This Weeks Chapters: 1 Cor 3 – 7
Pastor Alan Morton
These chapters contain some of the most challenging scriptures to our approach to life and the events that happen around us.
1 Cor 4 v9 “For it seems to me that God has put us CHRISTIANS on display … we have been made a spectacle to the whole world … we are fools for Christ …”
Not just the apostles but all of us face these challenges. Our faith so often puts us at odds with the natural events and attitudes of people around us …
We bless … they curse. We honour others … they dishonour us. We speak kindly … they slander.
Yet in all of this Paul encourages us to imitate him more not less … to endure, to be faithful, to remind ourselves of his way of life.
This is where we discover the victory that Christ has really laid up in store for us … there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Rom 8 v1). As we imitate Paul we find freedom from being worried about other people’s thoughts.
A lifestyle of giving gracious answers to those who judge you produces such peace in our hearts as we depend upon the Lord and deliberately stop trying to justify ourselves.
A lifestyle of honouring others means that we do not try to promote ourselves but give room for the Lord to raise us up. No-one can stop us then from being promoted.
A lifestyle of blessing others means that we can expect to be blessed. Prov 11 v 25 He who refreshes (waters, blesses) others will himself be refreshed (watered, blessed).
This whole way of life involves a choice and the choice is a continual one. We have to chose to flow with the Holy Spirit continually, to count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God (Rom 6 v11). To remember the Kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14 v17). That it really is for freedom that Christ has set us free (Gal 5 v1).
If nothing can separate us from God (Rom 8 v35) then we can be a blessing to others … always!
Breathing Daily with God is an opportunity for the Pastors to share their thoughts on the chapters we have been reading in our daily bible reading plan.Email this to a friend | Add A Comment | Bookmark | Subscribe
1 Comments So Far
- April Hewitt
Thank you Pastor Alan for this and oh how true it is.
We can learn a LOT from Paul and all that he suffered and never once did he complain, he just kept on keeping on and pressing into the way of the Lord more and more, when all sides were closing in on him he just put his trust in God and God always came through for him.
We as Christians can take a leaf out of his book and when we feel like giving up or dont feel like doing anything, that is when we need to press on and do the things that we dont feel like doing as this is what builds our character and draw nearer to Christ! Gods word is Life and I choose Life! Halleluja!!
posted July 16, 2008 at 09:20 PM
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