Freedom For Today

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 3:10-23 before reading the devotional below.

Do you trust yourself? Your instinct might be to say, “No way!,” but think about it again. In what parts of your life do you genuinely seek help? Often we say we don’t trust ourselves, yet our actions show that we are indeed attempting self-reliance because we do not regularly and humbly ask for help (and then use that help well!).

In today’s passage, Paul is using the metaphor of a house. The foundation of your house matters, and if it isn’t Jesus then your house will collapse eventually. Your building materials also matter — just like the story, “The Three Little Pigs,” brick will outlast straw or sticks. If you are trying to build a house all by yourself, you’ll fail. In this metaphor, that means that if you are constructing your own beliefs and worldview, it won’t work for long.

Here’s your freedom for today:

You are part of a bigger picture.

You weren’t meant to construct your faith all by yourself. We start with the foundation of Jesus: who he is, what he taught, and the reality of the eternal freedom that is ours because of his death and resurrection. We then build on that faith together, and we are the construction materials. God is building something greater than anything we could construct in human wisdom: the Church. This is “Church” with a capital “C” because it is all the followers of Jesus around the world. The way that the Church comes together is something only God can truly see or understand. We catch glimpses of what he is doing, but we cannot see all the moving parts at once. God invites you to be a part of what he is doing. Ground yourself on Jesus and position yourself with other believers to stay connected to this reality.

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 before reading the devotional below.

How spiritually mature are you? One way to figure out the answer is to look at the amount of Bible training you are receiving. Are you still just sticking with the basics, or are you trying to go deeper? Meeting Jesus is wonderful, but knowing him takes an eternity. We will never run out of depth to explore as we seek to know God.

Paul was challenging the Corinthian believers to go deeper. Because they were satisfied with a basic knowledge of the good news of Jesus, they stopped trying to learn. They were not applying God’s teaching to their lives. If your life looks pretty much the same now as it did when you first encountered Jesus, you have become stuck. You need to go deeper into what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Here’s your freedom for today:

Your life is about to get better.

God is interested in helping you grow. It’s not all on you, and you can’t make it happen by yourself. There are several pieces that come together to bring about change and growth in your life. First, you need to position yourself in some fertile soil. Going to church is great, but digging into the Bible or listening again to Sunday’s sermon is like good fertilizer for the garden of your soul. Having a mentor or a pastor investing in you is like the water for your garden. But soil and water are not enough for the seeds that have been planted. God is shining on your life and facilitating the growth that is necessary. (And just as a reminder, seeds have to die before they can sprout.) Are you tending to your garden today? What could you do to level up on your spiritual life this week?

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 2:9-16 before reading the devotional below.

Today’s passage is one of my favorites. There is so much power in the connection between the Old Testament and the good news of Jesus. Paul quotes Isaiah 64:4, pointing out the awesome and incomprehensible nature of God. We can’t imagine his plans or understand all that he is doing for us. And yet…

When Jesus returned to heaven from earth, he promised to send his Holy Spirit. This Spirit of God is the deepest inner workings of God’s mind and heart — he knows all the secrets. If you are starting to think all that sounds a little weird, good! Paul’s not trying to make a logical or scientific argument here. He’s trying to explore a supernatural mystery. He quotes Isaiah again, this time chapter 40, verse 13. He’s asking, “Who could possibly understand God’s thoughts?”

Here’s your freedom for today:

You have the mind of Jesus.

Paul connects the Holy Spirit, given to us by Jesus to help us and to guarantee our salvation, to the deepest intricacies of God’s mind. Our minds are too small and finite to grasp God’s thoughts. It’s impossible for us to do in our own understanding. The statement, “We have the mind of Christ,” is such a powerful one. Supernaturally the Holy Spirit will show us what God is thinking. He gives us knowledge we have no way of getting any other way. It’s why Jesus could take a bunch of low-life fishermen and other undesirables and turn them into powerful preachers and church leaders. Your earthly mind does not determine how God can use you or what he can show you. Seek truth, read his word, and he will show you a great many mysteries.

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 2:1-8 before reading the devotional below.

It’s not much of a marketing strategy, but Paul’s big teaching plan was two-fold: boring or supernaturally deep. It is fascinating that Paul does not want the believers to listen to him because he can make a convincing argument. He doesn’t want the mature believers to be impressed because he makes a ton of sense. God can stand on his own, and you either want Jesus or you don’t.

Paul says something interesting in today’s passage. He says that he came to the Corinthians in weakness, simply asking the Holy Spirit to work. When he was finished preaching, he wanted the church to say, “Well, that guy’s not much, but Jesus… Wow!!” The Gospel doesn’t need fancy bells and whistles. How different from so many of our church strategies today.

Here’s your freedom for today:

You don’t have to try so hard.

Whether you are a preacher trying to get the message of the Gospel across, or you are just trying to live a Christian life in the best way you know how, supernatural power is the only thing that will get supernatural results. Sure, lots of people will fawn over an impressive argument or a trendy leader. But is that really eternal attention? Or does it fade when the next new thing comes along? Superficial is the best we can do in our strength; supernatural is only possible with the Holy Spirit. Where do you need supernatural power today? What can you do to choose weakness so that the Holy Spirit can accomplish the work?

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 before reading the devotional below.

The Gospel only makes sense if you are looking for hope. In today’s passage, Paul describes the no-mans’-land where Jesus lives — right between Greek philosophy and Jewish obsession with supernatural proof. If you’re trying to figure it out, you’re doing it wrong. Jesus only makes sense to people who aren’t trying to make everything make sense.

If you are wise, wealthy, or powerful in human terms, you may be wondering why you even need Jesus at all. You can pretty much do life on your own. Much of America is in that place today. We have everything we need and we don’t see why we should give anything up to follow some guy from thousands of years ago. Didn’t he die, anyway? Where’s the proof that he wasn’t just some nice teacher who got a few people fired up? Why are we even still talking about him?

Here’s your freedom for today:

Jesus gives you everything the world can’t.

If you aren’t that important in your job, or no one would think of you as particularly smart, or if you are just looking for some kind of hope to get out of a life you don’t want to live, I’ve got the guy just for you. It’s going to sound ridiculous, but that’s exactly by God’s design. God doesn’t cater to humans or bow to those who think they are great and powerful. Just like the Wizard of Oz, all that is just smoke and mirrors anyway. God wants people who have nothing to brag about but him. “Look what Jesus did for me!” I know a lot of people like that, because I live in a place with a bad reputation. I came here on purpose so that maybe, just maybe, my smarty-pants, self-reliant self wouldn’t miss Jesus when he came by. I cling to the foolishness of Jesus on the cross and a belief that he came back to life and is working in my life today. I hang onto the ridiculousness of the Holy Spirit, who makes me do silly things like cry in weird moments and pray in a language I don’t even understand. All of that makes perfect sense to all those I know who didn’t die from addiction and came to know Jesus. Those who had nothing to lose don’t blink an eye. What about you? Where do you land on defining “wise” and “foolish”? Stop by Lynn, Massachusetts sometime… I’ve got some people I’d love for you to meet.