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 […]
Overcoming Temptation
Read: 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. (v. 13) Gettysburg was the decisive battle of America’s Civil War, yet nobody saw it coming. Neither army knew that the opposing force was even in the area. Neither commanding general had any idea, when they awoke […]
Freedom to Flail
Read: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. (v. 22) Do you know what a flail is? It’s a primitive, hand-held device for threshing wheat—a staff, at the end of which is a free-swinging stick. The stick is connected to the staff with […]
Glorify God in Your Body
Read: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. (v. 18) Corinthianize means “to live a promiscuous life” (Collins English Dictionary). The word comes, of course, from the ancient city of Corinth, a place known for […]
Real People
Read: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. (v. 26) In today’s mail there was a slick brochure about a new church in town. The brochure is a montage of beautiful people. The teenage girl with a sweet smile. […]