February 20th

Scripture - 1 Corinthians 1

Observe It - Paul, who was living in Corinth sees the division among the Christians that reside there. He begins his letter to them telling them how much he loves them and is thankful for them. After that, he digs right in about the division. He tells them that he (Paul) is not Christ. He was only sent out to preach the gospel that Jesus had established on his time on earth. He wanted the people to understand that when we line up our minds with the mind of God, we rely less on our own human nature, and more on the mind of Christ. When they become Christ-minded they become a more unified strength, which is exactly what Paul wanted them to be.

Apply It - How many times have you been to church and there was one thing you didn’t like? How often to complain about the little things you observe? How often to you get mad at a leader at the church and begin to share that with others? When we do these little things, it creates division in the church, or people begin to leave. The problem with leaving is that you take those old wounds somewhere and begin to let that wound fester at the new church; creating division once again. The devil loves nothing more than for people to not have unity. It is when we have unity and link together that we are the most powerful to fight off the enemy and reach out to our community. 

Prayer - God, I don’t want to be a person who creates disunity. I want to be a person who is unified with the church body. In those times I feel like complaining, help to slow my mouth that I don’t speak out against something. Help to also learn to pray for my leaders and fellow believers. In your name I pray, amen