Bible Commentary & Daily Devotional

 1 Corinthians 2 - Evaluate all Things (Including Ourselves) There is nothing wiser than God’s glorious plan.  God is preparing a mysterious home, an eternal home, for those who love Him (2:9). Rely not on human wisdom, plans, or rulers.  All of that soon fades away and is forgotten.  God is working out an eternal plan.  He reveals it to us through His Spirit. God gives us glimpses of His deep secrets through the mind of Christ.  You cannot understand the spiritual things of God without the Spirit of Christ. Yet we who believe in and have accepted Christ Jesus as our God, our Lord, our Saviour, have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.  And we can evaluate all things (including an honest assessment of ourselves) (2:15).  It’s a sobering thought to me this morning.  I know how fallen and weak I am, how susceptible to sin.  Oh, to be of one mind with God, in thought and deed.  May we be of one mind today - uni

 1 Corinthians 1:10-31 - Humble Pie Humble pie.  That’s the message of this chapter.  That’s what God makes with the intelligence of the intelligent and the wisdom of the wise.  God makes a good pie. Be thankful for Jesus and for what He did on the cross.  We must heed Paul and his humble attitude.  We must not aim to be the boss man, to be clever, to be the star performer.  God’s power is in the cross of Christ.  For our benefit God made Jesus to be wisdom itself (1:30). We must admit that we, as those that claim the name of Christ, have failed miserably.  Are there divisions in the church?  Are we of one mind, united in thought and purpose?  Do we live in harmony with each other? There is no need to respond, please don’t.  Our fat pastors wax on, but there is severe dysfunction in their homes and in our churches.  God sees it all as he has done from the time of the whistleblowers in Chloe’s household (1:11), explaining to Paul the burdensome and embarrassing factions in the e

 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 - Partnership with the Son of God We need better leadership.  It’s easy to say that, but what do we do about it.  Let’s use godly principles.  Let’s follow the biblical example of servant leadership.  Let’s ask God to show us how to lead and serve.  Let's truly be in partnership with Jesus Christ as God invites us to be.           Be confident in God (Psalm 108:1).  Be genuinely concerned about understanding, be ready and eager to learn, and always listen to the whole story - getting the full picture - before taking action (Pr. 18). A new book.  Let’s start. We see at the outset the early church example of working well together.  Tertius wrote out Romans for Paul and Sosthenes helped Paul with this letter.  When was the last time we shared our work and acknowledged our teammates?  That’s the Christian way!  God expects us to work well together. People and organizations will disappoint us, but God is faithful to do what He says.  God invites.  He does n

 Romans 16 - Spark to Blaze Apple Orchard Falls I love Paul’s conclusion here.  In just a few sentences Paul recognizes, commends, and encourages over 30 brothers and sisters in Christ.  From the lightning bolt of faith that hit him on the road to Damascus, Paul’s impact even at this early stage of the Church, was immeasurable.           As God did with Moses and Aaron, He still commissions flawed men to go on great adventures of faith.  Like Paul, we should encourage each other, “all glory to God, who can make you strong” (16:25).  Indeed.  It is all about Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God.  May we hear, believe, and obey today. Paul reminds us of the impact of these many early Saints.  They had already turned the world upside down for Good through their faith in Jesus.  Earlier in Romans Paul speaks of taking delight in honoring fellow believers (13:10).  And he does just that here. Paul tells us to always assess what we are being taught and to assess the impact of the teacher

 Romans 15:14-33 - A Trip to Spain? We are made acceptable to God by the Holy Spirit.  On our own, without the Good News, we are filthy, an unclean offering to God.  But God purifies us through trust in our faithful Rescuer.  That’s His Way.  And that’s why and how we are good. We have reason to be enthusiastic about what God has accomplished through us, but be careful not to boast.  The church today is filled with braggarts.  It’s not good.  I watched a graduation ceremony recently where the officiants made it all about themselves.  Boastful men.  Can you imagine going to a wedding and having all the honor and attention and praise and celebration for, the priest?  That would be nuts.  But that’s the type of men we’re dealing with here.  Self-centered narcissists.  They seem to know little of Jesus Christ and his Way.  The Holy Spirit gives all good things; let us give all praise to God alone.  And let us do things His Way. Notice here the importance of non-believers being convi

 Romans 15 - Harmony is Fitting for Disciples We are here to help each other.  Some believers are strong, some weak.  Don’t live to please yourself.  Think of others.  For some reason, it is harder than it sounds. Lord Jesus, please give us clean hands, hearts, eyes, and minds.  And help us build each other up. Lord God, the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for Your promises to be fulfilled.  Help us to stop talking and start listening to your Word.  We know that living together in harmony is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.  And yet Christians fight.  We demonize the world and each other.  We know Jesus’ prayer is for unity.  We know we should come together and give God praise and glory.  All credit and praise to God the Father who is compassionate, merciful, slow to anger, and filled with unfailing love for His children (Psalm 103).  Help us, Lord God, to know you and work hard to show that we understand your character and how to emulate it.

 Romans 14 - Aim for Harmony and Build Each Other Up Christ died and rose again so that we could belong to Him so that He could be Lord of both the living and the dead (14:9).  We are His.  He has accepted us as weak as we are.  We belong to Christ through faith - we have this in common with our brothers and sisters who are alive and those who are dead.  That is a lot of people.  Amazingly, God knows each of us - millions and millions of souls who love and trust Him. Don’t condemn other believers in Jesus.  That’s what this passage says.  We will all stand before the judgment seat of God.  Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess allegiance to God.  That’s the promise to believers.  God will judge and reward each believer. The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but living a life of goodness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.  It’s easy to get tied up in Baptist legalism.  I can default to that.  Yet that is not the mark of a Christian.  We are to b