Welcome
back everyone! This week we are going to be looking into 1st and 2nd
Corinthians. These are letters written by Paul to the city of Corinth, a place
where he had set up the church. Corinth was right outside of Athens, which made
it melting pot of Romans, Greeks and Jews. The Corinthians were very much
divided because of this, which causes many difficulties. So Paul pleaded with
them to be patient and work together.
“Love is patient…”
1 Corinthians 13:4
As written
by Max Lucado “The Greek word used here for patience is a descriptive one. It
figuratively means, “taking a long time to boil.”… Patience “keeps the burner
down”” That’s what Paul urges the Corinthians to do. Keep the burner down.
“When they tell evil lies about us, we speak nice words about them” (1
Corinthians 4:13). How do we do this? How do we be patient to people who are
different than us, or difficult with us? Love. Love is written all throughout
Corinthians because Paul knows the key to getting Corinthians to be patient is
to teach them love. He tells them
“Knowledge puffs you up with pride, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1),
“Three things continue forever; faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these
is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13), and commands the Corinthians to “Do everything
in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14). The easiest way to keep the burner down is to
love.
“There are different
ways to serve the same Lord to serve”
1 Corinthians 12:5
Despite
differences, the Corinthians were urged by Paul to work together. They were told,
“We are allowed to do all things, but all things are not good for us to do. We
are allowed to do all things but not all things help others grow stronger.” (1
Corinthians 10:23). And isn’t that the goal? To help others grow stronger?
After all that’s why God comforts us. “He comforts us every time we have
trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort
God gives us.” (2 Corinthians 1:4) And that’s why He gives us stewardship over
these things God lends to us like time, talents and money (because remember
that stuff isn’t ours, it’s His. We are just stewards.) “At this time you have
plenty. What you have can help others who are in need. Then later, when they
have plenty, they can help you when you are in need, and all will be equal.” (2
Corinthians 8:14).
Despite our
differences God put us on this Earth to work together for His will. That will
require some patience, and some effort. As stated in 1 Corinthians 12:18-20 “But in fact God has placed the parts in the
body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were
all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one
body.” Our differences are essential. If we were all the same we would
not be an effective body of Christ.
So now it’s
your turn! Who are some people who are different from you? Find them, and help
them with patience that only comes from the love of God to find their place in
the body of Christ. Then feel free to share in the comments! Until next week!
