Posts Tagged ‘1st Corinthians’
Judgment is the Lord’s
We look around at the actions of others and, before we even realize it, we have judged them. At just a glance, we have determined in our mind whether one person deserves our attention. We rush to judgment that ‘others’ are failing Christ when we are the failures. Judgment is among the most difficult behaviors…
Read MoreNot of Noble Blood
There are two types of people in the world. There re those who think they are special and those who don’t. There are those who think they are underdogs and those who think they rule the rest of us. In Christ, there are no underdogs and no rulers. We are all together in Christ. God…
Read MoreBeware of the Company You Keep
The old saying, ‘you are known by the company you keep’ is more relevant for Christians than for any other group. We are expected to interact with everyone with love. How do we keep company but remain distant when people pull us from Christ? Brethren, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of…
Read MoreEmpty Hope is Folly
All this talk about hope in the Church should make one wonder. What are we hoping for in the first place? Some use hope merely to lift our spirits in a difficult situation. We believe that hope will get us though, but if hope is empty then we are just fools. For Saint Paul, hope…
Read MoreNot for Me but for Thee
In the heat of summer here in America and the only thing we can think about is how to cool off. We search for a bit of shade when parking our car. We sprint to get that last chair under the shade of the tree to relax. We are obsessed with our comfort in the…
Read MoreForgiveness Comes from Unity
Forgiveness is at the same time the easiest and most difficult part of every relationship. It is easy because we desire to be united with those from whom we are estranged. It is difficult because our pride always gets in the way. Unity is the key to all forgiveness. The Lord said to his disciples,…
Read MoreGive no Offense
The current trend in society of being offended by everything with which we disagree can be overwhelming. It seems like we can’t say anything to anyone without fear of offending them. What makes this especially difficult as Christians is our invitation to give no offense. Brethren, if someone says to you, “This has been offered…
Read MoreContext Matters
Many years ago, slaver owners used the Scriptures to defend their position of slavery. They were wrong. Today, many are still using the Scriptures to enforce or otherwise influence those around them. They are also wrong. The Scriptures guide us, but the Scriptures have context. Brethren, in whatever state each was called, there let him…
Read MoreThink Twice and Speak Once
Growing up in shop class I learned the saying “measure twice, cut once” to avoid mistakes. I’m not a great carpenter. Carpentry is like speaking. The more time you take to review what you say, the less you say. I must admit. I’m not much better at speaking than carpentry. Wisdom comes with age, so…
Read MoreDo Not Judge Yet
We’ve all heard it. We’ve probably all said it, and it always means something bad. We say, “Do not judge,” when we don’t want to feel badly about our behavior. We don’t want to judge others, also because it might make them feel bad about themselves. So, why do we do it? Judgement is always…
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