EXPAND TO READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 15 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 2): In this verse, You tell us that we are saved by God if we hold the message He proclaims to us, UNLESS we believe for no purpose. For many years since coming to faith, I failed to believe with a purpose. To be honest, it wasn’t really until recently that I truly felt, discovered, and embraced the purpose behind my belief. I know You know this already, but this is my sin confession. I ask You to forgive me for my somewhat “empty” belief and faith of my past, Father. Help me to become what You’ve always seen in me, Father. Help me to live out my faith with a purpose so that I may glorify You through all that I am.
PROMISE (verses 3-4, 26-28): Thank You so much for the promise made in these verses, Father. You promise us that Jesus was not only the ultimate sacrifice for ALL of our sins, but also that He defeated death for us all by rising from the dead. You promise us that God was at the center of all of this so that He is in everything. Help me to embrace this promise more thoroughly, Father. I do struggle at times in my faith, mostly due to doubt, trust, and selfishness issues, but I do firmly believe that Jesus died for my sins and defeated death for us all by rising again. That is Your amazing promise to us and I am so grateful for it.
ATTITUDE (verse 58): The very last verse in this chapter spoke so loudly to me, probably because I have struggled with this for pretty much my entire faith. You tell us to maintain a steadfast, immovable, and always excelling attitude in our faith, knowing that our labor for the Lord in not in vain. I know my “vision” in this life is very narrow-scoped compared to Yours, of course, which is likely why I struggle so much with this verse. Not being able to see the rewards, end results, or impact of my actions and progress in my faith does make it difficult for me at times because I am a results-oriented person for some reason, even in my faith. Help me to be better in my faith, Father. Help me to trust in You fully with all that I am and all that I do, regardless of if I see the fruits of my labor or not. Living this life for Your glory is all that matters and seeing the results immediately should never be a need for me. Heal me of this “crutch” of mine, so that I can glorify You without any expected “return of investment” in this life, Father.
COMMAND (verse 58): Although this is a necessary attitude adjustment of mine, I also view this verse as a very direct and intentional command to Your followers. You tell us to “be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that Your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” As I mentioned above, I have struggled with this quite a bit since coming to faith. I have struggled with consistency and I have struggled with always trying to move forward in my faith. Help me to truly embrace and live by this verse, Father. Help me to be better at always moving forward in Your works through me in this life. Help me to no longer “give up” for periods of time or stray away for periods of time, so that I may be steadfast in my faith. Help me to be bold, strong, knowledgeable, and confident in Your truth so that I may be immovable in my faith. Help me to always excel in Your work and to never think the labor I am doing for Your kingdom is in vain, so that I may glorify You through my works in faith and always move forward on the path You want me to be on, Father.
EXAMPLE (verses 9-10): I find this absolutely amazing that Paul felt this way. From the bits I know about him, he was by far more of a righteous man than I have ever been and could ever even imagine being. He struggled with his title of apostle, thinking he was not worthy of such a title. He laid out the example of God’s grace in his life, showing that his works for the Lord along with God’s grace covered everything he was and that all of his flaws and shortcomings didn’t matter; God’s grace covers everything for us. Thank You, God for giving me this amazing example through Paul’s own struggles with how I am to be living in Your grace instead of always feeling like I’m not enough.
*DAILY NOTE: Wow! This was a long chapter to read, but there is SO much amazing content, stories, lessons, and examples in this scripture. Thank You so much for the lessons today, Father. I am so grateful to have such an amazing teacher like You that always knows exactly what to say to me when I need it the most. I am definitely struggling a bit with being overwhelmed and not seeing the fruits of my labor fully at times, but this scripture has given me hope and gotten me back on your path at just the right time. Thank You for Your timing in things and not my own. Thank You for the timely lessons just when I need it. Thank You for the sacrifice of Jesus for all of my sins. Thank You for the never-ending and all-encompassing grace You have blanketed me in my entire life, even though I feel I am undeserving just as Paul felt.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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