Author: David Short

1 Corinthians 10:23-24

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.

Personal Challenge

Jesus fulfilled the law of the Old Testament covenant. He ushered in a whole new law. That law is to love our God with all of our heart, mind, body, and spirit and to love our neighbor as ourselves. In essence this has made it “legal” for me to do anything that I want as long as these two expectations of loving are not violated. Where this leaves me is to determine if my choices, my actions, will be edifying to God and seeking the other’s well-being or edifying to me and seeking my own. The latter is what draws me away from God and injures my brother. Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Proverbs 1:20-21a

Wisdom sings in the streets;
She moves boldly in the squares.
She preaches on high city walls
And sits at the gates of lords.

Encouraging Words

The early church taught that Wisdom in the Old Testament refers to Jesus, even though it is often referred to in a feminine context. Here we see Wisdom singing in the streets, moving about boldly in the squares of the city, preaching high on city walls, and sitting at the gates of lords. Wisdom is not idle. Wisdom is seeking those who will embrace her and let her permeate their lives. Wisdom is available to all of us who have a fear, or awe, for our God. Glory be to Him!

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Personal Challenge

Temptation is always present in our lives. Sometimes it is very apparent and visible. Sometimes it is hidden and sneaky. If we get over-confident in our way of following Christ, then we quickly become susceptible to being blindsided by an unexpected temptation. This is why we must take heed. The enemy never sleeps and desires to cause us to stumble and fall. We can claim the promise found in this passage. God is faithful. He never sleeps either and will always provide us with a way to escape every temptation. The challenge for us is to be seeking God and listening for His still, small voice that is providing us the guidance and help to beat the temptation. Glory be to God!

Proverbs 1:7

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom,
And there is good understanding in all who practice it;

Personal Challenge

I believe that we all desire to gain wisdom and understanding in our lives. Especially as it relates to spiritual things. That is part of our being created in the image of God and seeking to know Him. Here we see that the place to start on our journey to find spiritual wisdom is to fear God. This is not the kind of fear that one has regarding pending judgment or punishment. It is a respectful reverence for our God, an awe of His greatness and His love for us. As we embrace, and practice this godly fear, we gain His wisdom and understanding. Glory be to God!

1 Corinthians 9:25-27

And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Personal Challenge

Paul often uses sports metaphors to describe the Christian life. We are running a race. We are engaged in a fight. We are pursuing the imperishable crown. We must compete throughout our life here on earth so as to obtain the imperishable crown at the end of the race. We will stumble along the way. When we do, we get up and get back into the race. We will get tired or disillusioned, but we reconnect to our source of life and continue the race. We do all this because we love our God and know that He loves us so much more. Glory be to God!

Job 42:4

But hear me, O Lord, that I also may speak.
I will ask You, and please teach Me.

Personal Challenge

Sometimes it feels like God has gone silent and no longer listening to our prayers. The truth is that He is always listening. Sometimes His response is to delay so that our hearts and minds can grow to be ready for His answer. We should always be willing to ask Him to teach us so that we can be growing in Him. Glory be to God!

1 Corinthians 9:24

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

Personal Challenge

Life as a follower of Christ is a marathon. It is full of twists and turns, ups and downs, wins and losses. No matter how we look at it though, it is a race to the finish line. Paul encourages us to run the race, in a way to obtain the prize of then end, to give our all. Living this way gives us the opportunity to live without regrets. Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Job 28:28

He said to man, ‘behold, the fear of God is wisdom,
And to abstain from evils is understanding.’”

Personal Challenge

Once again, we see the scripture turn the knowledge of mankind upside down. In our modern culture, and somewhat pervasive in the church, it is believed that wisdom and understanding comes from all the information that we take in. What is the latest podcast that I follow? Who is the latest church author that I have read? How many services have I attended? However, God tells us through Job, wisdom comes from our fear, or respect of God, and that understanding comes from abstaining from evils. This shifts the receipt of wisdom and knowledge from what I do to what God does. Glory be to God!

1 Corinthians 8:8

But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

Personal Challenge

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, we follow various disciplines with fasting. The objective is to use something that we all need, and rely on, to discipline our physical bodies in order to learn how to discipline our entire being, body, soul, and spirit. We must be very diligent to not let this practice become a stumbling block to us or our neighbor. For too often, people use their fasting rules to try to one up one another. This is when it becomes a sin. Food, or the practice of fasting from it, does not commend us to God nor interfere with our relationship with Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!