EXPAND TO READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 8 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 4): I have struggled with this in my life since coming to faith and most of the time I don’t even realize I’m doing it. I typically put false idols in my life above You, Father, typically “worshipping” them in a sense more than I do You. I’ll sometimes put my wife or kids above You, I’ll put my job above You, and I’ll even sometimes put my love for “things” above You. I understand that all of these things are only in my life because of You, but I do struggle at times with my prioritization of You as my #1. Please forgive me for this, Father. Forgive me for often living this life in a way that does not reflect You as my #1 priority for my worship. Help me to be better at recognizing when I am doing this, so that I can stop quickly in the moment instead of allowing it to drag on for long periods of time.
PROMISE (verse 6): This promise serves also as a reminder that I often need in my life since coming to faith. Just as I relayed in my sin confession, I do often struggle with prioritizing You as #1 in my life. Here You tell us that there is only one God, the Father, but also that there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through You and we exist through You. The reason I see this as a promise is because You are validating to us the existence of our singular God and singular Lord in our lives and assuring us that there is and can be no others. Thank You so much for this promise, Father, as it can be difficult, sometimes, living my life in a way that glorifies such a promise.
ATTITUDE (verse 9): Please help me with my attitude towards food, Father. I do often use food as a crutch for my emotional state instead of leaning on You through it all. In this verse You tell us that our food habits should in no way become a stumbling block, yet in my life it often has been as I have gone up and down in weight and health quite a bit throughout my life. Although I am “mostly” healthy due to my military career keeping me in the gym, I do still struggle. Help me to adjust my attitude towards food so that I may eat healthier in a way that glorifies and honors You instead of producing stumbling blocks in my weak fleshly desires.
COMMAND (verse 13): The command You give us here is quite simple yet is likely applied and intended for so much more than just food. You tell us that if food causes our brother in Christ to fall, then we should adjust the way we eat/live to ensure we are not a stumbling block to others. Help me to be better at discerning when a habit or practice of mine is a stumbling block to my brothers and sisters in Christ, Father. Help me to ensure that I am not the reason another person stumbles in their faith to You.
EXAMPLE (verse 8): In this verse, You give us an example about food, but just as the command above, it can be applied to so many levels of our lives. You tell us that the lack of food does not make us inferior in our faith and the surplus of food does not make us better in our faith. This tells me that in all things we must live with a balance. All things are for our good, but can also be used for sin if we allow it to in our lives. With Your example of food here, if I am not eating a lot of food and in my head think that makes me inferior in my faith as a result, then food has become my determination of the level and quality of my walk with You. That is not what You expect of me nor is that the gauge You use to measure my rewards in Heaven. Help me to be better at living my life in a balance that is pleasing to You, Father, so that I do not overindulge in anything because I think it’ll be pleasing to You. Also, help me to not consider myself inferior or “cursed” because I do not have or want more of something that others may have.
*DAILY NOTE: A very short chapter here that has so much “meat” to it, pun intended. Thank You, Father, for such a great lesson and insight this morning for my quiet time. I do struggle with my eating habits as well as balance through most things in my life. I know that the more I lean on You through it all, however, the better I have become. The only times certain things are out-of-balance in my life are when I try to do it on my own instead of leaning on You through it all. Please consistently and constantly remind me of this, Father, so that I do slowly but surely become a better man who lives out his faith with balance. Thank You.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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