EXPAND TO READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 10 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 33): Although I do have a giving and helpful heart most of the time nowadays, I do still struggle with this verse. I often do things in a selfish way instead of for the salvation of others. I often do things thinking that the more I do “in Your name” the better my life will be, when I’m not really doing it in Your name if I’m doing it for selfish reasons. Please forgive me for these selfish ways, Father, and help me to do more in this life truly for Your glory. Help me to be better at relinquishing my selfish control and desires from my acts so that Your glory shines through all that I am and all that I do.
PROMISE (verse 13): I have struggled with this promise quite a bit in my life mostly because of my selfish ways and often the need for control over situations. You promise us, however, that no temptations that we will face will be more than we are capable of handling if we lean on You through it. You promise us that all temptations are common to humanity and not unique just to me. You promise us that You are faithful and will always provide a means for escape from a temptation so that we may endure the brokenness of this life. Thank You for this amazing promise, Father. Thank You for always knowing what I am able to bear if I lean on You through it all. Thank You for always providing a way out even if I am blind to see it in the moment due to my own control issues.
ATTITUDE (verses 14, 21): I do struggle at times with the attitude of idolatry. I struggle with living in a way that puts others and “things” above You in this life, which is essentially what idolatry is. Help me to live better, in a way that is not me trying to drink from both Your cup and the cup of demons. Help me to be better at always choosing Your cup and Your table in my life, so that I do not stray. I know I will likely stray here and there, but I hope and pray that as I lean on You more in this life and strengthen my relationship with You more that I will be able to navigate back to Your table more quickly.
COMMAND (verses 9-10): I have struggled with this quite a bit in my life since coming to faith. You tell us not to test Jesus and not to be in a constant complaint towards You. I do struggle with this even now as I do often live in a complainer’s heart. Help me to release this complainer’s heart from my soul, Father, so that I can truly embrace the joys that You bring to my life through all things. Help me to no longer live in a way that contradicts these two verses, so that I may be overfilled with Your joy, happiness, peace, and calm in my life. Let this overflow in my spill over to others in my life so that they too may experience these things from You, Father, so that You are glorified through all that I am and do.
EXAMPLE (verse 23): In a single verse, You give such a powerful example. You tell us that everything is permissible in this life. That doesn’t mean that we should indulge in everything. This simply means that You will not be a force that keeps us from doing whatever we want to do as You have given us free will to choose. You then follow this up with not everything is helpful and not everything can be used to build us up. What this means to me is that I need to be better at righteous discernment, so that I know what I should be doing to help build myself up for Your kingdom and in a way that glorifies You. It doesn’t necessarily mean You are putting limitations on me, but that You want me to be better at choosing what is best for me as a follower of Jesus. Thank You for this amazing example, Father.
*DAILY NOTE: This chapter definitely went in several directions, but I felt the main theme of it was the heart. The heart of us determines what path we walk at any given time. I have let my heart harden for many years, which led me down many dark and treacherous paths in this life that in no way have glorified You, Father. I know this is wrong, but I did allow myself to go down those dark paths. Help me to be better moving forward, Father, now that I have finally allowed You to work in my heart and begin to soften it in ways that I couldn’t even imagine. Thank You for all the work You’ve done in me personally, but especially in my life with those around me. Thank You so much for helping me get on the right path in this life so that I may slowly but surely begin to be the man You’ve always seen in me and expected of me.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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