period of time to prayer. When the agreed time is over, come together again so that Satan will not tempt you when you are short on self-control. Be certain that you do not misunderstand or wrongly apply Paul’s teaching that “your bodies now belong to one another.” This instruction definitely is not license to take advantage of your spouse. The relationship between spouses is to be based on love, respect, and voluntary submission to each other (Ephesians 5:21-30; 1 Peter 3:8). Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that sexual intimacy is a very important part of honoring and glorifying
Today’s Verse – Romans 8:2
[T]hrough Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. —Romans 8:2 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Praise God! Jesus delivered us from the principle of law-keeping as the way to prove our righteousness and earn our salvation. We are now enabled to live out the will of God in our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit, who conforms us (Romans 8:28-29) and transforms us (2 Corinthians 3:18) to become like Christ, who is the fulfillment of the law (Matthew 5:17). We are saved by grace, through faith, so we can do good deeds out of thankfulness to honor our Savior just as God planned long ago for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10). Video Commentary… ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer… Thank you, dear Father, for your grace and mercy. I praise you, God Almighty, for your incredible sacrifice to bring my pardon. Glory and honor to you, O Sovereign LORD, for your gift of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me in your will and transform me into a person of your character, like Jesus Christ. In his name, I thank you. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Were!
Note from Jesus Dear Holy One, You confessed Me as your Lord and called on My name as your Savior (Romans 10:9-13). You were joined with Me in My death, burial, and resurrection through your baptism (Romans 6:3-8). You were cleansed and made perfectly holy (Colossians 1:21-23) through the work of the Holy Spirit. As Paul tells the Corinthians, [Y]ou have been washed clean, set apart, restored, and set on the right path in the name of the Lord Jesus, the Anointed, by the Spirit of our living God. There are things you once WERE because of your evil and sinful behavior, but you are not those things any longer. Those things should not be part of your life now. Even if you were raised in a Christian family and have tried to live for Me all of your life, you know that there was and is sin in your life. In your conversion and cleansing, you were united with Me. We became one, and My righteousness was given to you. You are now part of Me and a vital part of My Body, the church. So what you do with your body and in your body impacts and involves Me. Sexual immorality — and by that, I mean any sexual relationship except between a husband and wife in marriage (Matthew 19:4-6) — involves you becoming one flesh with the other person. Sexual intimacy is more than just a physical activity: it is an act of knowing, serving, and being united with another person. Keeping yourself sexually pure shows your appreciation for the price by which you are redeemed from your sin. So please, recognize the importance of being holy in your relationship with others — not just to honor Me, but also to guard your own heart and body. As Paul writes below, he emphasizes the importance of your heart and your body: Run from immoral behavior. All other sins are disconnected from the body, but sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who comes from God and dwells inside of you? You do not own yourself. You have been purchased at a great price, so use your body to bring glory to God! Like the Corinthians, you live in a time when holiness in regard to your intimate relationships is not understood or is ignored. This situation breaks My heart for you because I know the confusion, heartache, and abuse that immoral behavior has unleashed into your world. Something made to bring you joy, love, and security has become common and a source of hurt. My call to you for holiness and purity is for your protection and blessing, not for your limitation. Paul said it well: The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord; the Lord is over all, and He cares about your body. So please take these words from Paul very seriously as My call to your heart for your good as My disciple. Regardless of what you once WERE, don’t let sinful sexual relations creep in and pull you away from the person you ARE now! Verses to Live Notice that Paul twice refers to the fact that some of the Corinthians were justifying their sinful sexual activities by saying “For me, all things are permitted.” There are people in your time who use the same ungodly reasoning. Don’t allow yourself to be one of those people. My teaching is clear: Sex outside of marriage is sinful. Paul points out that you are to be holy and pure because “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit”. If that is not enough motivation for you, notice that he also says “A lot of people stand to inherit nothing of God’s coming kingdom, including those whose lives are defined by sexual immorality…” Do you need reminding that the unjust have no share in the blessings of the kingdom of God? Do not be misled. A lot of people stand to inherit nothing of God’s coming kingdom, including those whose lives are defined by sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, sexual deviancy, theft, greed, drunkenness, slander, and swindling. Some of you used to live in these ways, but you are different now; you have been washed clean, set apart, restored, and set on the right path in the name of the Lord Jesus, the Anointed, by the Spirit of our living God. I can hear some of you saying, “For me, all things are permitted.” But face the facts: all things are not beneficial. So you say, “For me, all things are permitted.” Here’s my response: I will not allow anything to control me. Another chimes in: “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food.” I suppose so, but a day will come when God will dispense with both food and the stomach. The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord; the Lord is over all, and He cares about your body. God has raised the Lord Jesus from death, but He won’t stop there. His dynamic power will raise us up from the grips of death as well. Don’t you realize that your bodies are members of the Anointed One? So should I take the members of the Anointed One and unite them to a prostitute? This illicit union should never take place! Don’t you understand that when your body is joined with a prostitute, the two of you have become one body? For as it says, “The two come together as one flesh.” But when you are joined with the Lord, you become one spirit with Him. Run from immoral behavior. All other sins are disconnected from the body, but sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who comes from God and dwells inside of you? You do not own yourself. You have
Today’s Verse – Psalm 8:1
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. —Psalm 8:1 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… At first glance, these two concepts — majestic in all the Earth and glory above the heavens — may seem to be contradictory or at least disconnected. On the one hand, God’s name is majestic in this plain ol’ transitory space we call Earth. At the same time, however, God is glorious and above the highest heavens. This collision of different worlds is displayed in the life of Israel. It is made clear in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It will be made glorious clear in us, who will one day share in the glory of the heavens because we have boldly declared the majesty of our LORD God on Earth! My Prayer… Thank you, dear Father, for Jesus’ promise that if I honor you and confess him on this earth, you will gladly honor me and call my name in the presence of your angels when the time comes for me to stand before your throne. In Jesus’ name, I thank and praise you. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Wouldn’t It Be Better?
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Today’s verses are from 1 Corinthians. Paul had begun to address the sin and division damaging the holiness and fellowship in the house churches in Corinth. In yesterday’s verses, he wrote about dealing with the problems of illicit sexual relations and the Christians’ boasting about their open-mindedness at allowing it to go on in their fellowship. In today’s verses, Paul addresses the problem of lawsuits that believers were bringing against each other before unbelievers. He emphasizes the embarrassment that such lawsuits were bringing on My spiritual family due to the way that outsiders viewed the church. Paul tells the Christians why they should prefer to be “ripped off or defrauded” by a fellow believer rather than go to court before unbelievers. He makes some important points about why there shouldn’t be lawsuits between Christians: Any disagreement believers cannot settle between themselves should be decided by using wise believers in the church family to resolve the issue. Christians should have more wisdom and better values on which to make such a decision. After all, the Father will have Christians judge “heavenly messengers” or angels at the end of time. Going to unbelievers to decide a legal matter is an embarrassment to the church. This legal action also places Christians under the authority of those “who have no allegiance to” Me or to My standards of morality and integrity. The ultimate question you face in these matters is really pretty simple. Are you seeking My kingdom and My righteousness (Matthew 6:33) or are you trying to store up treasures on earth (Matthew 6:19-21)? When a person’s heart is more concerned about keeping what he or she has than it is about the good of My kingdom, then that person is living in darkness, and My following words of warning are relevant: The eye is the lamp of the body. You draw light into your body through your eyes, and light shines out to the world through your eyes. So if your eye is well and shows you what is true, then your whole body will be filled with light. But if your eye is clouded or evil, then your body will be filled with evil and dark clouds. And the darkness that takes over the body of a child of God who has gone astray — that is the deepest, darkest darkness there is. (Matthew 6:22-23) I want to encourage you, as Paul does, to find a way to solve your differences and not go to court (Luke 12:57-59). Paul said it well: The truth is that these public lawsuits cause all of you to lose and lose big. Wouldn’t it be better to be ripped off or defrauded? If you cannot work out a disagreement between yourselves, seek the help of wise brothers and sisters in Christ to help you come to a fair understanding (Matthew 18:16). Remember that there are more important things than your getting what you believe is fair in such matters. One of those more important things is the reputation of the Christian community among unbelievers, and another is not placing yourself under the authority of someone who does not live by My values of truth, honesty, and integrity. Verses to Live There are times when brothers and sisters in Christ disagree, disappoint each other, or even sin against each other. To help resolve these disputes, seek the wisdom of wise believers. Don’t go to court with each other before unbelievers and embarrass the church! Here’s another troubling issue. If you have a grievance against another follower of Jesus, do you have the audacity to bring that brother or sister into the civil courts rather than submitting yourselves to the authority of God’s people? Don’t you know that His people are destined to judge the world? If you have the authority to judge the world, can’t you handle these small matters and render a better judgment than the civil courts? Further, don’t you know that we are destined to judge the heavenly messengers? So if we are to exercise authority in the heavenly realms, can’t we take care of the conflicts that arise in this life? To put it another way, if you are asking the courts to adjudicate your mundane conflicts, aren’t you placing your problems under the authority of judges who have no standing within the church? My words should embarrass you. Is it possible that you have no one among you with the wisdom to mediate between two siblings? So one brother sues another brother in public and drags the dispute before outsiders who have no allegiance to Jesus? The truth is that these public lawsuits cause all of you to lose and lose big. Wouldn’t it be better to be ripped off or defrauded? In fact, you are guilty of ripping off and defrauding your own brothers and sisters, not the other way around. (1 Corinthians 6:1-8) Response in Prayer Father, help me as I work on my heart to love You, Your people, and the reputation of Your people. I want to care about the reputation of Your people in the eyes of the world more than I love myself and my stuff. Help me, please dear Lord, for the world pulls at my heart. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – 1 Corinthians 7:31
For this world in its present form is passing away. —1 Corinthians 7:31 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… This often repeated theme in the New Testament is from Jesus’s lips and taught again by the apostle Paul. It should be a great reminder to us that we shouldn’t spend our lives working for what is only temporary. We must invest in Jesus and his Kingdom, for all other kingdoms, structures, nations, and powers will ultimately pass away and be gone forever. Only what we invest in Jesus and his Kingdom will endure! My Prayer… LORD God Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega, the Eternal I Am, we thank you for being what everything else in the world cannot be. Please awaken our hearts to things of eternal significance and open our eyes to see through the transitory things that are so often alluring to us. In Jesus’ name, we pray and ask for this help. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Family Discipline, Family Rescue
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, In My family, there are times when direct discipline from the Father is necessary in the lives of His children (1 Corinthians 11:32; Hebrews 12:5-11). Throughout your New Testament, you can find different forms of discipline, correction, and rescue that My followers are instructed to use to reclaim those who have gone astray (Matthew 18:12-20; Romans 16:17-18; Galatians 6:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; James 5:19-20; Jude 1:20-25). Today’s verses contain Paul’s strong words about a serious need for discipline. The new believers in Corinth were tolerating immorality within their group. This disorder was a type of immorality recognized as evil even among most non-believers. It involved sexual relations between a man and his father’s wife. The Corinthians not only allowed this blatant sin to continue, but they were also boasting about being open-minded enough to accept and fellowship those participating in this ongoing sin. The apostle Paul called such sin a “tragedy” and told the Corinthians that rather than being arrogant, they should “mourn” about such a “terrible” sin in their community and that the sinner should “be removed from the community.” I know that some in Your culture frown on the discipline Paul advocates in these verses. However, Paul appropriately reminds the Corinthian Christians that his words about discipline arise out of his “deep love” for them. There are certain moral standards in the Father’s family of grace. His children must demonstrate both His righteous character and His gracious compassion, not one to the exclusion of the other. The Father’s standards of morality are not arbitrary. Immorality damages the fabric of relationships and the basis of trust in a community. Immorality also damages and hardens the heart of the person involved in it. Expelling those who were participating in this sin was necessary for the Corinthian fellowship if those in that fellowship were going to identify themselves as My disciples. However, this discipline must be done with two things in mind: This discipline was to be exercised so that the sinners could be “rescued” from their bondage to their sinful nature. In other words, it should be done so they would turn their lives around and come back to Me. This discipline was to be exercised so that My spiritual family could be freed from involvement in supporting immorality. If allowed unchecked, immorality would eventually permeate and destroy the fellowship and character of My disciples. You should not remove yourself from the world with its immorality and corruption. I don’t intend for you to take yourself out of the world or to isolate yourselves from the world (John 17:14-19). Instead, I call you through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit to be light to the darkness of your world and to be salt to preserve the world from its rot and decay caused by sin (Matthew 5:13-16). For this to happen, you must be people of righteous character. Your lives and morals must be in tune with the character of your Father in heaven. Paul’s previous letter (see yesterday’s note for more on this) had taught the Corinthian Christians to be separate from worldliness and immorality. He makes clear in the verses today what he means. Paul is not suggesting that they withdraw from the society around them, but that as part of My body, the church, they not live by the world’s standards. There are moral standards for fellowship among My disciples. The Corinthian disciples needed to help each other live up to those standards. Rather than withdrawing from the sinful world, the Corinthian’s call was to live as My people of righteous character and gracious compassion in the world to redeem the world. That manner of living is also My call to you today. Be a people of righteous character and gracious compassion both inside the fellowship of My people and also in your relationships with those who do not yet call on Me as their Lord. Verses to Live In My church, there will always be some people who decide to continue in some types of sins — people who at one level long to honor Me, but who decide to participate in something sinful. The goal is that both these willful sinners and those who sometimes stumble and sin be transformed to become more and more like Me (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18). So don’t let each other settle down into sin and simply accept that sin. Love each other enough to work on rescuing each other from sin. I love what Jude wrote about this kind of support in his short little letter: But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. Now all glory to God, Who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him Who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. (Jude 1:20-25 NLT) Now for Paul’s words to the Corinthians: Because of my deep love for you, I must express my concern about the report brought to me regarding the lewd and immoral behavior exhibited in your community. This scandal has come to my attention because this kind of thing is unheard of even among the outsiders around us: I understand a man is having sexual relations with his father’s wife. You have turned into an arrogant lot who refuse to see the
Today’s Verse – John 7:30-31
[When Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, the people rejected his teaching, and] they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?” —John 7:30-31 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… The enemies of Jesus tried repeatedly to seize him. Yet the Gospel of John reminds us again and again that no one could seize Jesus until he offered himself to them at the right time according to God’s plan. Jesus followed God’s timetable just as carefully as he obeyed his Father’s will. So, we can know with absolute assurance that when Jesus died, he did so to redeem us and obey his Father’s will. The LORD did not die because he was powerless to defend himself. Jesus’ death was voluntary, a sacrifice, a triumph of his obedience to his Father’s will over his own will for preservation. Yes, wicked people were responsible, but his death was also the plan of God to redeem us! Jesus obeyed, and we are saved! He offered himself as a sacrifice at the right time, God’s time, so we could be adopted into the Father’s family and be freed of our bondage to sin, death, hell, and the evil one! My Prayer… LORD Jesus, I thank you for honoring our Father and being obedient to him and his timing in your life. Thank you for choosing to die for me and redeem me from my sin. Thank you, dear Father, for such an incredible display of love and mercy that cost you so much. Please give me a more profound sense of my worth and significance to you, because I know the great price you paid to redeem and adopt me. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.