Thank You for a good night’s sleep and safety through the night, Father. Align my heart with Yours so that I might be in the center of Your will. Amen.
1 Corinthians 16:15-24 (<<click here to read the passage)
Amid everything this weekend, Karen and I used one of our gift cards at the Cracker Barrell near us. They weren’t very busy, and things were pretty quiet…at least at first.
We hadn’t been there awfully long when a family with two young children came in and were seated several tables away from us. The younger one, a boy, immediately started fussing about something. He was not school-age but was old enough to know better. It began with fussing, and then there was some bawling. Eventually, Mom set his tablet on the table. It was turned up loud enough for us to hear, and he would periodically yell loudly when the character on whatever he was watching yelled. The peaceful atmosphere was peaceful no more.
Karen and I are both pretty well-acclimated to children—rowdy children included—and we have dealt with our fair share of them. Plain and simple, this child did not understand the word “no.” It seemed to be a foreign concept to him because he pretty much did whatever he wanted, and Mom and Dad just let him do whatever and, for the most part, ignored anything that might have disturbed anyone else’s peace.
As we wrap up the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, he sends his greetings and gives a few more directives, but at the very end, he says, “My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.” v24 NLT
Throughout his letter, he didn’t take them for a whoopin’ behind the woodshed or make them pick out their own switch for disciplinary purposes (like my grandmother used to do). I’m no worse the wear for my upbringing, but words accomplished what Paul needed them to in disciplining the Corinthian church. He did not shy from saying no but instead expounded upon it. My Life Application Study Bible states,
The church at Corinth was a church in trouble. Paul lovingly and forcefully confronted them and pointed them back to Christ. He dealt with divisions and conflicts, selfishness, inconsiderate use of freedom, disorder in worship, misuse of spiritual gifts, and wrong attitudes about the resurrection.
That last verse again reads, “My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.” v24 NLT It wasn’t easy, but they had to learn what “no” meant, and he diligently followed Christ’s example and did so in love.
The study notes close things up nicely.
In every church, there are problems that create tensions and divisions. We should not ignore or gloss over problems in our churches or in our life. Instead, like Paul, we should deal with problems head-on as they arise. The lesson for us in 1 Corinthians is that unity and love in a church are far more important than leaders and labels.
Lord Jesus, may unity and love prevail. Amen.
Apr 3rd, 2024, Wed, 12:35 pm
