Author: admin

⁸Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— ⁹yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. ¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. ¹²So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. ¹³By all this we are encouraged.

REFLECTION

1. The world’s sorrow usually is an “I’m sorry I got caught” kind of sorrow.  The individual is sorry for himself, and the consequences he now has to pay.  Godly sorrow is grief about the original act, and repentance – a commitment to turn from wrongdoing and to turn back toward God (v10).  We grieve, like Isaiah does in Isaiah 6, not only for ourselves, but also because we belong to a people who are sinful.  With this comes spiritual insight and maturity.
2. Have you ever experienced this deep godly grief, for yourself, or for others?  Talk to God about it and listen to God’s response.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 20:1-4

¹ Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
    and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
² The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion;
    whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.
³ It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife,
    but every fool will be quarreling.
⁴ The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;
    he will seek at harvest and have nothing.

¹⁴Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? ¹⁵What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
¹⁷“Therefore come out from them
and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.”
¹⁸“I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

REFLECTION

1. Christians are to be completely separated unto the Lord, with that separation as sharp as the dividing line between light and darkness, between Christ and Satan, and between the temple of God and a shrine where idols are worshiped.  In short, we are to “purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit.” (7:1) God is our Father, but when we sin, sin’s contamination separates us from God.  Similarly, when sin comes into a relationship between two people, it’ll be felt like a grain of sand entering into the eye, the relationship will be affected.  So, the issue isn’t whether we could have intimate relationship with non-Christians, rather, if we want to maintain this close relationship with God the Father.  Our loving father is calling us: “I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters.”  How do you respond?
2. Imagine you are taking a walk with the Lord in the garden.  Listen to God telling you, “I will be your father, and you shall be my son/daughter.” What would you say to him right now?  The Lord is listening.  Speak to him slowly and listen to his fatherly talking, too.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 19:26-29

²⁶ He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
    is a son who brings shame and reproach.
²⁷ Cease to hear instruction, my son,
    and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
²⁸ A worthless witness mocks at justice,
    and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
²⁹ Condemnation is ready for scoffers,
    and beating for the backs of fools.

¹¹ Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. ¹² We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. ¹³ For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; ¹⁵ and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

¹⁶ From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

REFLECTION

1. Paul defends his ministry and message of reconciliation in this passage. He understood the nature of reconciliation – to bring into harmony with. Paul was sure that God, who in Christ has reconciled the world to Himself, will work in the believer’s life until he lives that life of righteousness that reveals the harmonious relationship with the Lord (v21). “God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (v19). And Paul didn’t hold the Corinthians’ sins against them. Instead he communicated total confidence. He fully believes that the purpose for which Christ died for us will be accomplished, and the lives of believers will be brought into harmony (reconciled) with the righteousness of God.
2. With this assurance, we are freed also not to count the sins of those in our family or in our faith. We’re freed not to hold their failures against them. And we’re free to communicate our confidence that, though they stumble, they will rise again. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ” (v17)
3. Go back to Reflection #3 of Chapter 2. Use this passage as a base for your prayer for that person.  Pray that God will remove any critical and judgmental spirit in you.  And teach you to continue to contact and encourage this person and bring him/her back to the church family.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 19:22-25

²² What is desired in a man is steadfast love,
    and a poor man is better than a liar.
²³ The fear of the Lord leads to life,
    and whoever has it rests satisfied;
    he will not be visited by harm.
²⁴ The sluggard buries his hand in the dish
    and will not even bring it back to his mouth.
²⁵ Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;
    reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.

¹ Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. ² But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. ³ And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴ In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.⁵ For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. ¹²So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

REFLECTION

1. Paul was contrasting the weak and ordinary character of the messenger with the overwhelming power of the message.  In fact, he was under pressure, perplexed, persecuted, knocked to the ground.  Everything in his experience reminded him that the dynamic power that had marked his ministry had not come from him.  He credited Jesus with the fact that despite his weaknesses he had not been crushed, nor drowned in despair, nor abandoned or destroyed.
2. Don’t let a sense of personal weakness keep you from serving God.  The fact that we are weak is the backdrop against which the incomparable power of God is revealed.
3. Sing quietly this traditional gospel song “Just a closer walk with Thee” as a prayer to God: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KStZ40DlOQc

I am weak but Thou art strong, Jesus keep me from all wrong
I’ll be satisfied as long as I walk, let me walk close to Thee
Just a closer walk with Thee, grant it Jesus is my plea
Daily walking close to Thee, oh let it be dear Lord let it be.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 19:19-21

¹⁹ A man of great wrath will pay the penalty,
    for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
²⁰ Listen to advice and accept instruction,
    that you may gain wisdom in the future.
²¹ Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
    but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

¹²Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. ¹³We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. ¹⁴But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. ¹⁵Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. ¹⁶But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

REFLECTION

1. When we rest in the splendour of God revealed by Christ, we find ourselves changed by it.  Gradually, by the power of the Spirit, we are being transformed into Christ’s likeness, the way that God had intended for us to be when he created us.
2. Though there are still warts and blemishes all too visible, we are growing and changing.  In the process of the ever-increasing glory of the transformation taking place, “The Christian is the person who makes it easy for others to believe in God.”
3. Pray: Lord, help me to reflect more of your glory and to become easier for others to believe in you.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 19:15-18

¹⁵ Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,
    and an idle person will suffer hunger.
¹⁶ Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life;
    he who despises his ways will die.
¹⁷ Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
    and he will repay him for his deed.
¹⁸ Discipline your son, for there is hope;
    do not set your heart on putting him to death.

⁵ Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. ⁶ For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, ⁷ so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸ So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹ For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and knowwhether you are obedient in everything. ¹⁰ Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, ¹¹ so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

REFLECTION

1. In this passage, Paul refers to the discipline of a member of the church, possibly because of a gross sexual sin (see 1Co 5:1). How does Paul’s handling of this problem affirm his love not only for the Corinthians but also for the man who had sinned?
2. How would Paul’s approach to discipline be one that would still allow the person confronted to hear God’s affirmation in Christ? It is important for the community to pursue forgiveness in order to prevent Satan from accomplishing his schemes against the Church.
3. Do you know any believer that may need to re-enter the church community right now?  If so, ask God for wisdom and love to forgive, comfort and restore this person into God’s family.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 19:12-14

¹² A king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion,
    but his favor is like dew on the grass.
¹³ A foolish son is ruin to his father,
    and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
¹⁴ House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
    but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

⁵ For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. ⁶ If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. ⁷ Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

⁸ For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. ¹¹ You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

REFLECTION

1. Christians may suffer because of the faith that we have.  But when we suffer and are persecuted because of Jesus, we can also be comforted because we know that God is at work, seeking reconciliation between God and men and that Christ is the one who comforts us.  When we suffer for the gospel, we are put into a position of needing to be dependent on God.
2. When was the last time you felt like in a pressure cooker?  What happened?  In what ways have you experienced God’s comfort? How does your experience of God’s comfort enable you to comfort others?
3. Think of someone you know who needs to experience God’s comfort.  Ask God to comfort that person and to use you in offering comfort.  Spend a few minutes praying for this person.  Give him/her a call in a few days, or write him/her an email asking how things are and telling him/her that you are praying for him/her.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 19:8-11

⁸ Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;
    he who keeps understanding will discover good.
⁹ A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and he who breathes out lies will perish.
¹⁰ It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
    much less for a slave to rule over princes.
¹¹ Good sense makes one slow to anger,
    and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

⁵⁰I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵²in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
⁵⁵“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?” ⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

REFLECTION

1. The author of Ecclesiastes looked back over a busy and successful life, and declared it meaningless. All he had accomplished meant nothing, he complained, for he would die. And what he had built would be left to another (Ecc 2:17-23).
2. However, Paul shouted out in triumph. What we accomplish for Jesus is never in vain. Death is not the end! Death is a defeated enemy, to be swallowed up in victory when God clothes us with immortality. All that we accomplish for the Lord will reflect His glory for eternity.
3. Have you ever pondered what death will be like for you? How do you feel about it? If someone is writing a tribute for your memorial, what would be written in it?  How would you like people to write the letter announcing your death?
4. Express your feelings to Christ. Stay quiet to allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you now.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 19:1-4

¹ Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
    than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
² Desire without knowledge is not good,
    and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.
³ When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin,
    his heart rages against the Lord.
⁴ Wealth brings many new friends,
    but a poor man is deserted by his friend.

⁶Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? ⁷Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? ⁸Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? ⁹So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. ¹⁰Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. ¹¹If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. ¹²So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.   ¹³For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. ¹⁴For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. ¹⁵So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. ¹⁶If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? ¹⁷You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified. ¹⁷ For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. ¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. ¹⁹ Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

REFLECTION

1. Practicing the gift of “speaking in tongues” has been a divisive issue in many churches. Paul argued that intelligible speech is to have priority in church meetings where “tongues” has limited value. And congregational participation during services is to be done orderly.
2. When Christians gather we minister to each other.  In prayer, praise, teaching, and sharing, God can and does use what we say to build up His church.  Therefore, spiritual gifts are not given for the benefit of the possessor.  The purpose of all spiritual gifts is to build up the whole Body of Christ and those the Body serves.
3. What gifts do you have and what can you do to serve fellow-believers and help build up the church?

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 18:22-24

²² He who finds a wife finds a good thing
    and obtains favor from the Lord.
²³ The poor use entreaties,
    but the rich answer roughly.
²⁴ A man of many companions may come to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. ¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. ¹²Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

REFLECTION

1. In this chapter, Paul not only defines love but shows us why this is the most excellent way to relate to anyone—especially to members of the family of God.
2. True spirituality has nothing to do with one’s gifts, training, or performing skills.  The truly spiritual person is the individual whose attitude and actions express love.
3. Read this passage slowly and meditatively. Allow the words to sink in and compare each phrase to your own understanding and action of love.
4. Copy verses 4-8a on an index card, memorize it, or bring it out to review often.  Examine your own attitude and actions often to see if there is any love expressed.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 18:19-21

¹⁹ A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,
    and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
²⁰ From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied;
    he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
²¹ Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
    and those who love it will eat its fruits.

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized byone Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

REFLECTION

1. Paul used the image of the body to explain our relation to one another.  We’re all parts of the body of Christ.  Whoever you are or whatever your spiritual gifts are, you are “indispensable” (v22) to the others in your church, and in the church.
2. What might make some members of your church feel useless or envious of other parts of the body? According to Paul, how can we make every part of the body feel special?
3. What is your reaction when some other Christian gets recognition and honour？ Or when someone is suffering?  Do you rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep? Or are you jealous of those who rejoice and apathetic to the weeping?

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 18: 16-18

¹⁶ A man’s gift makes room for him
    and brings him before the great.
¹⁷ The one who states his case first seems right,
    until the other comes and examines him.
¹⁸ The lot puts an end to quarrels
    and decides between powerful contenders.

¹⁷ But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸ For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, ¹⁹ for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. ²⁰ When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. ²¹ For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. ²² What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

²⁷Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. ²⁹For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. ³⁰That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. ³¹But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. ³²When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

REFLECTION

1. This chapter deals with the women’s head coverings (vv2-16) and the above passage regarding the Lord’s Supper (Communion).
2. The communion service is a memorial.  As the Israelites ate the Passover meal, each family relived the experience of its ancestors.  Today through the bread and cup, we return to the foot of the cross.  So, in the communion service, as we are united with Christ through faith, we share His death and His resurrection.   “Do this in remembrance” invites us to experience the awesome moment when our salvation was won.  It invites us to experience the holy God and to offer Him our thanks, our worship, and our praise.
3. If possible, kneel down to pray.  Tell God all your gratitude and other emotions for all that Jesus has done on the cross for you.  During next communion service, remember to take Communion “in remembrance” of Jesus and His Sacrificial Love.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 18:12-15

¹² Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty,
    but humility comes before honor.
¹³ If one gives an answer before he hears,
    it is his folly and shame.
¹⁴ A man’s spirit will endure sickness,
    but a crushed spirit who can bear?
¹⁵ An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
    and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

¹⁴ Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. ¹⁸ Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?¹⁹ What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord andthe table of demons. ²² Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

²³ “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. ²⁴ Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.²⁵ Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁶ For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” ²⁷ If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁸ But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— ²⁹ I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? ³⁰ If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of thatfor which I give thanks?

³¹ So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ³² Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, ³³ just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

REFLECTION

1. Again, the Corinthians were divided. Some held a very strict rule that they would not sit down to a meal if the meat had been purchased at a pagan meat market. Others exercised their new found freedom so liberally that they could eat the Lord’s supper (communion) and then commit sexual immorality.
2. Paul reached to both groups of believers and gave them the guideline to do everything “for the glory of God” (v31). Christians are free because we know the truth in Christ. But willing always to surrender any freedom that will benefit believer or unbeliever alike.
3. What “questionable” practices have you wrestled with personally? How can the principles discussed in this passage guide your behavior in areas that might be “permissible” but not beneficial?

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 18:8-11

⁸ The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
    they go down into the inner parts of the body.
⁹ Whoever is slack in his work
    is a brother to him who destroys.
¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
    the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
¹¹ A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
    and like a high wall in his imagination.

¹⁶ For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷ For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. ¹⁸ What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

¹⁹ For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. ²⁰ To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. ²¹ To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. ²³ I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.²⁵ Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. ²⁶ So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. ²⁷ But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

REFLECTION

1. Paul presented himself as one who had surrendered many personal rights for the benefit of others. Paul wanted to make preaching the gospel a gift, not a purchase (v18). He wanted to identify with others, so as not to personally offend anyone who needed to hear the gospel (vv22-23).
2. In giving up the rights mentioned in chapters 8—9, how are we like athletes in training (vv. 24-27)? Right now, in the race of the gospel, are you a runner or a spectator?  Do you long for the crown (trophy) that God is going to reward you?  Talk to God about your role right now, ask Him to help you prepare for the race.
3. 3.        If we are as eager to serve God, as sensitive to others, and as focused on eternity, our “rights” will seem unimportant to us as well. (Larry Richards)

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 18:5-7

⁵ It is not good to be partial to the wicked
    or to deprive the righteous of justice.
⁶ A fool’s lips walk into a fight,
    and his mouth invites a beating.
⁷ A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
    and his lips are a snare to his soul.