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Category: Holy Living
Act Like Men: Stand Firm, Be Strong, Love Well – 1 Corinthians 16 – 2025 Day 251
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 39, 1 Corinthians 16
We hear 1 Corinthians 13 read at every wedding. Love is patient and kind. Love does envy or boast. Love is not proud or rude. Isn’t it beautiful?
But love is also steadfast and firm, immovable and strong. Love is a mother telling her toddler, “No,” a hundred times in the same day. Love is a grown daughter telling her alcoholic mom that she’s got a problem. Love is refusing to stand idly by while pornography tries to ruin your marriage or homosexuality tries to steal your teenager.
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith,
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ESV
act like men, be strong.
Let all that you do be done in love.
Love takes guts. Love takes strength. Love takes the stamina of a thoroughbred racehorse and the patience of Job. Love requires you to be willing to get battle scars for the sake of another because you believe they’re worth the fight.
Ladies, sisters, friends, act like men. Be watchful. Stand firm in the faith. Be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
Heavenly Father, Your Son, Jesus Christ, is the perfect manifestation of manhood and love. Strength and humility. Stamina and kindness. Make us more like Him. Teach us, show us, how to love like He loves, how to give up our lives for another, to be willing to suffer to save someone else. We need You, Father. We can’t do it on our own. In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Lover of my Soul. Amen.
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Division in the Church – 1 Corinthians 11 – 2025 Day 246
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 34, 1 Corinthians 11
For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.
1 Corinthians 11:18-19 ESV
I hate conflict. I like everything to be calm and peaceful and happy. Anyone with me?
But sometimes conflict is necessary. Sometimes conflict is necessary to bring change and, ultimately, peace. I want to be a peacemaker – not a peace-faker. And sometimes that requires stirring the pot: asking questions and seeking answers, calling people to take responsibility for their beliefs and actions.
The entire letter of 1 Corinthians is Paul’s attempt to bring holiness and peace to a body that has gone astray and needs to be brought back to the Lord. Like a shepherd using his rod and staff to correct and redirect a straying lamb, the Lord’s messengers are often called to speak harsh words to bring healing.
“Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.”
Hosea 6:1-2 ESV
Heavenly Father, You are holy. You are good. You are mighty. Reveal Yourself to and through Your body here on earth. Purify Your Bride in the cleansing waters of adversity. Do what needs to be done to eradicate the cancer of complacency from our hearts. We trust You. In the name of Jesus Christ who surrendered His life for His bride we pray. Amen.
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Pastors and Stories are GIFTS! – 1 Corinthians 9-10 – 2025 Day 245
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalms 33, 1 Corinthians 9-10
1 Corinthians 9 reminds me of the great gift that my pastor has been – and is – to me! He has been so faithful to preach the Word week after week, year after year, as well as sacrificially giving of his time to serve our family in big and little ways. If the Lord has blessed you with a faithful pastor, may 1 Corinthians 9 serve to remind you to give thanks to him and for him.
Then, 1 Corinthians 10 reminds me to give thanks for the gift of the stories of the Old and New Testament.
Now these things happened to them as an example,
1 Corinthians 10:11 ESV
but they were written down for our instruction,
on whom the end of the ages has come.
I remeber when I studied 1 and 2 Samuel in-depth, verse by verse, with my local Community Bible Study class. 1 and 2 Samuel aren’t letters like 1 Corinthians. Rather, they’re stories, true stories. True stories packed full of important life lessons. Hannah and Elkanah, Eli and Samuel, Saul and Jonathan. Each of these real people has a lesson to teach me if I’m willing to study with an open heart.
I’m so thankful that the Lord chose to give us so many stories in His Word, rather than just giving us lists of things to do and not to do.
What is your favorite Old Testament story? What did you learn from it?
Heavenly Father, Thank You so much for the men that You have called to shepherd Your sheep. Bless them with Your wisdom and peace. Guide them on the straight and narrow path. Encourage them when they are weary and faint. May Your Word be a bright and steady light to their path. May Your Spirit speak truth powerfully into their ears and convict them quickly when they begin to stray. Carry their wife and children in Your everlasting arms and shelter them under Your Almighty wings. Please provide for their every need in accordance with the riches of Your abundant glory in Christ Jesus.
And thank You for giving us a book full of true stories of men and women who lived long ago. These stories teach us life lessons about how we ought to live in this world that You’ve made, but they also teach us about You – who You are and how You interact with Your creation. I pray that we would be faithful to study Your Word, not just for more head knowledge, but that we would desire to be transformed by the truth found in its pages. I want to know You more, that I would love You more, that I would be conformed more into the image of Your Son. I love You, Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
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TODAY’S PODCAST: 1 Corinthians 8 – Sinning Against Your Brother *is* Sinning Against Christ
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Sinning Against Your Brother *is* Sinning Against Christ – 1 Corinthians 8 – 2025 Day 244
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 32, 1 Corinthians 8
But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
1 Corinthians 8:9-12 ESV
Oh, Heavenly Father, help me to love my brother as myself. Help me to die for them, as Christ died for me. Help me to do what is in their best interest, even if that takes sacrifice on my part. Jesus was such an example of humble sacrifice. Conform me into the image of Christ. Help me to serve others as a service to You, my Lord and King and Heavenly Father. Make me more like You, Lord, who left the glories of heaven to live among sinful man. You are my greatest joy and treasure. In the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
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Immorality in the Church – 1 Corinthians 5-6 – 2025 Day 242
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 30; 1 Corinthians 5-6
Oh, precious reader, I don’t know you, but the Lord does. I don’t know what skeletons you have hidden in your closet, but the Lord does.
Likewise, you don’t really know me, what all has gone on behind closed doors or in the recesses of my mind in the fifty years I’ve drawn breath, but the Lord does.
All I can say is, praise His Name for the “such were some of you” promise of 1 Corinthians 6:11. I have been washed, sanctified, justified, redeemed, forgiven, and made new in the blood of Jesus Christ. Because of my testimony of who I was, it grieves me so very deeply to hear of professing Christians who are still walking in sin. People calling themselves followers of Christ and yet refusing to repent and break free from the chains of sin.
Whatever form your lust has taken, whether fornication or adultery, pornography or homosexuality, gluttony or anger, jealousy or greed, as a child of God, you must put them far away from you. In Christ, you are no longer your own. You have been purchased by the blood of Jesus, and you have become a temple where the Holy Spirit dwells. The Holy Spirit will not share His temple with idols. Today, do some business, cleaning out every little corner of that temple of yours, so His Spirit can dwell fully in you, glorifying Him in how you think, in how you eat, in how you speak, in how you live.
And what about those who you worship with, those who are regularly assembling with your church, yet living far from Christ in their day-to-day lives? How should you handle them? The Bible has plenty to say about that. Here are three thoughts I’d share:
1. Mourn for them heartily. Don’t be haughty or arrogant, thinking too highly of yourself. Take heed, lest you fall. (1 Corinthians 1:12) Remember, such were you. Their sin may look different from yours, but you have struggles, too. Grieve over the pain that their sin is bringing on their own heart, and grieve over the pain that their sin is bringing on the heart of Jesus. Mourn and weep and wail for them and for the Lord.
2. Go to them privately. Study Matthew 18, the whole chapter, verse by verse. God wants His lost sheep to be found, and He wants to use you to help do it. Be a good shepherd, like Jesus who came to seek and save what was lost (Luke 19:10). Go to them one-on-one and plead with them to turn away from their sin and follow Christ. If they refuse to listen to you, bring along a brother or sister to help you. Imagine that person were your son or daughter, your mom or dad, your brother or sister, and do your best to pull them out of the quicksand of sin into which they are sinking.
3. Remove them publicly. Consider the impact their sinful lifestyle is having on the other members of your church. Recognize the shame that someone living in unrepentant sin brings upon the Name of our Spotless Savior. A person can’t live like a pig while they claim to be a sheep, and we can’t stand idly by while the name of God is blasphemed because of a fellow member’s ongoing, habitual lifestyle of sin (Romans 2:24). For some people, as long as they are allowed to have both their sin and their fellowship with the body, they will continue on. We have to love them enough to be hurt, in the hopes that their “spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:5).
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for your grace and forgiveness. Thank You for causing me to be born again. Thank You for washing me clean and making me new, giving me new desires and a new name. As Your daughter, I want to be made more like Your Son. I want to have a pure heart and mind. I want to glow. I want to reflect Your glory as only a clean mirror can. I want to be filled with Your Spirit, Your presence, Your peace and love and joy. May others see You in me.
How my heart grieves for those who come to church each Sunday morning while living in unrepentant sin day after day. Please, Father, set the captives free. Loose the chains of those in slavery to sin. Rescue those who are sinking, drowning in a pit of their own making. Open the eyes of the blind. Remove the stoppers from the ears of the deaf. Father, empower Your sheep to be good shepherds. Give us a holy hunger to seek and save the lost, even those who sit next to us in the assembly of believers. May we treasure the Name of Christ and refuse to allow it to be blasphemed because of our own laziness and love of comfort. Wake us up, Lord! Wake us up! We need You, Holy Father. Revive us we pray in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord. Amen.
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The Sun Rises Even in the Rain – 1 Corinthians 2 – 2025 Day 239
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 27; 1 Corinthians 2
Two years ago, when I originally wrote this post, I’d woken up early because I wanted to watch the sun rise. I was eagerly anticipating the sun turning the sky pink, purple, and orange as it crested the horizon over the lake where my sisters-in-Christ and I have been staying since Friday. Instead, I was greeted by a rainstorm beating down on the metal roof of the porch under which I was taking shelter.
But still, the sun rose.
But still, it got brighter minute by minute.
But still, a new day dawned.
Friends, God is still on His throne even when we don’t see His glory. God still reigns even when His presence is hidden behind clouds, and His voice can’t be heard over the pouring rain.
In God’s perfect wisdom, He had decreed before the ages that His Own Son would be hung upon a cross to die for the sins of man. In the eyes of human wisdom or logic, it appeared that Satan had won and God had been defeated.
Oh, sisters, but God. Up from the grave He arose!
Suddenly, the cries of a bird rang out over the pounding of the storm. The birds were awake and singing in the trees, despite the rain. The storm won’t stop them, and it shouldn’t stop us, either.
Darkness can’t overpower the light. The rain can’t drown out the sun. The sun still rises, even in a thunderstorm.
Heavenly Father, Death could not contain Him. A grave could not defeat Him. Darkness, no matter how deep, cannot keep the King of Glory from shining. I pray that our faith would be in You and You alone. You are Almighty. You are Victorious! No storm can delay what You have decreed. Your purposes will stand. You don’t always give us “cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels.” Sometimes you give us pitch black nights and thunderstorms that last for hour upon hour. Help me remember that the trees need the rain so they can grow, and the world needs the darkness of night so it can rest. Help me trust You, rather than myself. Help me to doubt human reasoning and believe Your Word. Help me remember that You reign over the rain. In the Good and Sovereign Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
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As For Me and My House – Joshua 24 – 2025 Day 236
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 24, Joshua 24
“Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” …
“Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.”
He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel.” And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”
Joshua 24:14-15; 22-24 ESV
Heavenly Father, What foreign gods am I serving? Where is my heart not inclined toward You? Where am I still limping between the world and the Lord rather than fully surrendering all to You? Show me where I’m falling short, Lord. I don’t want to be blind to my own iniquity. I want to love You more, that I might serve You better, for You are worthy and good. I pray that my whole family will be surrendered to Your will and live for Your glory. In the Name of Jesus Christ who died in my place I pray. Amen.
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Steadfast Love – Joshua 22 – 2025 Day 234
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 22, Joshua 22
Wow, this is a rich chapter full of practical application for my own life! It reminded me to be steadfast and faithful and to keep my promises, even when I’d rather not. It reminded me of the greatest commandment to love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. It reminded me that love is more than just an emotion. Love is an action, and love results in humble submission to the will of the one we love. If we love God, we will obey His commands, like John 14:15 says.
Only be very careful to observe the commandment
Joshua 22:5 ESV
and the law
that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you,
to love the LORD your God,
and to walk in all his ways
and to keep his commandments
and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart
and with all your soul.”
It reminded me that I need to not be so quick to judge other people’s motives, but instead give them the benefit of the doubt until I have time to hear from them. If I’m having a problem with someone, I should bring it to their attention and talk to them about it. And then I need to really listen to what they have to say, rather than assuming the worst.
It reminded me that God cares about why these Israelite tribes were building that altar – but also that just having the right motives doesn’t make something ok. There are still right and wrong decisions even if your heart is in the right place.
That was a lot from one chapter out of the Old Testament! 🎉
Heavenly Father, please help me to be faithful to keep my promises, even when it would be easier to just move on. You are a promise keeping God, and I want to be more like You. Cleanse my heart and renew my mind. Help me to love You with my all in all. Help me not turn aside to idols, remembering that I cannot serve both You and my own passions. Give me the patience and courage I need to talk to people that I’m having problems with and to sincerely listen, rather than hastily prejudging their motives. Make me more like You, Lord. I want to be more like You. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Savior, Redeemer, Lord, and Perfect Example for everything, I pray. Amen.
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