NT: “Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or males who have sex with males [both actively and passively], no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God… “Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will do away with both of them. However, the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body… Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:9-11, 13, 19-20‬ ‭CSB)

Not assuming anything, Paul made it very clear that the kingdom of God will not be inherited by those who are unrighteous. To clear up any confusion as to what was included in unrighteousness, Paul gave a list of unrighteous practices. This list is not comprehensive, but it was inclusive of the unrighteous practices that were from the Corinthian believers’ past. Within the church in Corinth, there were undoubtedly people who were once very sexually promiscuous, people who worshipped and sacrificed to idols, people who cheated on their spouses, men who were once temple prostitutes and men who used the male temple prostitutes. There were also people who were once thieves, people who were greedy, people who were drunkards, people who were verbally abusive, and people who swindled others. The people in the Corinthian church came from a very unrighteous past – but that was not their present – and by the grace of God, would not be their future. Paul wrote, “And some of you used to be like this,” implying that they were not like that any more. How had they changed? They had been washed (fully), sanctified (separated and purified from the profanity of their past and dedicated to God), and justified (declared righteous) through their faith in the name of Jesus Christ and by the working of the Holy Spirit. The sin of their past was no longer a part of them… they had been transformed… they had been born again and made new. Because of that, the sins of their past should not have a place in their lives going forward. Can a person actually be transformed through salvation by grace through faith? Can a racist be transformed into someone who loves all races? Can a rapist be transformed into someone who truly respects, honors and cherishes others selflessly? In Christ, as they submit to the working of the Holy Spirit, the answer is Yes!

When we live a life of grace, we are no longer subject to the righteous requirements of the law. We are able to eat different types of food with freedom. As Jesus taught, food goes into the stomach and is then eliminated. Immorality, especially sexual immorality, is not like that. We are not free to imbibe in immoral behaviors. If we have been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Christ, our lives (and our bodies) have been bought by Christ with His shed blood on the cross. If we have been washed, sanctified, and justified by the work of the Holy Spirit, our bodies are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies are not to be used as instruments of unrighteousness … we are not to use our bodies to engage in immoral acts – for our bodies are not our own. They are to be used as instruments of righteousness. So… be thankful that you are no longer who you used to be. Be thankful that you have been completely washed from your past. Be thankful that you have been purified and dedicated for service to God. Be thankful that you have been declared righteous and are able to inherit the riches and blessings of the kingdom of God. And going forward, allow your body and life to glorify God and be a place that is welcoming to the Holy Spirit.

Psalms: “Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his faithful love to me in a city under siege. In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the sound of my pleading when I cried to you for help.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭31:21-22‬ ‭CSB)

Scholars are not sure of the context from which David wrote this psalm – but was a time when he felt under siege… when his enemies surrounded him. There are times when we can feel under siege – when we are surrounded by the unrighteous desires of our flesh wanting to drag us back into old sin patterns… when we are surrounded by a world that loudly declares that unrighteousness is a myth and that we should be free to participate in whatever makes us happy… when we are surrounded by temptations and accusations from the enemy of our soul. Even though it may feel like we are cut off from God, He hears our cry for help. Even when we are under siege, we can still boldly come before His throne of grace in time of need and ask for help. And God will manifest His faithful love (His checed) to us by grace through faith, and provide for us and fill us with what we need to endure the siege and come out victorious.

Proverbs: “Be assured that a wicked person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11:21‬ ‭CSB)

Thanks be to God, that He made a way for the wicked and unrighteous to be made righteous. We can escape the eventual punishment of the wicked by being washed, sanctified and justified through faith in the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that my past does not define who I am presently, nor what my future will be. Words cannot express how grateful I am to You, that You have washed me, sanctified me, and justified me in Your name and by the working of the Holy Spirit. I have been bought with a price and I am no longer my own. I belong to You. Grace me to walk in righteousness and use my life to glorify You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “If any of you has a dispute against another, how dare you take it to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the trivial cases? …I say this to your shame! Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between fellow believers? Instead, brother goes to court against brother, and that before unbelievers! As it is, to have legal disputes against one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves do wrong and cheat — and you do this to brothers and sisters!” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:1-2, 5-8‬ ‭CSB)

Another problem in the Corinthian church was the issue of brothers and sisters in Christ having disputes with each other and fighting them out in the court system. This was not only solidifying the divisiveness in the church, it was also weakening the church’s testimony in the community. How could they sincerely declare the gospel and claim to be disciples of Christ if they were suing each other in the pagan court systems? Redeemed believers in Jesus, submitted to the Lordship of Christ and committed to the word, will and ways of God should be able to settle their disagreements through humility and love for one another. The fact that they had to go to court to settle their matters indicated a failure in their faith and obedience.  Christ taught that it is better to be wronged or cheated than to lose a brother, sister, or dear friend. If we are to love our enemies, how much more so should we show sacrificial love and kindness to our fellow brothers and sisters? The Corinthian church wasn’t obeying the teachings of Christ – they were doing the exact opposite.

Psalms: “How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you. In the presence of everyone you have acted for those who take refuge in you. You hide them in the protection of your presence; you conceal them in a shelter from human schemes, from quarrelsome tongues.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭31:19-20‬ ‭CSB)

One of the reasons Christians take matters into their own hands and sue fellow believers in the courts, is because they don’t truly believe God’s word and trust in His character. They believe that the only way they can receive justice and have the wrongs committed against them righted, is to trust in themselves and the word’s systems. They believe the only way they can get their due is to fight other people for it. King David expressed the complete opposite. King David knew that goodness awaited those who feared the Lord. David knew that God would act on behalf of those who took refuge in Him. David knew that God would shelter those who honored and obeyed His word, will and ways, and protect them from the world’s schemes. Faith in Christ saved us and redeemed us. Faith in Christ and the word, will and ways of the Father will continue to save us and transform us. Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord – so we need to walk in forgiveness and love, and trust God to do what is right.

Prayer: Lord, Your word teaches that I am to walk in love, mercy and forgiveness, and that I am to sacrificially serve my brother and sister in Christ. You teach me, that if I am wronged, I am to forgive and allow you to bring justice. Help me, by Your grace, to not be obsessed with what I am owed, but to be passionate for the things that demonstrate Your gospel and bring glory to Your name. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “After these things had been done, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the surrounding peoples whose detestable practices are like those of the Canaanites, Hethites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. Indeed, the Israelite men have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed has become mixed with the surrounding peoples. The leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!” When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and robe, pulled out some of the hair from my head and beard, and sat down devastated. Everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me, because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles, while I sat devastated until the evening offering. At the evening offering, I got up from my time of humiliation, with my tunic and robe torn. Then I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God. And I said: My God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face toward you, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads and our guilt is as high as the heavens.” (‭‭Ezra‬ ‭9:1-6‬ ‭CSB)

Four months after Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, he was made aware of immorality and a flagrant disobedience of God’s word among the remnant who had returned from exile. Worse yet, it was the leaders who had taken the lead in unfaithfulness to God. When Ezra heard that news, he tore his clothes in grief and sat down devastated. That word in Hebrew means stunned, appalled and desolated. God had called His people to be holy and not mix with the surrounding pagan culture, not because they were better than everyone else, but because God desired to bless the world through them. The people of Israel were called to reveal God to the rest of the world, and they couldn’t do that if there was mixture in their lives… if they became just like the surrounding culture. It was because of such mixture and sin, that God disciplined His people by allowing them to be taken in to exile. After 70 years, God was gracious enough to allow them to return to the land, and yet they engaged in the same behaviors that led them into bondage. No wonder Ezra was devastated. Do we in the church take sin as seriously as Ezra did? Sin isn’t something to take lightly – especially in the church. Sin kept us bound and headed for death until Christ gave His life for us. God was gracious enough to save those who placed their faith in Christ, and then called them to be holy temples of the Holy Spirit to glorify God here on earth. When a believer allows sin back into their lives, it should be troubling.

When it was time for the evening sacrifice, Ezra got up. There before the people who had gathered, he fell on his knees before the Lord and cried out to the Lord. Ezra hadn’t done anything wrong – yet he prayed, “I am ashamed and embarrassed… for our iniquities are higher than our heads.” Why did Ezra include himself as he prayed? When sin is allowed to enter a sanctified people, it affects everyone. A little leaven leavens the entire lump of dough. Sin is the same way. Sin that is tolerated affects everyone – even the innocent. For the sake of everyone, sin in the church needs to be exposed, corrected and dealt with.

NT: “I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. But actually, I wrote you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister and is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? God judges outsiders. Remove the evil person from among you.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭5:9-13‬ ‭CSB)

Corinth had the reputation of being a very immoral place. Corinth hosted the temple of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation. The spirit of promiscuity that permeated the Corinthian culture was allowed to infiltrate the Corinthian church, and because of that, the witness of the church was sullied. Earlier in this chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul addressed the blatant immorality that was being tolerated by the church. The Corinthians considered their toleration of sin to be a good thing, and they were boasting of their love and inclusiveness. But Paul wrote that instead of boasting, they should be grieved. He wrote, “Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new unleavened batch.” (1 Corinthians 5:6-7a)

We are called to be gracious to unbelievers and leave their judgement to God. We remain hospitable to them and live among them, that they may hear the gospel, see it demonstrated in our lives, believe it and experience redemption. We don’t expect unbelievers to behave like believers, but endeavor to share with them the good news of the Kingdom. In the same light, we shouldn’t expect believers to remain behaving like unbelievers. If they have been redeemed through faith in Christ, they have been declared righteous and given the means to leave their sinful selves behind them. While we are called to be gracious and merciful, we are also called to exhort our fellow believers to love, good works, and holiness. We are called to confront and expose sin in the church with love. However, if a redeemed believer, after being lovingly confronted about their sin, is not willing to repent – then that brother or sister is a detriment to the sanctity and effectiveness of the church, and must be removed until repentance occurs. The church is the house of God, called to be holy and stand as a light to the world. Unrepentant sin amongst redeemed believers should not be tolerated.

Prayer: Lord, I know that sin is not a trite issue to You. Your word says that You hate it, and You gave up Your only Son to see it destroyed. Though You are merciful, gracious and longsuffering to sinners, You do not tolerate sin. Help my heart to resonate with Your heart. Help me to not treat sin casually, but to view it the way You do. Help me to be gracious, merciful, and longsuffering with others; and also help me to confront sin in my life and in the lives of those You love through me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions. I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.” So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer… We set out from the Ahava River on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. We were strengthened by our God, and he kept us from the grasp of the enemy and from ambush along the way. So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.” (‭‭Ezra‬ ‭8:21-23, 31-32‬ ‭CSB)

The journey from Babylon to Jerusalem was long and treacherous. It was understandable and completely acceptable to ask for an armed escort to protect them from marauders along the way. For Ezra, the journey to Jerusalem was more than leading a convoy of exiles back to their homeland. It was a spiritual journey to glorify the name of the Lord God of Israel. Ezra had testified to King Artaxerxes that the God of Israel could and would cover them with His hand of protection, so in order to honor the Lord God before the king, he didn’t ask for an escort. If God was going to protect them, they didn’t need to be protected by the feeble hand of man. What great faith! Right before they left for the long journey to Jerusalem, Ezra gathered the caravan together at the Ahava River and proclaimed a fast to ask the Lord for a safe voyage. Then the convoy of inexperienced travelers, led by a scholar and loaded down with a fortune of gold and silver, set forth in faith, believing the hand of God was on them. It was said earlier in the book of Ezra, that the hand of the Lord was on Ezra because he had proven himself faithful. Because of Ezra’s faith-filled leadership, the Lord’s hand of protection was on the convoy of exiles as well. After four months of traveling, they all arrived safely in Jerusalem. Not a life was lost, and not an ounce of gold or silver was missing. God had proven Himself faithful to those who sought Him and trusted in Him.

Psalms: “For you are my rock and my fortress; you lead and guide me for your name’s sake. You will free me from the net that is secretly set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I entrust my spirit; you have redeemed me, Lord, God of truth. I hate those who are devoted to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad in your faithful love because you have seen my affliction. You know the troubles of my soul and have not handed me over to the enemy. You have set my feet in a spacious place.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭31:3-8‬ ‭CSB)

Because Ezra was a diligent scholar of God’s word, I wonder if his faith in God was encouraged and strengthened by King David’s faith. This psalm of David is all about trusting in the Lord, no matter how dire or dangerous situations become. Oftentimes, when David had to escape his enemies, he would retreat to the mountains where he would have the high-ground advantage, or take refuge in an outcropping or cave formed in the side of a cliff. Using that imagery, David proclaimed that ultimately God was his rock and fortress. He trusted God’s hand to protect him and give him the advantage over his enemies. Not only that, he trusted that God’s hand would also lead him and guide him through all of his enemies traps and snares. David’s statement of complete faith in the Lord God – “Into Your hand I entrust my spirit.” – was echoed by Christ as He surrendered His life to death. David knew that as he submitted his life under the mighty hand of God, though circumstances were dangerous and dire, he would be able to rejoice and be glad on the other side because of God’s faithful love. What was true for David, is true for us. In fact, Christ, through His death and resurrection, has already won the victory over our enemies. When we place our faith in Him, we are reborn in Him. Christ becomes our rock and refuge, and the Holy Spirit becomes our guide. As we come under the mighty hand of God, His hand of protection is on us, and He will safely lead us through the dangers of this to spacious places full of peace, joy, and abundant life.

Prayer: Lord, Your word teaches me to humble myself under the mighty hand of God so that You may exalt me, protect me and deliver me. I thank You, that I have refuge in You through faith, and by grace, Your Holy Spirit will lead me out of danger and into blessing. Instead of trusting in the systems of the world or in my own strength, I humble myself and place myself in Your hands. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; we labor, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the scum of the earth, like everyone’s garbage. I’m not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children. For you may have countless instructors in Christ, but you don’t have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me… For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭4:10-16, 20‬ ‭CSB)

Corinth was a wealthy city, and apparently the members of the Corinthian church had become arrogant in their “prosperity,” especially as they compared their lives to the challenging life of Paul. They thought themselves to be better than Paul and may have even belittled him in their speech. Beginning in verse seven of this chapter, Paul began challenging their arrogance with some intentional sarcasm. He wrote, “You are so full… you are so rich… you live like kings, and I wish that I could live like you, but God has called me to be on display before you and the world as a spectacle.” The Greek word translated as ‘spectacle’ is theatron – where we get the English word theater. Paul was referring to the Roman theater, where gladiators and slaves fought for their lives as the audience looked on. The English word ‘spectacle’ means: something exhibited to view as unusual, notable, or entertaining; an object of curiosity or contempt.

The Corinthian church was viewing Paul’s struggles and humble way of life as contemptible, and had abandoned their father in the faith for leaders who were much more attractive and agreeable to their standards of living. We in America often fall into the same trap. We see trials and tribulations, modest living and hard labor as contemptible and arrogantly consider ourselves as better than those who struggle and suffer, because we, relatively speaking, are so much better off than the rest of the world. And we gravitate to leaders who preach prosperity instead of those who call us to sacrifice and humility.

It is not in our prosperity and strength that God is glorified. In fact, our strength and prosperity actually becomes our weakness and downfall, because they convince us we have no need of a savior. Instead, it is through our weaknesses, our trials, our challenges, and our perceived lack of resources that God is made strong. As His strength overcomes our weakness… as His abundance overwhelms our lack… as His grace sustains us through our trials and tribulations, God is glorified through us. When the world looks upon us and reviles us, persecutes us or slanders us; and we endure all of that with grace by grace from the Lord, we become a spectacle – not of contempt, but of curiosity –  that demonstrates the power of the life of God in us.

Instead of forsaking the teachings of Paul for a more appealing “gospel,” the Corinthian church needed to remember that it was Paul that led them to faith and freedom in Christ in the first place. Instead of boasting about how good they had it, they needed to humble themselves and imitate Paul, as He imitated Christ. Instead of being all empty talk with no action, they needed to obey the teachings of Christ that Paul had taught them, and allow their lives to be filled with the dynamic power of God. The kingdom of God is not a matter of empty talk, but of demonstrated power as we humble ourselves and let God make a spectacle of our lives as He proves Himself strong through our weaknesses.

Psalms: “Lord, I seek refuge in you; let me never be disgraced. Save me by your righteousness. Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭31:1-2‬ ‭CSB)

As we humble ourselves, offer our lives to the Lord in faith, and allow our lives to become a spectacle before the world for God’s glory; Our Lord and savior will not allow us to be disgraced. He will defend us, avenge us, strengthen us, uphold us, and save us.

Prayer: Lord, it is Your desire to glorify Yourself through me… and that is my desire as well. Help me to not get so comfortable in the “American dream” that I am unwilling to allow my life to be used as a spectacle that demonstrates Your power through my weakness. I don’t want to be a believer that is all earthly talk, but has no heavenly power. So I humble myself before You and commit to obey the words of my Father and follow the example of Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “After these events, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra — came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he requested because the hand of the Lord his God was on him… Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (‭‭Ezra‬ ‭7:1a, 6, 10‬ ‭CSB)

Ezra was born into a sanctified family lineage – a direct descendant of Aaron the first High Priest. Ezra was also born into Babylonian captivity. There in Babylon, there was no Jewish Temple… no place for a Jewish priest to minister, and no reason for a Jewish priest to apply himself to his spiritual calling. However, that didn’t stop Ezra. He didn’t allow his circumstances to determine his identity. He knew who he was: he was a priest. He determined in his heart to remain faithful to the call on his life… and the hand of God was on him. It is written that Ezra determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord… but it didn’t stop there. Ezra also determined in his heart to obey the law of the Lord, and teach it to those in his circle of influence. It isn’t enough to simply study God’s word. Faithful servants and stewards are faithfulI because they obey and teach others. It was out of Ezra’s diligence, obedience, and faithful stewardship to the Lord that he rose in prominence – to the point that King Artaxerxes placed his faith in Ezra to lead a coalition to Jerusalem and remain there to ensure that the God of Israel was honored and worshipped.

NT: “A person should think of us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of the mysteries of God. In this regard, it is required that managers be found faithful. It is of little importance to me that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I don’t even judge myself. For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. It is the Lord who judges me… Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.” The purpose is that none of you will be arrogant, favoring one person over another.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭4:1-4, 6‬ ‭CSB)

Still addressing the issue of divisions in the church driven by partiality with leadership, Paul described the role of ministers in the church in this way: Firstly, spiritual leaders are primarily servants of Christ. The Greek word translated here as ‘servant’ actually means an underrower… one of the below-deck servant-rowers of a ship, charged with getting the ship to where the captain wanted it to go. Spiritual leaders aren’t the captain – they are the underrowers, following the directions of Christ the Lord and Captain of the church. Secondly, spiritual leaders are managers (stewards) of the mysteries (formally hidden and now revealed truths) of God. Spiritual leaders don’t own revelation… they don’t keep the revealed mysteries of God to themselves for selfish advantage. They steward the revealed mysteries of God by obeying them and teaching them to faithful people, who will then obey them and teach them to others. Because of this, spiritual leaders and ministers are not to be subject to popular opinion or the judgements of man – nor are they to be justified by their own biased self-evaluations. They are to answer to and be judged by the Lord and Captain of the Church, Jesus Christ. Because spiritual leaders in the church are subject primarily to Christ and not the whims of the crowd, requirements and expectations for spiritual leaders should be based on requirements and expectations found in the word and not personal preference. If spiritual leadership in the church are obedient servants to Christ and faithful stewards of the word, and congregants don’t become arrogant and listen only to the leaders they like, then the church will grow, mature, and reach the intended destination prescribed by the Lord.

Psalms: “Sing to the Lord, you his faithful ones, and praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor, a lifetime. Weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning. When I was secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” Lord, when you showed your favor, you made me stand like a strong mountain; when you hid your face, I was terrified. Lord, I called to you; I sought favor from my Lord: “What gain is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your truth? Lord, listen and be gracious to me; Lord, be my helper.” You turned my lament into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, so that I can sing to you and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭30:4-12‬ ‭CSB)

In this psalm, David alluded to a time when he allowed his heart to become lifted up and unfaithful to the Lord. It was a time when he felt secure, and his heart said in arrogance, “I will never be shaken.” When David was faithful to the Lord, the Lord showed him favor. But when David’s heart was lifted up, the Lord “hid His face.” It was then that David realized His utter dependency on the Lord and the error of his ways. Once David repented of his unfaithful heart, weeping was turned to joy, lament was turned to dancing, and sackcloth was replaced with garments of gladness. Because of that, David cried out to all who would hear his voice, “Sing to the Lord, you His faithful ones, and praise His holy name.” David had experienced the results of becoming unfaithful to the Lord, and He didn’t want any of the Lord’s faithful to experience the same thing. He didn’t want them to experience the Lord’s anger, but to experience His favor for a lifetime.

Prayer: Lord, I acknowledge that primarily and ultimately, I am called to be Your obedient servant and a faithful steward of Your word, will and ways – by studying, obeying, and teaching. Help me to not be persuaded by popular opinion nor deceived by my own self-evaluation – but to hold my life to the standards of Your word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and that is what you are. Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so that he can become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, since it is written, He catches the wise in their craftiness; and again, The Lord knows that the reasonings of the wise are futile. So let no one boast in human leaders, for everything is yours — whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come — everything is yours, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:16-23‬ ‭CSB)

Each person who has repented from sin and come to Christ in faith, believed Christ for salvation, and acknowledged Christ as Lord has become God’s temple – and as we open our lives to the fullness of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God inhabits (not possesses) us and lives within us. When we place saving faith in and on Christ, we are redeemed, reconciled to God and made holy – and as we follow the Lord Jesus as faithful disciples, we are continually made holy from glory to glory as we are transformed more and more into the image of Christ. That is true of every believer – not just select believers. And as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2, while we are all individually temples of God, we are also all living stones that are being built together into a spiritual house (or temple) and holy priesthood both: the place for and the people to offer acceptable sacrifices of worship to God. In Christ, we are all graced, we are all made worthy, we all share in God’s anointing, we are all equal sharers of Christ’s inheritance. Because of that, we don’t do things the way the world does things. We don’t use the wisdom that comes from the world. We don’t allow ourselves to be conformed to the ways of the world. Why would we, when we can all walk in the ways of God and do all things according to His wisdom? There are no celebrities in the body of Christ. There are no people who are “more worthy” than others. There is no competing for attention, recognition or resources. We are all Christ’s and all who are in Christ belong to God. As we surrender to God, we are filled with His Spirit, anointed by the Spirit and graced by the Spirit for all that God has called us to.

Psalms: “I will exalt you, Lord, because you have lifted me up and have not allowed my enemies to triumph over me. Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you healed me. Lord, you brought me up from Sheol; you spared me from among those going down to the Pit.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭30:1-3‬ ‭CSB)

The superscription for this psalm is, “a dedication song for the house.” David was not allowed to build a temple for the Lord, but he did purchase the land that would later house the temple, and dedicated that land to the Lord – and it was there that David worshipped until his final days before the Temple was built. The story around the purchase of that land tells of a time that David allowed his heart to be lifted up… a time when David, instead of trusting in the hand of the Lord, was compelled to follow the wisdom of the world and number his troops so that he could place his sense of security on them. The census that David took was looked upon as sin, and God allowed a fast-moving plaque to hit the nation to bring David to a place of humility and repentance. David purchased the threshing floor of Araunah on the top of Mount Moriah in an obedient act of repentance for his sin, and offered a sacrifice that moved God to put an end to the pestilence. Perhaps, this psalm was written in response to those events as David dedicated the land for the temple, the house of God.

After all that had transpired, David said, “I will exalt You Lord, because You have lifted me up… You brought healing when I cried out to You… You have rescued me from Sheol… You have spared me from death and hell. God has done the same for us as we have repented of our sin, cried out to Him, and placed our faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ. God didn’t just provide a place for a temple – He made us His temple. He rescued us from the kingdom of darkness, re-birthed us into His kingdom, and made us His sons and daughters. And He will continue to save us and rescue us as we reject the ways of the flesh, the world, and the Devil and follow completely His word, will and ways.

Prayer: Lord, what an incredible honor to be Your temple – a dwelling place for Your Holy Spirit. Thank you for saving me, for redeeming me, for reconciling me, and for sanctifying me, and for filling me. There is no other reasonable response for me than to offer my life as a living sacrifice in worship and dedication to You, Your word, Your will, and Your ways. Help me by Your grace to not capitulate or settle for the ways of the world – but in everything trust in Your wisdom as You inhabit my life with Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved — but only as through fire.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:6-15‬ ‭CSB)

Paul wrote that the church is God’s field. When a landowner obtained a field in those days, it was to produce a fruitful harvest. The landowner would then hire different workers to work the field unto that singular purpose. The workers didn’t own the field and they didn’t own the harvest – but they were all allowed to share in the blessing of the harvest, provided they worked together under the lordship of the landowner. The church (both local and global) is the same way. The church belongs to the Lord, and He calls different people to work together under His Lordship for a common cause: to see a fruitful harvest of souls, who are then fruitful. In the church, there are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers all working together under the Lord of the Church to reap a harvest of souls who are then fruitful in their work of ministry. The church doesn’t belong to the apostle. The church doesn’t belong to the prophet. The church doesn’t belong to the evangelist. The church doesn’t belong to the pastor or teacher. The church belongs to the Lord – but all who work in unity toward seeing a fruitful harvest will all share in the blessing – for all had a hand in bringing the harvest to fruition by the life-giving grace of God through the Holy Spirit.

Paul also wrote that the church is God’s building. For a building to withstand the elements and downward pull of decay and degradation, two things are required: 1) a good and solid foundation, and 2) good and solid building materials. Paul’s role in the Corinthian church was to establish the foundation. After he left, other builders came to build on the foundation he laid to hopefully build a good solid structure that would withstand the test of time. Paul wrote earlier that he came preaching only Christ and Him crucified. That was the foundation that he laid: the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the only solid, strong and sure foundation for the church of God. A church, for it to stand, must be build on Christ. It can’t be built on the notoriety of a popular preacher. It can’t be built on a popular ministry method. It can’t be built on a specific singular doctrinal message (like prayer, worship, serving the poor, etc.) The foundation of a church and the foundation of The Church must be Christ. Once the foundation is laid, those who build on the foundation must make sure they are building with good materials. They need to use timeless and proven truths that have been mined through careful study of the word of God and prayer – not trendy, flash-in-the-pan methods or book-of-the-day philosophies. God isn’t building a trendy church. He is building a strong church that will last until the end of the age and be found faithful. If you build with the timeless and proven doctrines of scripture, what you build will withstand the fires of judgement and you will receive a reward for your efforts. If you are simply interested in a quick work that will be trendy in its time and bring you a lot of adoration and attention – then your work will get burned up in the fire, and you will stand before the Lord with nothing to show.

Psalms: “The voice of the Lord is above the waters. The God of glory thunders — the Lord, above the vast water, the voice of the Lord in power, the voice of the Lord in splendor… The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned, King forever. The Lord gives his people strength; the Lord blesses his people with peace.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭29:3-4, 10-11‬ ‭CSB)

In this psalm, David likened the voice of the Lord to a powerful and terrifying storm. It is definitely possible that he could have been watching a powerful thunderstorm roll in from the Mediterranean as he wrote this. The sheer power and authority of God’s voice caused the mountains to shake and the mighty cedars of Lebanon to split open. The mountains were considered by the neighboring Canaanite nations to be the dwelling places of the gods, and the mighty cedars were considered to be strong and steadfast… but the mountains and cedars were no match for the power and authority of the Lord. Yes, the storm was terrifying and it brought destruction to those who stood against the Lord and His purposes – but it also brought blessing, strength and peace to the people of the Lord. It was through the flood that God established His everlasting covenant with Noah. It was through the flood that God washed the world of sin and gave the family of Noah a new life. It is under the power and authority of God’s word that His church is established and given grace to flourish and be fruitful. What side of the storm are we going to be on? Are we going to stand opposed to His purposes and be shaken, or are we going to come under His Lordship as the Lord of the church and be blessed?

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You have invited me to be a worker in Your field and a builder of Your building. Help me, by Your grace as I submit to Your Lordship in faith, to work with my fellow workers – not against them… and to not be tempted to build with quick-fix and trendy materials, but with the tried and true doctrines found in Your word. To You, Lord be all the glory. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

NT: “For my part, brothers and sisters, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, since you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, because you are still worldly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not worldly and behaving like mere humans? For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting like mere humans?” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:1-4‬ ‭CSB)

At the end of the previous chapter, Paul mentioned two types of people: natural and spiritual. Natural people are unsaved and unredeemed people who are not yet spiritually alive to God. Spiritual people are people who have been saved and redeemed through faith in Christ and have received His spiritual life. Paul also mentioned that there was a spiritual wisdom from God that was available to those who were mature in Christ that natural people could know nothing of. Paul began this chapter by saying that when he was last in Corinth, he wasn’t able to speak to the Corinthian believers as spiritual people because they were still babies in Christ. They were new believers and hadn’t had enough time to mature. However, some time had progressed since Paul was in Corinth, and he was disappointed because the believers there were still immature and still acting like natural humans. It is understandable and expected for new believers to be immature, but it is wrong for believers to stay immature – just as it would be wrong for a normally functioning child to never be weaned from its mother… never progress to solid food… never become potty trained, etc.

According to Paul, there are two types of believer: mature believers who are walking according to the Spirit and growing in the wisdom of God by the Spirit, and immature believers who are still living according to the patterns and desires of the flesh and are no different from the world. Envy, strive, divisions, factions, celebrity-ism and the like are all signs of immaturity. How do we grow in maturity as believers? It partly involves our progression in the types of food we eat: progressing from milk to solid food. The Bible teaches that our food is the word of God and obeying the word of God. Milk represents those things that are extremely basic to a believer and easy to do. Solid food represents those things in the word that are much harder to obey – those things that we cannot obey unless we do so by grace through the empowering of the Holy Spirit. If we never allow our faith to grow beyond obeying God in the simple things that we can do in our own strength, and avoid the things in the word that are difficult or impossible to do unless we rely on grace, then we will remain carnally minded and never mature spiritually.

Psalms: “Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭29:1-2‬ ‭CSB)

According to a commentary that I read, Psalm 29 was (and is) often recited during the feast of Pentecost. In this psalm, David likened the voice of the Lord to a powerful storm. The latter rains were the rains that brought forth the harvest that was celebrated at Pentecost. The neighboring nations worshipped the god Baal, and believed him to be the god of thunder and storms. However, David knew that the Lord God, the God of Israel was the God of all Creation. So he began the psalm by calling the heavenly hosts (and by default, the nations under heaven) to ascribe to the Lord the glory that and strength that was due His name and worship Him in His absolute holiness. No other man-made god deserved glory for what only God could do. It was also on the day of Pentecost that God released His Holy Spirit to us in a mighty rushing wind and flames of fire. And it is that Holy Spirit that speaks the words of God to us, fills us with God’s wisdom and leads us to maturity in Christ. It is nothing that we can do in our natural abilities. Godly wisdom and spiritual maturity can only come from God as we humble ourselves and place our faith in Him and His Holy Spirit. So ascribe to God glory and strength and worship Him in His beautiful and absolute holiness.

Prayer: Lord, in Christ you have called me to much more than a mediocre and carnal life that is no different from the world around me. You have called me to be set apart and vastly different from the world. You have called me to be holy as You are holy. While I believe that to be possible, I know that it is only possible as You lead me, mold me and shape me by the maturing work of your Holy Spirit. Help me to not avoid the more substantive parts of the word, but instead open my life to Your maturing work as I endeavor to believe and obey Your word by grace through faith and the empowering of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “We do, however, speak a wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined before the ages for our glory… Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, since the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except his spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God. We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. But the person without the Spirit does not receive what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, and yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone. For who has known the Lord’s mind, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:6-7, 10-16‬ ‭CSB)

While the gospel message is simple, the actual plan of redemption that was formulated in the mind of God is far beyond the natural mind’s ability to comprehend. Not even the spiritual powers of darkness fully comprehended God’s plan of redemption, otherwise they wouldn’t have tried so hard to end Jesus’ life. Though Paul instructed us to deliver the gospel message of Christ and Him crucified without brilliance of speech or wisdom, there is a wisdom available to those who share the gospel if they endeavor to study the word of God, be taught by the Holy Spirit, and grow in maturity. That wisdom enables us to see the mysteries of God revealed, and understand what only the mind of God can understand. It is important for us who have been redeemed by God to understand the majesty and perfection of His plan, lest the gospel become something simple, valueless, and inexplainable in our minds. The more I learn about God, the more I love and treasure, and am amazed by the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

The only way that we can understand God’s love, mercy, grace, justice, righteousness and His plan to redeem mankind through Jesus Christ His Son is by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus said that when He went to the Father, He would send us the Holy Spirit, who would remind us of the things that Jesus taught, teach us new things that Jesus wasn’t able to teach us, and lead us into all truth. The Holy Spirit fully understands the mind of God, for the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. There is no way for anyone to understand the mysteries of God, nor how God is able to completely redeem someone, outside of the Holy Spirit. That is one reason why people in the world will never fully understand the life of a redeemed and faithful follower of Jesus. The life of a true believer and disciple of Christ should confound the minds of those who are in the world. But we who are in Christ, should be able to see and understand things from God’s perspective, because by the Holy Spirit within us, we have the mind of Christ.

Psalms: “Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the sound of my pleading. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart celebrates, and I give thanks to him with my song. The Lord is the strength of his people; he is a stronghold of salvation for his anointed. Save your people, bless your possession, shepherd them, and carry them forever.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭28:6-9‬ ‭CSB)

The source of David’s strength was the Lord… and therefore the source of Israel’s strength was the Lord. David was able to shepherd his nation with strength and wisdom as the Lord strengthened him, shepherded him, and gave him wisdom from above. For us who are in Christ, we have the ever-present Holy Spirit who leads us, strengthens us, and gives us wisdom from the Lord. Unlike David who was limited in his access to the Lord, we have the Holy Spirit with us always as we are continually filled with His presence.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you, that you loved me and all of humanity so much that you constructed a plan of redemption that was so beyond anyone’s comprehension that it could not be thwarted – yet could be communicated in such a simple way that the simplest of persons could hear it’s message, believe it and be saved. I also thank You, that You don’t leave me in the dark to believe an in-understandable mystery, but share Your mind and wisdom with me through the gift of Your Holy Spirit. Lord, help me, as I endeavor each day to be freshly filled with Your Holy Spirit and grow deeper and deeper in maturity as I learn more and more about You.