COMMON PURPOSE
1Corinthians 1:10-17
The Message v. 10: “I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I’ll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.”
1Corinthians 1:10-17
The Message v. 10: “I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I’ll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.”
Around 55 A.D., The apostle Paul had a big problem, as you can see from his plea in the opening Scripture. People were quarrelling amongst themselves in the new Christian community. They chose their favorite leader among Paul, Apollos, Peter, and even Christ Himself, and aligned themselves behind that one. They forgot to keep their brightest star at the helm and unify behind His teachings. (See Brightest Star devotion). Does this remind you of the dozens of Christian denominations—each worshipping Christ—today?
Remember what we’ve learned from previous devotions Signature Scent and Brightest Star? Although we’re ambassadors of Christ, radiating God’s perfume to the world, where’s our humility? Have we forgotten Whom we serve above all else?
What’s our greatest threat?
Can you imagine the devil laughing hysterically whenever one Christian attacks another? Within the church body! Falling for the devil’s deceit is our greatest threat. Our best victory is to align with Christ, ignoring what’s non-essential. Instead of arguing over nonessential issues, it’s always a win-win situation when we agree on the essential: Jesus Christ crucified for our sins.
There are people who were created with a divisive spirit. You may have a friend who specializes in arguing everything. The sun is up. No, it’s cloudy. But the sun is up. Yeah, but we can’t see it. Well it’s light outside, so the sun IS up! Well, it may be up, but you can’t feel its warmth. And so it goes. Is this essential, or nonessential?
Our common purpose is to do as previous devotions taught. Spread God’s fragrance to the world with humble service towards everyone. Everything else is nonessential. Paul confirms that one thing is essential, and our common purpose is preaching the good news of the gospel.
Everything else is non-essential.
Barred Owl
Spotted Owl
Take Home Nugget
The spotted owl has been disappearing in the United States for decades. It was originally assumed that the problem was the
fault of logging, destroying their habitat. Research proved that one relative of the spotted owl was its greatest threat. The barred owl, which used to live east of the Mississippi River, competes for the same food as the spotted owl. More aggressive and adaptable than the spotted owl, the barred owl has been migrating west for the last 15 years.
Keep our eyes on Christ, Lord, and show us how to ignore the non-essential differences, so that our common purpose is unity.
J.D. Griffith
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Written for http://www.biblestudyforkids.com/
A personal, private lesson experience with our staff
Written for http://www.biblestudyforkids.com/
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