Daily Reading: 1 Corinthians 2-3
Scripture Focus: While there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? (1 Corinthians 3.3)
Devotional Thought: I overheard an interesting conversation the other day. An older teen was pontificating on position in the youth group: "I'm an adult, so I can..." His leader said, in effect, "You start acting like an adult, and we will give you some of the privileges you are talking about..."
Paul had to deal with the church in Corinth in the same way. They thought they were so grown up, so mature, so spiritual. Paul said, not so fast. Spiritual people don't act the way you are acting. You are jealous and fighting like a bunch of adolescents! The Corinthian believers were "behaving only in a human way." Paul did not say they were not Christians, but he did say that they were not living like Christians. They behaved like people who had never experienced the new birth in Jesus.
Jealousy and strive do not mark mature, spiritual believers. William Barclay writes of these kinds of people: "If man is at variance with his fellow men, if he is a quarrelsome, competitive, argumentative, trouble-making creature, he may be a diligent church attendee, he may even be a church office-bearer, but he is not a man of God." (BBC, 331).
It's so tempting - and so easy - to substitute church attendance and activity for a vital and humble relationship with Christ. Being in church is not enough. We need to be in Christ! If not, we are "only human." Are you behaving only in a human way? Allow the life of Christ to be lived out in you!
Prayer: Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Amen.
Psalm of the Day: 40 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; 41 he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. 42 Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power. 43 Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity. (Psalms 106:40-43)
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