1 Corinthians 15:34 Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all. (NLT)
The Corinthian church was relatively comfortable in their religious endeavors, but Paul’s letter clearly reprimanded them for their misguided priorities. Paul reminded them to go back to the foundation of their faith (Jesus Christ) to determine what was right. The Corinthians were not wicked people – they were simply selfish well intended sinners. Forgiveness does not validate or excuse our willing neglect to apply God’s truth to every aspect of our lives. There are countless religious well-intended individuals who can quote scriptural principles; but have never truly sought the precious presence of our Lord and Savior. The Corinthian letter should be a warning to all of us that the primary purpose of our faith is to humbly know and obey our Lord. Pride and pious faith had caused division and conflict among the Corinthians leading to a number of misguided choices addressed by Paul. We must not allow our emotional desires to overwhelm our humble willingness to personally obey God’s Word. We cannot think about what is right if we fail to devote ourselves to the study of God’s Word to discover what our Lord declares is right. If there is not a constant introspection and humble self-examination regarding our own holiness we probably do not know God at all. Our faith must ever be applied to our own choices before it is of any value to our Lord or others. The presence of our Lord is not simply granted to those who want it – it is given to those who have humbly acknowledged their unmerited right to receive it and are willing to gratefully and passionately live by what it requires.
Read through the Bible in one year – April 19/ Luke 15:1-10; 2 Samuel 6-8
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