Who is it?

I am going to start this blog out with 1 Corinthians 13 as you read it think about who is it that deserves your love.
⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

I am convinced that these verses have done a lot of damage to people who have only heard them spoke at weddings. I would be one of them. Growing up I was never taught the Bible correctly, but had heard about it from time to time. So whenever I heard these words it reinforced my thinking that love was only for my family. I knew how to love my family, but it went no farther than blood. So to go to a wedding and hearing these words out of context they did a disservice to me. I did not know that I was supposed to love others and that for not loving others was putting me in a situation that if not corrected would have an impact on where I spent eternity. 

Now that I am a follower of Christ and have sat under some good teaching of the Bible I am learning to love others, a concept that for a long time was foreign to me. At times it is still hard because of almost 40 years of forgetting everything I had ever thought.  So now when I read these words I just don’t think of my wife or my family I try and think of others. Read these words again and try to do the same.

Surprise! It's not as good as it looks.

Do you remember the can that looked like mixed nuts that when you opened the lid a cloth covered spring loaded snake type thing jumped out at you? Temptation is much the same way. It looks really good on the outside but when you open it up surprise it’s not what you think. The question becomes why did you open the can? With temptation nobody forces you take part in the temptation. It is your own desire that entices you to the temptation. There is a verse in the Bible that I’m sure that most have heard it says that God will not allow a temptation to be more than you can stand. This does not mean that you will not fall for the temptation or that turning away from it will be easy. You have to finish the verse. It says that when tempted he will show you a way out. When you become a Christian you always have an option to the temptation and that option in Christ. Non-believers don’t have that option but if you are you do. How important is that? So not if, but when you are tempted you have another choice. Now you have to decide do I want ______ (fill in the blank) or do I want Christ? The blank part will seem so very good at first but when you open the can something will jump out at you. The choice of Christ may not look so good in the beginning but in the end he will show you the way to endure. Temptation leads to death and Christ leads to life I have yet to figure out why death looks so good. However I am very grateful that Christ has shown me life.

1 Corinthians 10
¹³ The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Time to clean your closet.

1 Corinthians 4:5
⁵ So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.

The middle sentence in this verse should be enough to make a person stop and examine themselves. For he (being Jesus) will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. We have all heard the saying about having skeletons in our closets. Today might be a good day to check your closet. Some people are very aware of the skeletons in their closet. Today might be a good day to repent and be forgiven for whatever they might be. Others have denied their skeletons for so long that they may have forgotten that they even have them. Today might be a good day to reopen that closet and take a look again. Then there are those who have denied that they even have a closet so how could they have any skeletons? Trust me the closet is there and there are skeletons in it. Again today might be a good day to open your closet and take a good hard look at what is in there. Because someday Jesus is going to blow your closet open for all to see so today might be a good day for all of us to clean our closets.

The last half of this middle sentence cannot be over looked either. Even when we do something that is “good” or “right” what are our motives? For example I have seen what appear to be very generous people but when they give they knowingly or unknowingly are expecting something in return. There motive for giving was getting. Or some who goes and helps out another all the while is hoping to be seen by others as a helper. You can’t fool Jesus so why even try.

Your muzzle is not very becoming

                                                                                                

How many times in your life have you kept quiet about the truth for fear of what others might think? For me it has been way too many. If we could only have the attitude that Paul spoke of in 1 Corinthians 4:3

³ As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point.

If we could only throw caution to the wind when it comes to speaking of and showing our love for the Lord how much better off would this place be?

When we speak of the truth we should do it with excitement and confidence. All the while not caring what others think as long as you are speaking the truth. Satan himself will use your fear of rejection to muzzle you; to keep you from doing what is right and speaking the truth. He succeeds more times than not. Don’t let him muzzle you and if he has take it off because is not very becoming. I am writing this mainly for myself but if it applies to you great. The thing that keeps coming to mind for the cure of the fear of rejection is faith in God. Faith that he is in control and that he will provide for and protect anyone who speaks the truth. Do you care more what people think or what God thinks? Sounds like an easy choice but is it that easy?

Nothing But Questions

Time to start up again with the regular blog content.  1 Corinthians is where we will pick up again.  Thanks for your patience and I hope you will find something useful. Please feel free to share this content with anyone you think it may be a blessing to.

Actually going to step out of 1 Corinthians for today and ask some thought provoking questions, ones that I have been asking myself lately.

1.       How does a person keep humility from turning them into a door mat?

2.       If you shake the dust off of your feet and leave are you giving up too quickly?

3.       Why do so many think that standing up for what is right is judgmental?

4.       Why does 1 Peter 4:4 hurt so much? Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you.

5.       Why is the fear of rejection so powerful?

If you have any thoughts on answers to any of these questions please share.

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Learn To Be An Elevator

Time to start up again with the regular blog content.  1 Corinthians is where we will pick up again.  Thanks for your patience and I hope you will find something useful. Please feel free to share this content with anyone you think it may be a blessing to.

I have always admired people who could talk to others on many different levels. Many years ago I met a guy who talked regularly with world leaders, yet he could still sit down and have a conversation with me. Even as a teenager that impressed me. To me it made him genuine. In 1 Corinthians 2: 3-6 Paul knew how important it was to be able to talk about the Gospel on many different levels as well. Even Jesus who was God spoke in parables so that people could understand him.  

As Christians we should strive for the same things. We should stretch ourselves to learn what something like propitiation means. Yet be able to tell someone that Jesus’ death on the cross paid the price for their sin.

 Or be able to discuss predestination, but put it in terms like God is in complete control and no one can overrule his decision.

Finally one last one Monotheism or that there is only one God.

Not only do we need to be able to speak in terms that those around us can understand but again we need to keep learning so that we ourselves can grow in Christ and perhaps even talk to the people who do know the “big” words but do not know Christ.  We need to learn to be elevators and be able to go up and down as needed.

 1 Corinthians 2:3-6

³ I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. ⁴ And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. ⁵ I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. ⁶ Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten.

Excuse me, but I couldn’t help but notice that electric chair around your neck.

Time to start up again with the regular blog content.  1 Corinthians is where we will pick up again.  Thanks for your patience and I hope you will find something useful. Please feel free to share this content with anyone you think it may be a blessing to.

1 Corinthians 1:18

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

 How often do we really stop and think about the cross and what it really means?  For some they would never even consider this question. For others to think that even if a guy died on the cross it just means that he must have been guilty of something. Then for even others to think that someone would die on the cross so that others could be with him in a “better place” now that’s just foolish. I would have to agree if I did not know Christ there is no logic in thinking that such a thing could happen. However I am forever thankful that Jesus came and died for me so that I may be with him forever.

 The next time you see a cross ask yourself two questions, first what does the cross mean to me? And if someone is wearing a cross ask yourself, do they know what it means? Then perhaps engage them and find out, it could be an interesting conversation.

 In reality someone wearing a cross around their neck would be no different than wearing a symbol of an electric chair, a noose, or a needle. It was the method used to execute the most despicable criminals.

In the end the cross is what did or could save you from hell.

Please keep in mind how much God must love you to have Jesus suffer as much as he did all for you.