EXPAND TO READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 3 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 18): I have lived this life in deception for most of my life, Father. In deception thinking that I am in control and that my happiness only comes from my own control and my own wisdom. I know now that I cannot live this life deceiving myself that my way is the better way. You have shown me many times that if I live according to Your will for my life that everything is better for me. Forgive me for my foolishness and childish ways in this deceptive life I’ve been living. Help me to become better at living for Your glory and Your will for my life by leaning on You through all things.
PROMISE (verse 15): In this verse You make us a promise that I am so grateful for. Even if we have built our foundation in a way that is burned up by the fires in this life, You promise us that we are still saved. You tell us that our saving will be like an “escape through fire” but at least we are still saved. I have made many mistakes in this life with my foundation, Father. I am grateful of Your promise that regardless of the mistakes I’ve made in my foundation, that Your grace over me still leads to my salvation. Thank you.
ATTITUDE (verses 1-3): In these verses You mention the maturity level of believers and how those Paul is speaking to here are like babies in their faith. Living in the flesh with envy and strife has been a fairly constant attitude for me in this life, even since coming to faith. Help me to be better in my maturity in my faith, Father. Help me to no longer embrace the attitudes of envy and strife in this life, so that I am no longer a “baby” in my faith walk. Help me to mature in this faith so that I can slowly but surely become the Godly man You’ve expected of me for so long that I have failed to achieve in many ways.
COMMAND (verses 16-17): These two verses give us a rather strong and direct command about our faith. You tell us that we are Your sanctuary and that anyone who destroys Your sanctuary will be destroyed by You. You tell us that Your sanctuary is holy and as a result so are we. Help me to be better at understanding and embracing the fact that I am Your sanctuary. Help me to be better at treating Your sanctuary as the holy temple that You tell us it is.
EXAMPLE (verses 12-13): This is such an amazing example of how we are to build our foundation in our faith and in our life in general. You give us several pictures of how a foundation could be built and tell us that our foundation will be tested by fire in this life. Fire will destroy a weak foundation, such as one built on wood, hay or straw. A foundation built on Jesus, however, just like gold, silver, and costly stones, will easily survive the test of fire. Help me to be better at building a strong foundation in this life, Father, so that when I am tested by the fires of this life I am able to withstand them as a result of my strong foundation being built on Jesus instead of my own strength and willpower.
*DAILY NOTE: I live in such a controlling manner for some reason. I always feel like I need to be in control of everything, yet I tend to screw things up when I let my controlling nature take over. You tell us to relinquish this control over to You. You tell us that we are Your sanctuary, so we should treat ourselves as such. I have failed quite often at trying to be in control of Your sanctuary, Father. Please continue Your works in me on this topic, Father. Help me to be better and more consistent at releasing control of Your sanctuary to You. Remind me in those times that I do try to take control of Your sanctuary that You are in control and that Your ways are always FAR better than my own. Always be with me and give me reminders of this when I falter, Father, because I know as well as You do that I definitely will continue to falter here and there. I just pray that my controlling nature will take over far less often than it has in the past, so that Your glory can shine through me as I begin to allow You to take control of all aspects of my life. Thank You, Father.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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