Freedom For Today

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 before reading the devotional below.

Have you ever felt like you aren’t very good at anything? Great! You are just the person God has in mind for some supernatural abilities. He chooses people who aren’t all that impressive because he wants it to be clear that he is the source of your talents. Not only that, he can impact the supernatural, eternal realm with the skills he gives you.

There are all types of spiritual gifts, but they all support the main goal of worshiping Jesus, spreading the Gospel, and building up the church. For me, the Holy Spirit has at times given me supernatural knowledge that enables me to speak directly into a situation. He also gives me wisdom that I share with others when needed. When this happens, the Holy Spirit is the one doing the work, which means there is significant power in it. This is not something I can do by myself.

Here’s your freedom for today:

You can be a part of something bigger.

Have you asked the Holy Spirit to give you any of the gifts listed in today’s passage? If not, I would encourage you to ask. If you have asked, keep on asking. The Bible tells us to seek the gifts of the Spirit and to be persistent in our prayers. We don’t ask for these gifts so that we can experience something cool or show off. Instead, ask with a genuine desire to serve God. He will equip you for exactly the works he has already prepared for you to do.

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 before reading the devotional below.

We get a lot of things wrong. Even when we get some things right, we can’t let that carry us away and ignore all that we are missing. It’s unclear what the Corinthian church issues were — we only can piece it together from Paul’s letter to them addressing the problems they faced. From yesterday’s passage, it seemed as though head coverings was one issue, and verse 17 makes it sound like perhaps they were doing something right there (though we still may not be entirely sure what).

One thing they were not getting right was the Lord’s Supper — also known as communion. Traditions have changed and we certainly can’t picture a perfectly circular wafer and be accurate to what it was like back then. However, we know that they were getting it wrong because they were missing the whole point.

Here’s your freedom for today:

Freedom is found in protecting what is sacred.

Jesus’ death on the cross requires solemn remembrance. Even though we celebrate his resurrection, we still mourn the death he endured. The Lord’s Supper reminds us of his broken body and the blood he shed. But it is also supposed to remind us of our unity. We do it together or not at all. The point is not to have a meal or to fill our bellies, but to come together in a sacred way to do a sacred thing. When we treat sacred things lightly, we fail to soak in the beauty and unity that God has created for us to enjoy. Even in the midst of a solemn and sorrowful remembrance, there is joy and peace to be found.

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 before reading the devotional below.

Today we wade into some confusing and complicated waters. Before we dive head first into the shallow end of the pool, let’s pause to remember a key principle about reading the Bible. Let’s ask: what is God revealing about himself in these verses? Why would he include this in his inspired Word?

We just established in the last chapter that getting hung up on side issues like whether or not to eat meat sacrificed to idols was a distraction from the Gospel. We need to consider others and not cost anyone their salvation. We need to do everything for God’s glory. And now Paul is saying that men shouldn’t wear head coverings and women should. Men shouldn’t have long hair and women should. How does all this connect? Aren’t we just talking about old customs? It seems from the tone that Paul was trying to end a debate, not start one.

Here’s your freedom for today:

Freedom allows us to sit in the gray.

In a single blog post, I am not going to clarify or solve what has stumped Bible scholars for centuries. I would encourage you to click on the little footnote letters in the passage as they show some of the other translation options. I would encourage you to Google “commentary 1 Corinthians 11” and read the wide variety of opinions that exist. Today I’m going to sit in the gray with you. I’m going to ask, “Why is this in here?” and “What does this tell me about God?” First, I think this passage exists to teach us there is a lot we do not understand about the spiritual realm. Why do head coverings matter in the presence of angels? What aspects of spiritual authority are important there? Is there symbolism or a direct spiritual reason? Is Paul talking about hair or a veil of some kind? I am going to end by zooming in on the end of verse 3: “the head of Christ is God” (also translated: the source of Christ is God). We know that there is a special relationship within God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Christ IS God, there is no inferiority or separation there. In this passage there are also three: man, woman, and God. Paul says that we are not independent of one another. Perhaps one take away from this passage is that we are all to imitate the relationship of the Trinity. Men, women, and God in perfect harmony and unity, each with their own personhood and all spiritually feeding each other as we see within God himself. What else do you see in this passage?

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 10:14-33 before reading the devotional below.

Today we return to the debate over eating food sacrificed to idols. If we were reading this as a letter all in one sitting (as the original audience was), we would realize we never left that topic. Paul’s message is clear: don’t take up a minor cause and cost someone their salvation. What’s SO important to you probably is flexible or debatable, so maybe we need to put people’s salvation ahead of issue debates.

Paul reminds us that even taking communion is a reminder of our unity. We are one body, uniting with Jesus’ body as we remember his death on the cross. Paul writes in verse 24, “Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.” That verse may be misused to imply that we should not take care of ourselves or do what is healthy for us. Here in context we see that Paul is saying, “Don’t put your opinions ahead of someone else’s spiritual life.”

Here’s your freedom for today:

Your freedom will bring others freedom too.

I’ve said it already in this series: your spiritual life is not all about you. It is about Jesus, and it is about those on the journey with you. When you are truly free, it will not cost others their freedom. When we focus on ourselves, we are doing it wrong when it comes out as selfish or prideful. Do everything you do for God’s glory, and watch out who you offend. Jesus liked to offend the highly religious folks, and Paul reminds us here that we need to embrace both Jews and Gentiles. Don’t harm the Gospel by digging in on side issues.

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 before reading the devotional below.

Today we consider just two verses that are packed with depth. Paul warns about pride, and I encourage you to check yourself in this moment. Do you think you are doing pretty well spiritually? If so, you may be in more precarious a position than you think. All of us are tempted, and no one is immune.

When temptation comes, God will give us an escape route. Sometimes this verse is misused as people apply it to all situations that are not describing temptation. This leads to trite “Christian” sentiments like, “God won’t give you more than you can handle” when people are facing crisis or tragedy. These verses are not meant to minimize pain. Instead, they speak to the reality that Satan does not own you if you are following Jesus. God will give you a chance to get out.

Here’s your freedom for today:

God is faithful.

Paul reminds us in these verses that God is faithful. He will not rescue you and then turn you back over to the clutches of the enemy. We walk right into traps all by ourselves when our pride gets in the way. Even then, God gives us an out. He is faithful. Are there temptations in your life today? Pause to think about your options. What is your way out?