1 Corinthians_11

Scripture 

1 Corinthians 11:33-34  So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.  If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come. Observation-What does it say?  At the very beginning of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:9-10)  From here Paul shares his purpose for writing the letter, to encourage unity in Christ and to address issues of division and moral problems.  In chapter 11, Paul addresses issues of order within the church and a misuse of communion during their gatherings.  People were being selfish when they met together, looking after their own desires, “for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk” (11:21).  At the end of the chapter, Paul reminds the reader to look out for the interests of others first and to focus on seeking God as the purpose of meeting together.   Understanding-What does it mean?  Henry Ford is often credited with the invention of the assembly line.  But, he only refined the process.  Others preceded him, such as Venetian ship makers in the 12th century who built ships along a canal, or Eli Whitney who perfected the use of interchangeable parts in succession.  Though, the importance of Ford’s contribution was perfecting the process and defining each job of the different steps.  This perfection in the order of building a car made the Ford company the most successful in the early part of the 20th century. God created an order for us, which He defined for us in the Bible.  One of the parts of the order is how our meetings and gatherings are supposed to be, with one of the parts of order placing the needs of others before our own.  In Philippians, Paul plainly states, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (2:3-4)  Our gathering together is a place for us to learn how to serve others and to focus on absorbing the word of God.  When we practice the order of things, it moves us out of the way and makes room for God to do his work.   Life Application   Jesus, help me not to be in the way of you doing your works.  Help me to look for ways to serve others and help your word go forth.  -Tyler Galloway

Genesis_1

Scripture - What stood out?Genesis 1:27So God created man in his own image,    in the image of God he created him;

    male and female he created them. Observation - What does it say?In the beginning, God...The book of Genesis explains how it all began. The first chapter explains God’s work in six days. And the first words of the bible provides the basis for all of it. In the beginning, God... Understanding - What does it mean?Any non-creatives out there? Do you ever read the first chapter of the bible, look at all that was accomplished and wonder at the level of genius required to create everything you and I know? Forget about the workload, just the sheer amount of “creativity” seems daunting. I have a hard time creating internet passwords! Just as we are all drawn to our own names whether read or spoken aloud, I am drawn to the moment when we (humans) were created by God. Created in his own image. I have sped past this verse so many times in my lust to get another iteration of bible completion under my belt. Yet as I slowed down and read and re-read this verse I have decided to make this verse pivotal to who I am. Here are some things that I know that I know that I know about God-  God is love, God is creative, and God is hard working. And I am created in His image.  Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?I am going to look into the mirror this morning and tell myself:"Kenneth, you were created in God’s image. You are loved, You are creative, and You are hard working!" God may I stay true to You. In the name of Jesus do I pray, amen. -kenneth lee 

1 Corinthians_9

Scripture

1 Corinthians 9: 24-25

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in such games goes into strict training. They do it to get the crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

 

Observation

Paul continues his letter to the church of Corinth by telling them the rights that he has as an apostle, and then by talking about his freedom in Christ. He ends this section by urging the people who follow his example, to do so with excellence and not halfway.

 

Understanding

Have you ever seen someone get disqualified at the Olympics? It’s pretty heart-breaking… especially because they’ve trained for so long to not even get the opportunity to run the race. They have no chance at a medal, no chance at recognition, no chance to compete. I say all this because I feel like we do this to ourselves sometimes. We disqualify ourselves before the race even begins. But Paul presents a really important idea here: the race needs to be run, no matter the cost. And I want to add onto what Paul says here to: RUN THE RACE, DON’T DISQUALIFY YOURSELF! We train and train, but when the time comes we decide to disqualify ourselves. But that isn’t the point of a race or journey at all.

We do it to get a crown that will last forever… that seems to carry some heavy implications. A race that gives eternal life as the prize, I mean who wouldn’t want to run that race to the best of your ability? When I reach the end of my race I want to hear the words “Well done good and faithful servant.” And that only only comes through full dedication, and choosing to actually run the race.

 

Life Application

So how exactly do we engage in strict training?

• Have a good trainer (and there is no better trainer than the Holy Spirit)
• Have a good training manual (the Bible is probably the best instructional you can get)
• Have a group that holds you to your goals (like a discipleship partner or a group of people you trust with your life)

All these ensure running the race with the utmost effort and honor, and you are sure to win a prize :)

-Allison Khan