Day 30 - 1 Corinthians 10:27-33

27 If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience. 28 (But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.” Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you. 29 It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.) For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? 30 If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?
31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. 33 I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.

Terrie's Comments:

One of the themes of this letter seems to be the theme of living a life that is others focused motivated by your relationship with Jesus Christ for the sake of saving many and not causing fellow believers to sin.

Tori's Comments:

"if you want to" (v. 27) This amuses me. I can say no!!!

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." My mother actually sent me this verse recently! It'd been on my heart.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 29: 1 Corinthians 10:18-26

18 Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar?
19 What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? 20 No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. 21 You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. 22 What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?
23 You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. 24 Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.
25 So you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.

Tori's Comments:

This seems rather polar opposite of what the world tells me, That I live life for myself. 

God has given me freedom, but not selfish freedom. I am free to live for others. 

Terrie's Comments:

So why is Paul raising questions about eating food offered to idols?  I believe he is just confirming that if you are a part in the sacrificing of meat to idols or other gods it would be wrong to eat them because offering any meat to anyone or anything other than God is offering them to demons.  But if you buy meat at the market and you happen to purchase meat that was sacrificed to a god but you weren't a part of the sacrificial ceremony then it doesn't matter.  It is not about the meat itself it is about you not partaking in any sacrifices other than the Lord's table, which unifies us with Jesus and with all other believers in the body of Christ.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 28 - 1 Corinthians 10:11-17

11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
14 So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. 15 You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true. 16 When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? 17 And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body.

Terrie's Comments:

So when we are basically mocking the Israelite's in our heads for their ignorant behavior they actually were serving the purpose to warn us so we would not look like fools like them.  We should be thanking them for giving us the examples for what not to do in our own lives.  Kind of like a reverse blueprint.  A blueprint that guarantees disaster and leads to our own demise.  

I am glad that if we are abiding in Christ and following the guidance from the Holy Spirit dwelling in us that we will be shown a way out of every temptation so that we are guaranteed not to fail if we choose to listen.

Tori's Comments:

Verse 12 is super powerful and hits you in the gut.

I am adding verse 13 to my list of promises. Super important one, and very applicable to life every single day. 

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 27 - 1 Corinthians 10:1-10

I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, 7 or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” 8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.

9 Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. 10 And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death.

Tori's Comments:

I'm not exactly sure what this passage is warning us about. I understand that the beginning is meant to show that they 'followed God' and did what they assumed they were supposed to do, but how does that relate to the second half?

Terrie's Comments:

A couple of years ago I went through the old testament and was studying specifically where Jesus was throughout the Bible.  It is amazing to me how many images of Christ there are in the old Testament, Like the rock who is referred to as Jesus.  It is all relevant and reveals more about the character of God and specifically who Jesus is and what he accomplished in his time here on earth.  I think it is amazing how harmonious the scriptures are.

As far as the second part of this passage is concerned I think humanly speaking first run through I am like "what were they thinking"... but then it quickly turns inward as I realize how quickly I too can be in a place of grumbling or questioning what God is doing in my life.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 26 - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

Terrie's Comments:
Stay focused on Jesus.  Faith involves discipline.  It is a choice to make your body fall in line with the word of God.  It is a choice to discipline yourself to actively pursue a relationship with Jesus daily.  It is a choice to believe that what God's word says is more true than the caos that surrounds your daily life and to believe that God is taking care of you.  We run with purpose in every step... I love that image.  Just like the athletes that train for the olympics have purpose in everything they do.  We run to win an eternal prize... It is so worth it!!  Keep on running my friends... run to win!

Tori's Comments:

I looked up a shadowboxing video because I didn't know what it was. It looked rather funny to me, boxing no one, and I suppose that shows the whole pointlessness of us trying to be Christians but not giving our all. We need to keep our guard up and stay in the Word. :)

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 25 - 1 Corinthians 9:13-23

13 Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings. 14 In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it. 15 Yet I have never used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that I want to start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my right to boast about preaching without charge. 16 Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!

17 If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust. 18 What then is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the Good News without charging anyone. That’s why I never demand my rights when I preach the Good News.

19 Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. 20 When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. 21 When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law,[a] I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.

22 When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. 23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.

Tori's Comments:

"a slave to all people"
Building off of yesterday...you are in a state of humility... Yes, I have opinions, but this life is not about me. Jesus Himself has served as a model to this. To love is to constantly think about others, build them up, and love them.

Terrie's Comments:
"trying to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.  I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings."  

This part of today's passage is reassuring to me that no matter what Paul did he didn't save everyone.  We should do all we can to spread the Good News and to not become a stumbling block on people's way to Jesus but we should not feel responsible or condemned when people are not saved yet.  That is not our job, it is only the Holy Spirit that can bring them to Jesus.  We are just vessels that are used by God as we allow Him to flow through us.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 24 - 1 Corinthians 9:1-12

9 Am I not as free as anyone else? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes? Isn’t it because of my work that you belong to the Lord? 2 Even if others think I am not an apostle, I certainly am to you. You yourselves are proof that I am the Lord’s apostle.

3 This is my answer to those who question my authority. 4 Don’t we have the right to live in your homes and share your meals? 5 Don’t we have the right to bring a believing wife with us as the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers do, and as Peter does? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have to work to support ourselves?

7 What soldier has to pay his own expenses? What farmer plants a vineyard and doesn’t have the right to eat some of its fruit? What shepherd cares for a flock of sheep and isn’t allowed to drink some of the milk? 8 Am I expressing merely a human opinion, or does the law say the same thing? 9 For the law of Moses says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this? 10 Wasn’t he actually speaking to us? Yes, it was written for us, so that the one who plows and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest.

11 Since we have planted spiritual seed among you, aren’t we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink? 12 If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported? But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ.

Terrie's Comments:
Every part of God's work is important.  We each have a part to play.  Consider that even if you lead someone to Christ there were workers who had a part in it both before that happened and there will continue to be workers to disciple them and help bring them to maturity after it happens.  We all work together and we all have the same goal... to further the kingdom of Jesus Christ.  

I love verse 12 "We would rather put up with anything that be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ".  That is something to think about for sure... 

Tori's Comments:

This makes me think of missionaries who support themselves through working. It is more of a personal connection to me, because that is what I plan to do myself.  I was originally going to go with a mission board, but the idea of sucking funds from other missionaries when I could easily support myself didn't sit right with me.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 23 - 1 Corinthians 8:9-13

9 But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. 10 For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? 11 So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. 12 And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. 13 So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.

Tori's Comments:

This passage is such a symbol of love...it's so beautiful. The church argues over so many minuscule that would be blown away in light of this passage. It's all about humbling yourself, always keeping your brother and sisters in mind, and protecting their faith. Unity is our goal, and destroying that for things that won't really matter in the long haul is a dreadful act. 

Terrie's Comments:
This expands on yesterdays post and takes it another step further to be sure we are not only focused on ourselves.  We are to watch out for our fellow believers as well so that they will not violate their conscience.  If we know that a fellow believer, believes that it is wrong to do something, then we should be willing to refrain from doing it so we will not be the ones to cause them to violate their conscience.  Even if we know that we are not made clean or unclean by what we eat but what is in our hearts we should be considerate of others who do not yet have this revealed to them.  Keep in mind that this letter was written to a church that was in a religious culture that had many guidelines about food.  

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 22 - 1 Corinthians 8:1-8

8 Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. 2 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. 3 But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.

4 So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. 5 There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. 6 But for us,

There is one God, the Father,
    by whom all things were created,
    and for whom we live.
And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ,
    through whom all things were created,
    and through whom we live.
7 However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. 8 It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.

Terrie's Comments:
So because we believe that there is only one God and we serve Him alone if we eat meat that has been offered to idols we are not sinning if our conscience allows it because we do not consider those gods to be real. Nothing changes for us if we eat food offered to other idols because they are not real.  However if we violate our conscience by eating food offered to idols then it would be wrong because we believe it is wrong.

Tori's Comments:

I realize that grasping for knowledge can be so important to me. I mean, I'm at bible college and trying to soak up as much as possible. I just have to be careful not to equate my level of knowledge with my relationship with God. While learning about the bible and God is fantastic, it's what we do with the knowledge that really matters. Our knowledge will never be anything compared to God's.

Love is putting that knowledge- the knowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord- into action.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 21 - 1 Corinthians 7:32-40

32 I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. 33 But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. 34 His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.

36 But if a man thinks that he’s treating his fiancée improperly and will inevitably give in to his passion, let him marry her as he wishes. It is not a sin. 37 But if he has decided firmly not to marry and there is no urgency and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry. 38 So the person who marries his fiancée does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better.

39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord. 40 But in my opinion it would be better for her to stay single, and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this.

Tori's Comments:

Hey! This applies quite nicely to me.

Singleness sounds so nice to me right now, worrying about relationships just seems so...unnecessarily stressful at this point in my life.

Terrie's Comments:
Once again I say that we put too much pressure on people to be married or to be in a relationship.  We should be placing our efforts on being interested in where people are at in their relationship to God instead of in their relationship with others.  

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 20 - 1 Corinthians 7:25-31

25 Now regarding your question about the young women who are not yet married. I do not have a command from the Lord for them. But the Lord in his mercy has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will share it with you. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think it is best to remain as you are. 27 If you have a wife, do not seek to end the marriage. If you do not have a wife, do not seek to get married. 28 But if you do get married, it is not a sin. And if a young woman gets married, it is not a sin. However, those who get married at this time will have troubles, and I am trying to spare you those problems.

29 But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. 30 Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. 31 Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.

Terrie's Comments:
I think whether we are married or single the bottom line that Paul is trying to get to is that we should not be absorbed by our relationships or our possessions.  Both are temporary.  Keeping our focus on things above instead of things of this world, that we tend to hold onto so close to our hearts.

Tori's Comments:

I'm assuming the present crisis is marriage troubles. Hence the past few days in a row's focus.

And suddenly the subject changes to what our focus on earth is. Everything we use is borrowed- time,    possessions, even emotions, it seems!

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 19 - 1 Corinthians 7:17-24

17 Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches. 18 For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it. And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now. 19 For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments.

20 Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you. 21 Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you—but if you get a chance to be free, take it. 22 And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. 23 God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. 24 Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.

Tori's Comments:

"The important thing is to keep God's commandments"

Was circumcision not one of God's commandments?

That we should stay where we are when God calls us makes me think about how ALL Christians are missionaries where they are...

Terrie's Comments:
We are free in the Lord.  Yet we have been bought with a high price so we would not be enslaved by this world but would be able to be free to follow the Lord.  So just like we have been reminded before to keep our eyes fixed on our heavenly home.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 18 - 1 Corinthians 7:10-16

10 But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. 11 But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.

12 Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. 13 And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. 14 For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. 15 (But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) 16 Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?

Terrie's Comments:
This passage has always intrigued me for a number of reasons.  Children are made holy by their parents believing.  Unbelieving spouses bring holiness to their marriages.  But the thing that is most curious to me is the fact that eternal salvation, is the reason that marriages where one spouse is not yet a believer, should remain together.  Like in every other relationship living in peace with each other is valuable.


Tori's Comments:

It's much more eternity-minded than I would have thought.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 17 - 1 Corinthians 7:1-9

7 Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations. 2 But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.

3 The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. 4 The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.

5 Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.

8 So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. 9 But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.

Tori's Comments:

The part that really sticks out to me at this point in my life is singleness. I go to a bible college [insert marriage joke here] and have been asked multiple times already, despite it being three weeks into the semester, whether I have found love yet. I understand some of it is teasing, but not all of it. And then I have to explain that I am going to bible college to actually gain knowledge. To use it to find a husband would be ridiculous and expensive.

Of course, I say this all in a loving way ;)

I will get off of my soapbox now. 

Note: I have read Terrie's section. I find it funny that she reads this through a married perspective and I through a single perspective. Well, maybe it isn't funny, but I found it so anyways. It just shows that as you move through life and find yourself in different stages, different passages and scriptures will impact you more.


Terrie's Comments:
I am married so I read this through married perspective.  This passage should clear it up in anyone's mind that using the absence of intimacy as a way to punish your spouse or to get your own way is not ok.  This is a an area of our marriages that should be guarded so that Satan cannot get in and destroy our marriages and our families.  It isn't the only area Satan likes to attack, but in our world of hyper sexuality I would guess it is becoming more and more a tool he can use to "steal kill and destroy" our families.  

Also we need to stop putting pressure on people who are able to be single and not be tempted to be married.  If God has called them to be single... awesome!  We need to learn to support and embrace singleness. 


Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 16 - 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

12 You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. 13 You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. 14 And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.

15 Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! 16 And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” 17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Terrie's Comments:
Pure Sex is a big deal to God.  He created the sexual union between a man and a woman to go beyond just flesh and blood.  It is a spiritual connection between the two.  It is an image of Jesus Christ and his relationship to his bride, the church.  

When we are Christians we are joined to Jesus Christ and we are one with him.  Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.  Our bodies were bought at a high price and they belong to Jesus Christ.  This is why we must honor God with our bodies.  We must consider God in any decision that affects our body because we do not belong to ourselves any longer. Our bodies belong to God.  



I love the image that verse 18 gives... Run from sexual sin!  Sexual sin will suck you in and then keep you bound up longer than you ever intended it to.  It lures you in with promises of immediate pleasures but forgets to tell you that you will never be satisfied beyond the moment.  It will cause you to be entrapped by constantly driving you to look for a way to find satisfaction that can truly only be filled when you know how much you are loved by God alone.  Just Run!!  Don't even begin to flirt or experiment with it... IT ISN'T WORTH THE PRICE YOU WILL PAY!




Tori's Comments:

This is kind of random, but the fact that we won't have stomachs in heaven, that things like eating will be (I guess?) irrelevant, definitely stuck out to me.

But the mindset that we do not belong to ourselves, but to God, is something I want to keep.

And that sexual sin is different from other sins-never would have thought of it that way!

The symbolism is great. And that we are one in spirit with God? Also great.

I use waaaaayyy too many adjectives in these posts. But I can't help it.

They're just so great. :P

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 15 - 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

6 When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! 2 Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves? 3 Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life. 4 If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside judges who are not respected by the church? 5 I am saying this to shame you. Isn’t there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide these issues? 6 But instead, one believer sues another—right in front of unbelievers!

7 Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves are the ones who do wrong and cheat even your fellow believers.

9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Tori's Comments:

I have to keep in mind that at all times I am an ambassador of Christ, that the whole church represents God's kingdom and that my witness to unbelievers should be strong, despite circumstances. 

So is the author inferring immediate spiritual renewal by and healing? Like, when we decide to follow Christ we shouldn't struggle with those things? I suppose that wouldn't make sense, because immediately that passage about doing the things you don't wish you were doing and... Yeah, you know the one... So what exactly is he referring to? 


Terrie's Comments:
The word "indulge" appears once again here.  (See yesterday's post for my comments if you missed them)  The list that follows is quite clear and each one opposes the character of God:

• sexual sin
• worship idols
• commit adultery
• male prostitutes
• practice homosexuality
• theives
• greedy people
• drunkards
• abusive
• cheat people

Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

There is hope for every person among us who indulges in such things.  The hope is in calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God we can be cleansed, made holy, made right with God again!!!  Hallelujah!

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 14 - 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

9 When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 10 But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. 11 I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.

12 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”

Terrie's Comments:
Believers are the ones that are held to God's standards.  We are not to hold the world around us to the standards that God has laid out for those who believe in Jesus Christ.  It is laid out in other places within scripture how to go about dealing with such sin as is mentioned in this passage.  It isn't a one time and you are out kinda deal.  

I am drawn to the word "indulge"... I have a tendency to indulge in chocolate.  It is irresistible to me.  I like it more than a little bit.  I have to discipline myself to remember to share chocolate when I have it.  I would skip meals if I could to replace them with chocolate.  

When Paul is saying that people who "indulge" in these behaviors it is those who are taking part in these behaviors as a regular part of their lives.  They enjoy sin more than they enjoy the truth of God's word.  They are those who when you bring up the truth they tend to scoff at it or make excuses rather than coming under conviction and choosing to change their behavior because they value God more than they value whatever sin they are indulging in at the time.  They are the ones that will erode other believers because their truth is diluted.


Tori's Comments:

So, I guess this is building off what I was thinking about yesterday, and the balance of mercy and grace.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 13 - 1 Corinthians 5:1-8

5 I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. 2 You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.

3 Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on this man 4 in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must call a meeting of the church. I will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus. 5 Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.

6 Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. 8 So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread of sincerity and truth.

Tori's Comments:

So where is the balance in the church between mercy and judgement?

I am guessing it has to do with the heart state, as much of the New Testament does. So the man's blatant boasting about his sin was basically trampling on Christ, and without a humble spirit of repentance he was just hindering the spread of God's kingdom.

Yes? No? What did y'all get from this passage?


Terrie's Comments:

How does the church boast about blatant sin?  I am wondering how this looked?  Was talk about this man having sexual relations with his mother in law overpowering their conversations which otherwise would have been filled with the Good News of Jesus Christ?  

Paul just spent the first portion of his letter to this church telling them to be unified and not to pass judgement but then he continues and has passed judgement on this situation because it is blatantly destroying the church.  

When our oldest moved out the first time we without hesitation filled her room with a boarder.  She, at that time, was involved in a lifestyle that was blatantly not living in the will of God.  We couldn't have peace in our home with a spiritual and physical war raging continually.  There was a distance put between us because she was a declared believer but her actions were following the flesh instead of the spirit.  It was not long before that distance caused her to know that she was missing out on an open relationship with us and with God.  And as this passage says we had to let her go so her sinful nature could be destroyed and she would be eternally saved.  

I truly believe this only works if the person is already a part of God's family.  If you turn your back on a family member who has not committed their life to be a follower of Jesus Christ you probably would get the opposite affect.  If you demand that someone who isn't a believer live by God's standards, which they are not convinced are the way to go yet, it will turn them away and may even harden their hearts forever.  

I am so glad that we have the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us on a situation by situation basis.  God is the only one who knows what will draw our prodigal sons and daughters back to himself.  We need to listen carefully so we are helping instead of hindering the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 12 - 1 Corinthians 4:18-21

18 Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again. 19 But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power. 20 For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. 21 Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?

Terrie's Comments:
I prefer the sound of love and a gentle spirit personally.  It is important that we not only talk about what we believe but that we also spring into action and live what we believe.  

I know from life experience that it is easier to talk about rather than to walk out what we believe.  However it is more important to walk out what we believe so it  matches our talk.  It is time to spring into action so our walk matches our talk more often.




Tori's Comments:

(vs. 20) - This makes me reflect on my own life (as our passages usually DO every day) and how I talk about God. Do I talk about my Christianity as it is? Real, honest, full of hope and love?

I kind of let it become another thing about me. You know, Tori is 18. She has brown hair. She is a Christian.

But being a Christian is so much MORE and I forget that so easily. It is not something to describe my earthly flesh but my soul, my innermost being.

It's the reason I love to sing to God even though I'm not particularly gifted at it. It's why I always get back up. It's why I can admit that I'm wrong and why I feel free in this world full of chains.

The kingdom of God is living, and Christ is living in me. This hope we have is alive and thriving, and I hope to never forget that.


Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

We have a Winner for AUGUST!!

WE HAVE A WINNER FOR AUGUST!!

KENDRA!!

You have 5 days to email us at christcapp@gmail.com with your name address and a little bit about yourself so we can pick a great prize for you from our prize vault!!

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 11 - 1 Corinthians 4:8-17

8 You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you. 9 Instead, I sometimes think God has put us apostles on display, like prisoners of war at the end of a victor’s parade, condemned to die. We have become a spectacle to the entire world—to people and angels alike.

10 Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. 11 Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. 12 We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. 13 We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.

14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. 15 For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16 So I urge you to imitate me.

17 That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.

Tori's Comments:

I find this all a bit confusing. Is it sarcastic or serious? In verse 10 especially, I don't understand.


Terrie's Comments:
I wonder if the church ever sent used tea bags to Paul and Timothy?  Missionaries work so hard and do things that I am not called to do presently.  I need to remember to pray for them more often and to find ways to support their work more tangibly.  Honor them by Honoring the word here at home just as they are on the mission field.  Writing letters of encouragement to them and keeping in touch with who God leads me to so that needs may be known and met as God leads me.



Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 10 - 1 Corinthians 4:1-7

4 So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries. 2 Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. 3 As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. 4 My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.

5 So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.

6 Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another. 7 For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?

Terrie's Comments:
Keep your heavenly perspective... God's opinion is the only one that matters.  We are not to make judgement about anyone ahead of when Christ returns.  We are not to judge (good or bad, because we do not see motives) our leaders even when they seem to have it all together.  God will do the judging and he will give them the praise they deserve based on their heart condition.  Keep in mind everything is a gift from God. 


Tori's Comments:
When we can't even trust our own opinion..what a humbling thought! 

And the fact that God will bring our motives to light is enough to make me examine myself. Especially my heart.


Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 9 - 1 Corinthians 3:18-23

18 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say,

“He traps the wise

    in the snare of their own cleverness.”

20 And again,

“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise;    he knows they are worthless.”21 So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you— 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Tori's Comments:

"everything belongs to you" ? What?

And while many times (like currently, because college is a very humbling process) I feel foolish and weak, pride definitely sneaks it's way into my life. I believe one of the hardest prayers to pray is asking for humility, because you know it's gonna hurt you, but it will ultimately be good for you.


Terrie's Comments:

Our world in North America is filled with people trying to get wisdom.  It is revered.  It is like buried treasure that people seek after hoping that it will make them enough money to set them free in life.  

When we talk with kids one of our first questions we ask is what grade they are in?  Do you like your teachers?  what are you taking?  Should we re think our general conversation to train our kids to place importance on heavenly value instead of human wisdom?  

No amount of education can set us free or give us peace.  Sometimes it can be a stepping stone in God's plan to get us where he wants us to go.  Even after education we need to be aware that we rely on the Strength of the Holy Spirit and not our education to accomplish God's plan in our lives.  And Jesus is the only one who can set us free... no money or education can ever do that.




Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 8 - 1 Corinthians 3:10-17

10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.

12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Terrie's Comments:
Unity and maintaining unity in the body of Christ is so critical.  We can trust the Holy Spirit to deal with each person who is a part of that body.  If they have made Jesus Lord there will be fruit.  We all have blind spots that need to be revealed to us by God's Spirit so that we are convicted to deal with them and have His power to mature as we do.  People are fragile.  We need to be careful to not tear them apart from God and in turn destroy the very temple itself.

Jesus Christ needs to remain central in all that we do and say while we are representing Heaven here on earth.


Tori's Comments:

Of course we talked about togetherness in Chapel today.

Do Christians realize we all have the Holy Spirit in us? That that is enough of a reason to love someone wholly and completely, and put their needs before ours?

So many arguments over little things... And not wanting to make the big things seem like not a big deal but church unity has been shoved away and that IS a big deal.

Now question time.... This has been happening a lot with me recently. Do y'all ever have the same message pop up a few times in a row? Like, for example, this message I've heard twice today. And do you ever assume God is trying to emphasize something to you?

Another example was the passage on how God chooses the weak and foolish as His instruments.


Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 7 - 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? 4 When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?

5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.

Tori's Comments:

It's interesting that he talks about how he can't even talk to those controlled by their sinful nature the same way he talks to those living by the Spirit...


Terrie's Comments:

So my question is am I allowing myself to be controlled by the Holy Spirit in obedience to Jesus Christ and God's word or am I being controlled by this world?  

My answer would be that I am more Spirit led than I used to be and I am getting better at choosing obedience rather than my selfish desires.  I would say there are still areas I still need to work on being eternally focused instead of focused on this world.

How about everyone else here?  


Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 6 - 1 Corinthians 2:10-16

10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. 12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For,

“Who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
    Who knows enough to teach him?”
But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

Terrie's Comments:

I think that so far in this challenge the thing that is being made very clear in my mind is how foolish it is to compare myself to other humans or to seek their approval or agreement.  It seems to me that 1 Corinthians this far is clarifying exactly why the only voice we should be listening to is that of the Holy Spirit.  I think it is beginning to sink in... slowly :-) 


Tori's Comments:

"we have the mind of Christ.." (vs. 16)

That's such a crazy thought....that we are given God's Spirit and thus be "in the know", I guess. 


Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 5 - 1 Corinthians 2:1-9

2 When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

6 Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. 7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,    and no mind has imagined what God has prepared    for those who love him.”

Tori's Comments:

"forget everything except Jesus Christ" (vs. 2) I have had this mindset a couple of times, but I think I should strive for it more often. 

I think when faced with the idea of evangelism we want to leave it to preachers or missionaries because we assume they would "know what to say". But Paul says it differently. We are called to witness to others through our lives, and I can't let fear contain me when Scripture clearly says that it is all God.


Terrie's Comments:

"And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God."

I have heard many ways, read a few books, heard people talk about how to evangelize but what would happen if I simply remembered to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit rather than trying to use clever and persuasive speeches or human wisdom?  

Then in verses 6-7 it goes onto talk about talking among mature believers.  We are not to talk using wisdom that makes sense to the world but in Heavenly wisdom that is based in Jesus Christ.  How often do we talk like the world talks, or reason like the world tries to reason within the walls of our homes or our churches?  How should our talk differ from the world? 

I would rather look foolish to humans than be proven to be foolish by God in the end! 



Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 4 - 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. 31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

Terrie's Comments:

WOW... so anyone who thinks of themselves as nothing... that's right... none of us are anything without Jesus Christ.  Foolish, Powerless, Despised... Jesus changes everything... Wise, Powerful, Pure, Holy, Free... able to boast about Jesus Christ the one who made it all possible!!

Tori's Comments:

My roommate and I actually JUST talked about this this morning...how we take on all the pressure of pleasing God through our feeble acts, when Christ already did it for us! To give you context (this all literally happened today), I was anxious about a very important exam, but had a change of heart reading through Matthew 6, specifically the passage about worrying. Very soon after that my roommate gave me advice just as relevent: that God has time and time again chosen weak people as His instruments for his glory. If I knew God wanted me to be in this program, there was no reason to worry about it. It would happen.

My skills were not suited for the exam, but after getting several prayers said for me (including Terrie's!) I have never walked more confidently into an exam.

EDIT: The preacher spoke on this passage this morning. Literally, starting at verse 26 and ending at 31. So.....I GOT the message, God. :)

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 3 - 1 Corinthians 1:18 - 1:25

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise    and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

Tori's Comments:

Okay, verse 21 is totally new to me. But it makes sense that we shouldn't be able to prove God, because it goes against the very idea of faith. 

Terrie's Comments:
It is only by the power,  and guidance of the Holy Spirit and by the grace and mercy of God that we are able to be saved through believing in Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross.  When we put our faith in Jesus Christ we now are in opposition to the world simply because we are considered fools by them.  How often am I afraid to open my mouth simply due to fear of looking "foolish"?

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 2 - 1 Corinthians 1:10 - 1:17

10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 11 For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. 12 Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.”

13 Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. 16 (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) 17 For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.

Terrie's Comments:
I feel like we as a North American church have to work on erasing the divisions between our denominations and differences in believes within our church walls.  We should be unified in Jesus Christ.  Nothing else matters.  Like we learned in Romans... keep our eyes fixed on our eternal home.  We are not here long.  If it won't matter in eternity does it really matter at all??

Tori's Comments:

This is sad, because I feel one of the main things non-Christians know about the Western church is how divided it is. Denominations won't matter in heaven. What will matter is our awe of God's glory, not our own disagreements.


Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 1 - 1 Corinthians 1:1 - 1:9

1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes.

2 I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

4 I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. 5 Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. 6 This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. 7 Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9 God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Tori's Comments: 

Just the term "belong to Jesus" (vs. 4) fills my heart with joy.

"all of your eloquent words"? (vs. 5) I don't understand what he means.


As a side note, I've decided to start making a list of God's promises that I need to memorize. Please put any suggestions or some of your favorite ones in the comments below!

Terrie's Comments:

Paul's appreciation for his fellow Christians and confidence in what God provides us through Jesus Christ shines through in this passage.  We have been given everything we need to hold firm to the truth until Jesus returns.  We are without excuse.  We are in a partnership with Jesus Christ our Lord.  It is a choice to honor that relationship daily and use the gifts we have been graciously given.  


Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!