Give What Is Right
Read: 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper. (v. 2) In the Old Testament, we read about how farmers would take their firstborn lamb, or the first portion of their crop at harvest time, and give […]
October Prayer Guide 2021
UGANDA — Give thanks that Revival FM just celebrated three years of ministry. Our director reports: “We have seen [the station] grow within the region of southwestern Uganda. Families have been restored, and youths have been taught and equipped morally and spiritually. We have even heard testimonies from Muslims.” People call the station to request […]
We’re Not Home Yet
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (v. 58) In the early 1900s, an old missionary couple was returning home to America after decades of ministry in Africa. The results of their […]
A Bend in the Road
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” (v. 35) Apparently some of the Corinthian Christians were having difficulty understanding the idea of a resurrected body. (Who doesn’t struggle with that?) “How are the dead raised?” they were asking. “With what kind […]
An Easter Basket
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (v. 20) There is an interactive website where people are invited to share their life story, but you are limited to six words. Some entries are poignant, such as, “I play spin the […]
Love Is What You Do
Read: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (v. 13) An old minister friend of mine told me that he used to feel terribly nervous when preaching wedding sermons. He said, “All those people staring up at me, the bride and the groom, […]
Body Language
Read: 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. (v. 14) Corinth was a fractious, squabbling congregation. The Corinthians were a diverse bunch, and they couldn’t seem to agree on anything. Word of their strife reached Paul, and his response was to urge the Corinthians not to quarrel […]
The Lord’s Supper
Read: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (vv. 23-24) My son phoned. He said he’d visited a bakery, on his way […]
Honoring God in the Ordinary
Read: 1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (v. 31) We tend to segment our service to God. That is, we think, When I volunteer at the soup kitchen, then I am honoring God. And of course that’s true. But you don’t […]