Bring in the New
Opening Prayer
Christ said we ought to pray for our enemies, to bless and not curse them. Do that now.
Read 1 Corinthians 6:1-11
[1] If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? [2] Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? [3] Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! [4] Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? [5] I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? [6] But instead, one brother takes another to court-and this in front of unbelievers! [7] The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? [8] Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. [9] Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men [10] nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What does Paul tell Christians in a lawsuit?Paul is frustrated with the church in Corinth. Consider the immorality and pride we uncovered yesterday and here, in today’s reading, quarrels (6) and cheating (8). Worse still, much of this excess is witnessed by those outside the church family (6). It’s not surprising therefore that Paul rebukes the members, not only for their sinfulness, but also for washing their dirty linen in public. We need to be cautious about when and where we disagree with fellow Christians. In fact, Paul reminds the believers that legal confrontation shouldn’t happen at all, as it is better to turn the other cheek than to demand our rights (7). It is, however, possible to recover from this sinful state. Whatever our past may contain, we all have a future in Christ (9-11). I can’t remember much of my first eighteen years, and maybe that’s just as well, as our pasts can haunt us, causing us to doubt the possibility of our redemption. But remember that Jesus died for all our sin–past, present, and future.
Apply
Do you have a dispute with a fellow Christian? How could you resolve it without casting the church in a bad light?
Closing prayer
Dear Lord, help me to focus on my walk with You, in Your light, and not on the darkness of my past.
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