1 CORINTHIANS 13

Heart Issues
There is so much that could be written on this chapter. We have heard it at every wedding and may have memorized the passage, but what chapter should be more driven into our hearts. I feel like a baby sometimes in my ability to love. I am too often driven by my own priorities and my desires. I want to love unselfishly and unmotivated by me, but it is so hard. This chapter is very challenging as I look at my marriage and how often I do not love like love is defined. I find too often in me some of the attributes that love is not. My desire and my hope is to honor God with my love as well as my wife and all whom I know. I have also read recently that I will never know my capacity to love until it has been tested. I learn more and more in life as I walk through marriage, but even more through my journey in fatherhood. Love is what binds all things together in perfect unity.

Notes
-He begins by referring to the last chapter which is so easily forgotten when you begin the love chapter. He shows that he could possess all spiritual gifts and do anything, but if it is not motivated by love it is annoying and profits nothing. Love is as the last verse in chapter 12 noted, the most excellent way.
-It begins with two things that love is, then begins to contrast what its not. Patience is huge when thinking about love. He begins here and it is very fitting as the word love is thrown around so much in anticipation of physical affection. When I think about dating relationships patience and kindness are the two attributes that are the most lacking. They start off really kind, but end up pretty nasty.
-Jealousy, boasting, and pride are not parts of love. They are not centered on the object of the love, but on their own selfishness.
-Vv. 5 and 6 continue the litany of contrasts as it is so hard to define what love is, but it is easy to determine what it is not. The major way that I define love is sacrifice because the things that do not define love are easy, but the things that are attributes of love are hard. When love is rewarded with love the sacrifice doesn’t seem like a sacrifice at all, but the greatest award of life.
-I preached a wedding on the last four attributes of love. Protection, trust, hope, and perseverance are some of the most foundational parts of a marriage. They are pillars that hold up each other and allow for a solid marriage. It ends with perseverance which is a cornerstone in building trust, hope and protection. Knowing that no matter what you’re staying together is one of the most powerful parts of marriage or any relationship.
-Love never fails but so much else in this life will fail us. Even the spiritual gifts that have been discussed at length will let us down because we only know in part now. We only love in part now for our love is tainted with other feelings and we are more about ourselves than the beloved all too often.
-Our understanding as a baby is the same as our understanding now when compared to our heavenly understanding. We shall know fully although now we only know in part.
-These three things will stand the test of time and eternity. Faith, hope, and love will never end. It makes you wonder what we would still have hope for in heaven, but I can understand that we will still trust God as free worshippers of Him in heaven.

1 CORINTHIANS 12

Heart Issues
I have struggled through this issue of spiritual gifts so many times. This time while I read, I had to put out of my mind any issue of debate or division among denominations. When I did that I experienced a freshness in this chapter and an appreciation for the gifts that God has given us through the Holy Spirit. I also was renewed again by thinking about the body of Christ and our great need for others’ gifts. We don’t need to reject each other as different but appreciate what God has done in the lives of other denominations and believers. When we stand united not as a denomination, but as the body of Christ God is glorified. I was also challenged today in my thinking of the sovereignty of God as I looked through verse 3. Only God can enable someone to call Jesus the Lord of their lives. The Holy Spirit is the only enabler of this phrase and also no Christian can curse Jesus if the Holy Spirit is alive and active within him. God knows what he’s doing and He is fully in control of even our very words, which is impossible to comprehend as He allows us to make mistakes.

Notes
-Paul is responding to their questions about spiritual gifts. They put a great deal of emphasis on these and as we know from the rest of the book they used them in a very disorderly way.
-Paul wants to inform us to keep us from having divisions and fighting over truth. Scripture is our foundation, not our feelings.
-Verse 3 really spoke to me in knowing that God is the author of all things and He enables people to call Him lord.
-All spiritual gifts come from the same spirit. There are not multiple or better spirits, He just manifests himself differently through us to build up the body of Christ. It is not for personal gain, but for the building up of the church. V. 7
-The body of Christ is such an image that we must understand. We need to work together and encourage each other’s gifting. We do not expect everyone to be just like us and we need not only eyes and mouths, but feet and hands as well. Every part is important in the body of Christ and God honors the least of these.
-We are called to earnestly desire the greater gifts.

1 CORINTHIANS 11

Heart Issues
The greatest challenge to my heart today is that I need to be following so closely to Christ that others can follow my example and know that they are following Jesus. There are areas in my life I know of that this is not fully the case yet, such as my diligence in prayer. I want this to be a mark of my life that leads others to see Jesus in me. I also want to continue to stand up for God’s word even in the midst of a culture that rejects so much of its teaching. Today’s teaching on men’s and women’s roles is so true and foundational to our society. Through the feminist movement this has been shrugged off and taught as heresy even within the church. We are equal, but God has created us for different roles. This is so evident in life, sometimes I wonder why we fight it. I can’t have a baby and I am not as good of a nurturer as my wife. Finally, the Lord’s supper is such an awesome representation of Jesus’ sacrifice and I always want to reverence that event fully. I never want to take the cross lightly for the price was high and the sacrifice was great. Thank you Jesus for your grace!

Notes
The first verse in this chapter really fits better with the last chapter. After dealing with freedoms and how Paul deals with them he says to follow his example as he follows Christ. This is an awesome statement that I want to be able to say in my life. I want to be able to tell others to follow me as I follow Christ, and my hope would be that I would not be leading them astray.
-In our culture today everyone wants to reject the teaching of man’s role as leader and the woman as subordinate to him. In life it seems to play out naturally and when the opposite roles are taken something just seems off. Does the head covering or the long/short hair still apply? I really don’t think so, but it was a traditional symbol of man’s role as leader and woman’s role to follow and be his helper. Symbols aren’t always needed, but the teaching still has value.
-It is notable that even Christ was in some way subordinate to the Father even though He was fully God himself. This should help women to know that they are not thought of as less than man, but we have roles in life that when played out correctly makes more sense. God knew what He was doing when he created us.
-When I think about the Lord’s supper I am always so challenged by the sacrifice of Christ and His willingness and joy to go to the cross for us. He knew it the whole time and was unrelenting in his pursuit of it. He spoke of it for a long time before it ever happened. We should take the Lord’s supper continually in remembrance of His sacrifice.
-We don’t struggle much with the issue of the Corinthians anymore because all we get is a cracker and a swig of juice. This concept still applies though in the way we interact as the body of Christ. We are so segregated on Sundays by economic, social, and racial differences. We are to be united in taking the Lord’s supper together. We should help lift up each other and provide for each other instead or gorging ourselves.
-It is pretty intense to think of the reverence we should have for the Lord’s supper for we can eat and drink judgment on ourselves. God’s judgment for us is to lead us to repentance and discipline us not to smite us.

1 CORINTHIANS 10

Heart Issues
I am challenged today that I have not been disciplined in studying the bible for myself lately. As I look at the time between my last post and today it really confronts my lack of discipline. I have read a lot of scripture and taught a lot of scripture lately, but I have not had a whole lot of personal time with the Lord. I have not stuck to the best schedule and have gotten out of habit. I am now back in the swing of things and I look forward to posting daily what God is teaching me. I am also challenged by the scripture today as I look at my life and how often I am not living my life for the good of many, but for my own good. I also recognize that I am not standing firm without the grace of God. He is the author and perfecter of my faith, not me. I am thankful today that He has held me fast and has given me a way past temptation. I want to do all that I do to give glory to God. I want to live, breathe, move, read, play, everything to the glory of God.

Notes
-Paul begins the chapter confronting their thinking in that as long as they held the ritual they would be saved. The Israelites already tried that and turned away to idols just as the Corinthians were doing. God was not only displeased, he punished them for their sins.
-Sexual Immorality, Testing the Lord, and grumbling all brought about God’s wrath. There’s a piece of all of us that says that’s right on the first one, but the last two make you kind of stop and go, uh oh. We are all guilty of the last one for sure if not the last two.
-Verse 12 is an awesome verse. We are never fully standing firm in our own power, we are just a second away from falling back into sin when we have this attitude. We need to continually recognize that we are not above sin, but God’s grace can keep us away from it. We are never standing firm on our own, but God is always holding us firm when we are in communion with Him.
-God will always provide a way out of temptation. Praise God for His grace. He doesn’t have to provide this, but He is faithful and has promised this.
-Paul ends with a great discussion on our freedom as believers. We are fully forgiven and the world has no hold over us, but we want to represent God to the world. We are to be His ambassadors so that we are not seeking our own good, but the good of others that they may be saved. We should eat, drink, dance, run, play sports, play video games, sing, cheer at games, sleep, etc. to the glory of God. He is the driving force in our motivation to do all things and He receives the glory from our ability that He has given us.