Agape Devotions

READ : 1 Cor.10:1 to 11:1 REFLECT : Paul wants to show these Christians how easy it is to fall into idolatry. Paul warns about being disqualified in 9:24-27 so that we would be great concerned about being disqualified ourselves. The example of the people of Israel shows that idolatry is easy. Paul describes how the people of Israel experienced all the same spiritual blessings (10:1-4). But look at verse 5 carefully:  “Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.”  Even with all of the spiritual blessings Israel had and with all the amazing miracles they experienced, most of Israel fell in the wilderness. In short, they were disqualified on their journey to the promised land. So what happened to them? Why was God not pleased with them? Verse 6 says that they desired evil and in verse 7 that was displayed in idolatry. Idolatry was the problem. We so easily define idolatry as worshiping created things made of stone or metal or w...

READ : 1 Corinthians 8-9 Verses chosen for meditation: 1 Corinthians 9:11-12 11  If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?  12  If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. REFLECT As much as Paul loved the Corinthian Church, they gave him much pain. There were those who were constantly questioning Paul’s authority and his apostleship (1 Corinthians 9:1-2). Some claimed to be apostles, thinking they had better credentials than Paul. Their idea of an apostle was a man with authority, who lets everyone knows who’s boss. They saw Christian leadership in terms of being masters, not servants. But Paul was too “soft” and “weak” for them. To them, a person too willing to deny himself his freedom in Christ, couldn’t lead the church, much less be a...

READ : I Corinthians 7. Verses chosen for meditation: I Cor 7: 17, 29 - 31. 17  Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.  29  This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,  30  and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods,  31  and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.   REFLECT We often hear non-believers echo that life is short and their reaction is,” If life is short, let’s live life enjoy it now.” In fact, it is not uncommon for some Christians who share the same philosophy. When Paul was replying to the believers’ request for his advice on issues such as...

Read 1 Corinthians 5 & 6 Verses chosen for meditation: 1Corinthians 6: 19, 20 ESV: 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. Reflect How grey is immorality?  How should it be judged or handled if a brother or sister falls prey to its seduction? What does it mean that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? Relate Some think that there are fifty shades of grey when it comes to immorality. To them, it is never as clear - cut as black and white. When it comes to judgement, however, the purity of the colour is usually taken as the gold standard.  The Corinthian church was a case in point, which subscribed to the grey shades of immorality. Since it was inherent in the pervasive social culture of theirs, the tolerance of immorality led to a blurring of lines, or should we say, shading of colour. The Corinthian church seemed to h...

  TEXT TO REFLECT ON Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. 1 CORINTHIANS 3:18-23 REFLECT Worldly wisdom is overrated, that is Paul’s message in this text. We have all been deceived into thinking that worldly wisdom is man’s best asset, and that it should be prized above all. And conversely then, that human folly is what one should despise and avoid at all cost. Paul then goes on to say, that if any person thinks he is wise, it would be better that he become a fool. For then he will be wise. Because the ...

Read: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3:4 No devotionals today (Sunday)

Catch up on your readings day Introduction to book on 1 Corinthians  https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-pauline-epistles/first-corinthians https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/1-corinthians/