Category: I Corinthians

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How Much Do You Owe?

For years, Dave and I have worked hard to be out-of-debt. Let me tell you it has been a real challenge. So a few days ago, while I was reading through the last chapters of Romans, these words lit up the page like a search light.

“Let love be your only debt.” Romans 13:8 CEV

Now you may think that Paul was talking about the debt of love we owe to God but he wasn’t. That would be completely understandable. God’s love for us is unconditional – it doesn’t vary because of our goodness or lack thereof. God’s love never fails and is always the same.

Paul was writing about our love for others.

“Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.” Romans 13:8-10 MSG

Did you notice that the things Paul said we wouldn’t do if we loved others were taken directly from the ten commandments that Moses delivered to the children of Israel hundreds of years before? If we love others we won’t lie, steal, or bring them any harm.

Paul says this in his letter to the Christians living in Corinth:

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5 Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. 6 Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. 8 Love will never end.” I Corinthians 13:4-8 ERV

That’s a big debt! We can’t fulfill it by ourselves but we can with God’s help.

“For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:5b NLT

May I encourage you to go into debt, deeply in debt. Make it your goal to be indebted to love!

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Make It Feel Better

Have you ever skinned your knee, broke your arm, stubbed your toe, or hit your funny bone? Hurts, doesn’t it? Maybe you’ve had something more serious, maybe you have battled cancer or some other disease.

If so, you have learned how amazing the body is in working to heal itself. Blood cells start rushing to provide the infected part what it needs to heal. Swelling occurs to protect the injured part and keep it safe. All systems begin to work together for the good of the whole body.

I remember when I broke my right wrist I had to compensate for the loss of my primary hand. I had to learn to do the simple things with my left hand; things like brushing my teeth, combing my hair, tying my shoes, keyboarding and writing.  Oh my goodness, I was so thankful to have a second hand and wrist that would move correctly, even if they were untrained.

This is the picture Paul is painting in I Corinthians 12. We are all members of one body, joined together, we each have our part to play in keeping the body of Christ healthy and whole.

When we allow prejudice and doctrine to separate us we are bringing cancer into the body of Christ. When we are jealous of what some other Christian has or is doing and wonder why we weren’t able to be in the lime light and do this or that we cause damage to the body.

This is exactly what our enemy wants to happen. Just as he works to destroy our physical bodies, he works to cause dis-ease in the body of Christ. He knows if he can cause division of the members, get us out of joint, the pain will keep us from being effective for Christ.

“A person has only one body, but it has many parts. Yes, there are many parts, but all those parts are still just one body. Christ is like that too…14 And a person’s body has more than one part. It has many parts. 15 The foot might say, “I am not a hand, so I don’t belong to the body.” But saying this would not stop the foot from being a part of the body. 16 The ear might say, “I am not an eye, so I don’t belong to the body.” But saying this would not make the ear stop being a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, it would not be able to hear. If the whole body were an ear, it would not be able to smell anything. 18-19 If each part of the body were the same part, there would be no body. But as it is, God put the parts in the body as he wanted them. He made a place for each one. 20 So there are many parts, but only one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the foot, “I don’t need you!” 22 No, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are actually very important. 23 And the parts that we think are not worth very much are the parts we give the most care to. And we give special care to the parts of the body that we don’t want to show. 24 The more beautiful parts don’t need this special care. But God put the body together and gave more honor to the parts that need it. 25 God did this so that our body would not be divided. God wanted the different parts to care the same for each other. 26 If one part of the body suffers, then all the other parts suffer with it. Or if one part is honored, then all the other parts share its honor. 27 All of you together are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of that body.” I Corinthians 12:12-27 ERV

Each morning I pray and thank God for health and healing in my body and that of my family. As I was writing this this morning I was convicted that I need to pray daily for health and healing in the body of Christ.

Will you join me? We have some hurting parts and they need our love and compassion to help them as they heal!

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Motives Matter

Good morning all.

I am going to pose a question to you that I have had to ask myself. When you are doing something nice for someone, do you ever hear “they probably won’t appreciate this anyway” going off in your head? If so, you’re not alone. That’s exactly what I dealt with. I had to come face to face with my answer.

Definitely a motive check-up. I Corinthians 13, the love chapter, tells us that if we are martyred and it isn’t motivated by love – then it profits us nothing. Thoughts like “I’m giving all my time to do this or that and no one will really appreciate it anyway – no one is going to know how hard I worked, how I gave up sleep, how much it cost me to do this nice thing” – are all wrong motives!

Years ago I would do things for people just to get them to like or accept me. I tried to buy friendship – wow, what a destructive force that was! I was so insecure in who I was that I needed constant affirmation from others that I was lovable. Then I heard a wonderful, godly woman, Dale Evans Rogers, speak in our college chapel service about God’s love, His unconditional love, and the message got through.

Knowing that God loves me – really loves me – is more than enough acceptance to last a life time. I went from doing things for people to get them to like and accept me to doing the same things because I really loved those people and I wanted them to know they were loved and appreciated. A complete 180 in motivation.

When thoughts spring up “they probably won’t even appreciate this”, and my response back is but I appreciate them and I want them to know that they are special the question of motive was answered.

It seems when we are tired and under stress that our motives come into question. Satan knows when we are weak and tries to kick us when we’re down. He’s such a creep – he did the same to Jesus. After a forty day fast he tempted Jesus with food – he said “IF you are the son of God, turn these stones to bread”. His tactics with us are the same, when we recognize them we can walk in the same strength and victory that Jesus did.

Let’s face the daily challenges and make our motivation one of love without expecting anything in return.

“I may give away everything I have to help others, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned. But I gain nothing by doing all this if I don’t have love. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5 Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. 6 Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. 8 Love will never end.” I Corinthians 13:3-8 ERV

We have the opportunity to be an example of Jesus love today. Our motives matter.

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A Good Example to Follow

Yesterday I reminded you of the example our Father has set for us. He is loving and gracious, ready to help and never too busy to be there for us. These verses of instruction from the Apostle Paul on following a good example seem to fit right in with yesterday’s thoughts.

“Follow my way of thinking as I follow Christ. 2 I think you have done well because you always remember me and have followed the things I taught you.” I Corinthians 11:1-2 NLV

Paul tells the church at Corinth to follow him in the same way he is following Christ. This is the man who went many years being religious but not following Christ. He persecuted the Christians, stood at the stoning of Stephen, and was a member of the Pharisees (religious zealots). But then Paul met the Lord on the road to Damascus and was converted. He learned from the Holy Spirit the truth of the Scriptures. He was given a mandate from God to share the truth of the Gospel and the good news of grace with the world.

He had learned that following Christ would lead him before the most prominent men of his day and that it would also lead him into the depths of the dungeons, leave him in chains, subject him to beatings and stoning but in all things he would be victorious as he followed Christ.

In all the persecution, he never harbored a grudge. He loved those who persecuted him and ministered to those who held him captive. His imprisonment wasn’t a detriment but instead it became the solitude that allowed him to write over half of the New Testament.

His letters were the instruction and encouragement that the Christians needed. Life in prison allowed him to focus on his writings and to the leading of the Holy Spirit. In Paul’s life as a Christian he didn’t complain but he offered praise. In his physical weakness he depended on God’s ever enduring strength. He wasn’t afraid of death but saw it as an opportunity to “be absent from the body and present with the Lord”. However, he chose to stay so that he could continue to teach and encourage those who were his children in the faith. And we are in that group.

Paul gives us insight on God’s plan of authority. The head of every man is Christ. Jesus brought peace between God and man – he brought reconciliation. He brought authority to replace defeat. Through Christ’s sinless life He was a living example of godliness. A true example of the Father, an example to follow.

There is one leader, God the Father. Christ followed His example of love and self-sacrifice. We’ll never go wrong when we follow the Father by following Christ.

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Listen With Your Heart

This morning I want to encourage you to listen to God’s leading. As we listen with our heart we will hear His.

One of the biggest questions I am asked about my walk with the Lord is how do I know when God is speaking to me. Answer: It comes from reading God’s word and listening to that small voice on the inside.

I’ve heard it referred to by those who don’t understand that God is talking to them as something that just “dawned on me” or in the terms “I knew I shouldn’t have done that”. Some call it intuition. As followers of Christ, we can and will hear His voice if we listen for it. He will never instruct us to do anything contrary to His word.

As we read the Bible if we come across something we don’t really understand we should ask Him to give us the insight we need to properly apply what we are reading. He wants His word to lead us and guide us. A child cannot obey and follow the instructions of their Father if they don’t understand His words.

God’s desire from the very beginning of time was to walk and talk to us and to tell us what was on His heart. He never changes so that is still His desire today. We just need to take the time to slow down and listen.

“But we speak God’s secret wisdom that has been hidden from everyone until now. God planned this wisdom for our glory. He planned it before the world began. 8 None of the rulers of this world understood this wisdom. If they had understood it, they would not have killed our great and glorious Lord on a cross. 9 But as the Scriptures say, ‘No one has ever seen, no one has ever heard, no one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’

10 But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit knows all things. The Spirit even knows the deep secrets of God. 11 It is like this: No one knows the thoughts that another person has. Only the person’s spirit that lives inside knows those thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit. 12 We received the Spirit that is from God, not the spirit of the world. We received God’s Spirit so that we can know all that God has given us…15 We who have the Spirit are able to make judgments about all these things. But anyone without the Spirit is not able to make proper judgments about us. 16 As the Scriptures say, ‘Who can know what is on the Lord’s mind? Who is able to give him advice?’ But we have been given Christ’s way of thinking.” I Corinthians 2:6-16 ERV

These verses tell us that God wants us to know His heart. Without the leading of the Holy Spirit we can’t understand God’s word but we aren’t without the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to all men and that He would teach us all things from the Father. One thing we can confidently trust is God doesn’t lie. When He makes a promise like that He keeps it. God doesn’t want His word to be a mystery, He wants us to know His heart.

“I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. 27 I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:25-27 NLT

I often say it is better to read two or three verses in the Bible and then let those words impact our whole day than to read several chapters and walk away forgetting what we’ve read.

Our part is to listen and obey. The Holy Spirit will make God’s word practical. I’m reminded of it at the grocery store, talking with my friends and visiting with the neighbors. Scripture is applicable in every situation.

Trust the Holy Spirit to give you the understanding you need today! Listen with your heart.

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No Broken Promises

Do kids still do “pinky swear”? You remember, we’d be on the play ground or at a friend’s house when something would be said or done, a secret was confided or a promise made and we would “pinky swear”. There was nothing stronger than a pinky swear – it was unbreakable!

But as I grew up pinky swear was replaced with “I cross my heart”. And then we knew there was definitely nothing stronger than that…A promise is a promise and should never be broken. Yet, I have broken promises and have also experienced the breaking of them. I know we all have. It can be devastating.

However, there is One who never breaks a promise!

“All of God’s promises have their yes in him. That is why we say Amen through him to the glory of God.” II Corinthians 1:20

When God makes a promise He keeps it. Simply put, God cannot lie. What promise has God made you that you haven’t seen come to pass yet? Don’t get weary, stand strong it will happen!!

The life of Joseph reveals God’s promise keeping commitment. He had that dream as a seventeen year old and then his brothers sold him into slavery because of their jealousy. I’m sure Joseph was beginning to wonder how God was going to make this all come about but he knew God was with him.

“The traders who bought Joseph took him down to Egypt. They sold him to the captain of Pharaoh’s guard, Potiphar. 2 The LORD helped Joseph become a successful man. Joseph lived in the house of his master, Potiphar the Egyptian. 3 Potiphar saw that the LORD was with Joseph and that the LORD helped Joseph be successful in everything he did.” Genesis 39:1-3

“Joseph told them to come closer to him, and when they did, he said: Yes, I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt. 5 Don’t worry or blame yourselves for what you did. God is the one who sent me ahead of you to save lives.” Genesis 45:4-5 CEV

Joseph had been in Egypt for thirteen years. Most of that time he had been enslaved or imprisoned. He held on to God’s promise that he would be placed in authority and his brothers would see his prominence. Joseph became second in command in Egypt and God used him to save his father, brothers and their families from starvation.

I will ask again, what promise has God made you? Is it one of these?

“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:13

“I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Philippians 4:19

“Great shall be the peace of thy children for they are taught of the Lord.” Isaiah 54:13

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper and every tongue that rises up against you, you shall condemn for this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.” Isaiah 54:17

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3Who forgives all your iniquities; who healeth all your diseases;” Psalm 103:2-3

“Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God believe also in me” John 14:1

“The thief cometh not but for to steal, kill and destroy but I am come that ye might have life and have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

I’m not sure if your promise is in this list but if it isn’t add it. God will keep His word; He is faithful to a thousand generations. He hasn’t lied in the pass and He’s not going to start now by lying to you.

“God is not a man;  he will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change.
If he says he will do something,  then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised.” Number 23:19 ERV

When God makes a promise it’s unbreakable – pinky swear!

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Life’s Building Blocks

Our four year-old grandson loves making things with blocks. He has Lego’s, Magnetic blocks, wood blocks, Mario Maze blocks. He loves to build and has a great imagination. He gets frustrated when things fall over.

Me too.

I hate when I’ve worked hard on something and then see it crumble and fall. Not that I still play with blocks but…I’ve seen work projects crash, relationships tumble, financial investments end up in a pile and life’s moments scattered. Generally, there is one common factor to these failures; they weren’t built on a solid foundation.

Life, like building blocks, needs a wide and solid base.

I have four Bible verses that have been the foundation of my daily walk for the last twenty some years. In some way or another, each day I remind myself of my foundation in the Scripture.

“God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises.” Numbers 23:19 CEV

“But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that he rewards everyone who searches for him.” Hebrews 11:6 CEV

“So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:16 CEV

“Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. 6 Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. 7 Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. 8 Love never fails!” I Corinthians 13:4-8 CEV

So here’s the progression of thought. God never lies. I am convinced that the Bible is true. God’s promises can’t be broken. He tells me to seek Him out in every situation and when I do He rewards me by providing the help and strength I need. Love is the source of my firm foundation – God’s love for me, my love for Him and my love for others. Love will never fail!

My decisions, actions and reactions need to be grounded in the knowledge of God’s amazing love for me. His character is love and He shares that with me so that I can walk in faith and please Him. I should never put faith in my own works or abilities but always in His! Then and only then is my life truly successful!

“Whoever hears these teachings of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall because it was built on rock.” Matthew 7:24-25 ERV

Let’s build our lives on a solid foundation. The Word of God is a foundation which cannot be shaken.

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Whatcha Thinkin’

How many times have we asked someone, “whatcha thinkin” or how many times has someone asked us that question?

Each day we are bombarded with so much information and it’s all competing for a place in our minds. We are the ones who decide what downloads we accept and we are the ones who decide what data to delete.

The Apostle Paul had a horrible past. He wasn’t much different than Hitler. Both men spent a great deal of time destroying the Jews and feeling they were justified in doing so. Paul was a part of the lynch mob that killed Stephen, the first Christian martyr. After that he did everything he could to track down the Christians, have them arrested and killed. Hitler rounded up the Jews and tried to annihilate them. The difference between the two men – repentance!

Paul’s message of God’s unconditional love and his understanding of grace was born out of his past. He could preach the amazing grace of God and absolute forgiveness because he had experienced it. He wouldn’t allow himself to be sidelined with thoughts of his unworthiness.

Our minds may be telling us, you’re unworthy – God can’t or won’t love you; He won’t forgive you; He won’t use you! You’re a disgrace – if people knew who you were or what you did, they wouldn’t want anything to do with you. Paul had those thoughts and this is how he handled them.

“All the other apostles are greater than I am. I say this because I persecuted the church of God. That is why I am not even good enough to be called an apostle. 10 But, because of God’s grace, that is what I am. And his grace that he gave me was not wasted. I worked harder than all the other apostles. (But I was not really the one working. It was God’s grace that was with me.)” I Corinthians 15:9-10 ERV

Paul knew how it felt to deal with feelings of unworthiness but instead of wallowing in that he filled his mind with an overwhelming dose of God’s grace and stepped into the acceptance of God’s unconditional love.

“But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.” Romans 5:8 ERV (written by Paul)

Worry is also a tactic the mind uses to sideline us. With everything that’s happening around us it’s easy to worry. How do we not worry?

“Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. 8 Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. 9 You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you.” Philippians 4:7-9 CEV

Worry can be replaced with peace when we keep our thoughts focused on things that are good and pure. We need to remind ourselves that we have a loving, heavenly Father who protects us.

We can let our thoughts imprison us with bars of worry and unworthiness or we can stay focused on God’s love and have grace and peace unlock the prison door and set us free.

Guard your thinkin’!

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VICTORY!

As I was waking up this morning I was thinking about a letter I am going to write, you know, composing it in my head. Over the years my closing signature has most always been preceded by something like this, “Victorious in Him” or “Victorious in Jesus”. I’ve been signing my letters like that for over thirty-five years.

Those of you who have read my blog for any length of time know that in the early part of my Christian life I went from one defeat to another. Disappointments and struggles were the norm but about thirty-seven years ago I began to hear teaching on the truth and power of God’s word. I learned from reading the Bible that God had designed a life of victory and blessings for us.

“We show our love for God by obeying his commandments, and they are not hard to follow. 4 Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory. 5 No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.” I John 5:3-5 CEV

Victory? Yes, victory.

Things began to change. The Lord put such a hunger in my heart to read His word and put it into practice. The Word became my final authority on every subject. God is infinitely greater than the wisest of men and He has promised to bring us through any situation in victory.

“But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory! 58 My dear friends, stand firm and don’t be shaken. Always keep busy working for the Lord. You know that everything you do for him is worthwhile.” I Corinthians 15:57-58 CEV

“I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory. God also helps us spread the knowledge about Christ everywhere, and this knowledge is like the smell of perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 CEV

The Bible is filled with stories of God intervening in the lives of every day people. But they aren’t just stories, they are examples of what God can and will do in the lives of those who put their trust in Him. I have seen true miracles and everyday blessings too numerous to count.

I have had my share of failures as I have learned to trust God’s word. The outcome hasn’t always been victorious but it’s not because God didn’t want it to be. Like Peter, who started to sink while walking on the water, I would get my eyes off the Lord and on my circumstances and fear would take over. But also like Peter, when he cried out the Lord lifted him above the waves and got him to safety, the Lord has been there to rescue me and bring me to safety. Victory has been flourishing and defeats have been diminished.

The Lord desires to do this for all of us. Did you notice in the verses from I John that it says “Every child of God can defeat the world”? Everyone! God has put all His blessings and power at our disposal when we put our trust in Him. Faith is believing that God will do what He says; trust is believing that He will do it for us.

I don’t know when or how this coronavirus will be contained but I do know that we can trust God to bring us through it victoriously!

These are the words of Jesus: “A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest. ” John 10:10 CEV

Join me, will you? Let’s put our signature at the bottom of today’s letter –

Victorious in Him, Kristi

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We Need Bigger Buts

We spent most of yesterday in the dermatologist’s office. I knew we would be a while so I took my Bible, a book and my ear buds. There were some video messages I want to catch up on. Two of my favorite Bible teachers, Andrew Wommack and Max Lucado, had sent out short teachings and I really wanted to hear what they had to say.

The one that Max Lucado sent reminded me of a message I have taught many times through the years and so this morning I am sharing it with you.

We need bigger buts!

Yes, you read that right. The word “But” is used to connect ideas that contrast. The world presents us with facts but God’s word gives us truth. Truth can and will alter the way we perceive the facts. That’s why we swear an oath in court to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Let’s look at what the Apostle Paul says about adverse circumstances:

“God once said, “Let light shine out of the darkness!” And this is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts to let us know that his own divine greatness is seen in the face of Christ.

7 We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us. 8 We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We often don’t know what to do, but we don’t give up. 9 We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed.” II Corinthians 4:6-9 ERV (emphasis mine)

Paul had some pretty big buts in those four verses. The circumstances he faced were life threatening – stoning, ship wreck, beatings, imprisonment, snake bites. BUT he knew God would never abandon him.

*Our world is in the midst of a viral crisis BUT God…heals all my diseases (Ps. 103:3 NLT)

*Finances may be effected BUT My God will use his glorious riches to give you everything you need. He will do this through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 ERV)

*Physical strength has come to an end and we don’t think we can go on BUT Christ gives me the strength to face anything. (Philippians 4:13 CEV)

*We’re scared and don’t know what to do BUT God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you. 4 So trust the Lord always, because in the Lord Yah you have a place of safety forever. (Isaiah 26:3-4 ERV)

There is absolutely nothing that we will face in this life that God hasn’t given us an answer for. This is one time when it’s appropriate to say “does this crisis make my but look big?”.

The bigger, the better!

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