1 Corinthians 1
Paul begins his letter to the Christians at Corinth with an encouraging greeting, then quickly begins to address the dissentions and divisions that were happening in the church. Paul first admonishes the Christians towards unity, and then he tries to get them on common ground, and that was through Christ. When the people were looking at him and Apollos, Paul pointed to Jesus. When the Jews were concerned with the foolishness of the cross, Paul pointed to Jesus. When the Greeks were concerned about human philosophies, Paul pointed to Jesus. Paul writes that Jesus was both the power of God to the Jew and the wisdom of God to the Greek. Paul summarizes by saying, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” Jesus is the common ground.
Psalm 112-115
When the Jews spoke of blessing, the focus of the blessing was never just about their own increase. When the Jews think blessing, they think of future generations and the establishment of their nation as the people who make God known in the earth. We see this especially in Psalm 115, talking of increase for you and your children, receiving blessing (verses 14-16), then in turn blessing the Lord and making Him known (verses 17,18). In some cultures, we are conditioned to think only of ourselves and what concerns us. However, spiritual insight shows us to think beyond our immediate individual concerns. We are to also consider our collective responsibility to our country and our church, and most importantly, God’s eternal kingdom, both now and for eternity. When we expand our thinking beyond ourselves, there is a spiritual principle that will attract blessing, opportunity, and favor. Today let’s intentionally consider how we can pursue kingdom edification and advancement, add to our communities, and support our local church. As we open our hand to become a blessing to others, God will cause more blessing to flow through our hands for His glory. May God bless you to be a blessing!
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