My busy mind needs to slow down to hear Your word and directive, Father. May it be so. Amen.

1 Corinthians 4:8-20 (<<click here to read the passage)

The Apostle Paul wasn’t done addressing the issue at hand with the church in Corinth, so I need to go a little further, as well.

Obviously, the battle of pride against humility is nothing new. It’s as old as time. Sin in the world likes to stir up the “it’s all about me” mentality – the “I’m better than you are” frame of mind. And even though you would think it wouldn’t be the case – the Church is not exempt.

I think if we are honest with ourselves, we all deal with self-serving mindsets. Some of us may more readily sidestep them and keep them at bay, and others embrace them with little or no hesitancy.

Others might think otherwise but living a Christ-honoring life is most definitely not a simple and easy task. Plain and simple, it is hard work. And it requires constant dependence on Him to get us through each day. We are weak and “prone to wander” as the old hymn states (Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing).

Where the pride factors in is when we don’t do that. My Life Application Study Bible notes state that we may know all the right words to say, but our lives don’t reflect God’s power. Many people talk a lot about faith, but that’s all it is – talk.

A Christ-honoring life is to be lived, not just discussed.

I was talking with a friend of mine from one of my churches last Sunday, and she shared that in two recent instances, her actions – her life – spoke more loudly than words that may have come out of her mouth. Living and not just speaking her faith impacted peoples’ lives for eternity!

It is not all about us. If that is your frame of mind, then hear this loud and clear…you are in the wrong. You need to humbly seek the Lord’s forgiveness and earnestly seek His will – not your own.

There is a big difference between knowing the right words and living them out. Don’t be content to have the right answers about Christ. Empty words have no power at all – rid your life of them. Let your life show that God’s power is really working in you.

For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. vs 20 NLT

Amen, and amen.

Oct 18th, 2023, Wed, 12:57 pm