| November 25 |
Paul wrote this epistle or letter around AD
53–54 in response to conflicts within the church at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 13
Paul begins this chapter stating ‘without love we are
nothing’. Love is patient and kind;
love is not jealous, it does not boast, it’s not rude. If we truly love, just as God loves us, we
care for others, forgive, and are happy for the good fortunes of others. Just as the chapter began, he concludes with:
‘the greatest of these is love’!
1 Corinthians 14
Paul explains, in this chapter, ‘follow
the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy’—a
continuation of the spiritual gifts previously discussed. He emphasizes the importance of speaking in
tongues as communication with God but equally important is the ability to
translate to men through preaching/teaching.
The importance of this preaching/teaching gift should be to build up fellow Christians
not for building up ourselves!
1 Corinthians 15
Paul uses this chapter as a reminder of
the gospel or good news of Jesus Christ.
He admits that his life prior to becoming a believer caused him to
believe he was not worthy of being
called an apostle and definitely not worthy of God’s grace. He states he is the least of the
apostles. Don’t we all feel like this at
some point in our life but the same God that died for the sins of Paul, died
for our sins too!
1 Corinthians 16
Paul seems to be clearing up some
questions the church members had regarding offerings and the importance of
helping the needy. In this chapter we
learn the churches role in having a set time to collect and how to decide how
the money will be used and as individuals it states we should have our
offerings in order before coming to church so that we may pray about it and be
sure to give as much as we can—those who have more, give more. He mentions
again the importance of doing all these things for love. In chapter 16:13-14 he writes ‘stand firm in
the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do
everything in love’.
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