Mattew 25- According to Our Ability

¹⁴ “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. ¹⁶ Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. ¹⁷ In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸ But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

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 God has entrusted each of us with talents, gifts, skills, passions and lives...He does not give us the same ones, because we have been given different roles.  However, He expects the same results!  Did you notice that?   Both of the good servants doubled what they had been given.  God provides us purposefully with what we can handle and expects us to use it to our fullest potential, not be paralyzed with fear.  His expectations are clear...and Paul reminds us of that in I Cor 10: 31-33~

³¹ Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ³² Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; ³³ just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.

I Corinthians 16- Always Be Ready to Serve

13 Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

14 Let all that you do be done in love.

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Verse 13 is a command to be ready for any circumstance. But vs 14 is the descriptor in that is tells us how we should behave in "all that you do", in everything. What does it mean to do everything in love? We just read a few chapters ago:

4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails;...

To me that sounds a lot like serving. Serving God, serving Christ, serving family, friends. How about co-workers, your boss, the grocery store clerk, the bank teller? There truly is no limitation here. We were called to serve others and in so doing, share the Gospel of Christ!

What would the world think of Christians if we were known for serving? What would they think about Christ's saving grace? Are you serving those around you as Christ would?

I Corinthians 15- Our Sure Hope

52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

54b "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.

55 "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;

57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

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What an incredible time it will be when Christ returns for His bride... It could be any moment! What a day that will be, finally made perfect in every way. Eternity with Christ in Heaven. Worshiping constantly, ever in adoration. No opportunity to sin, only perfect living in holiness. Thank you Lord Jesus for the victory! Maranatha!

I Corinthians 14- Encouragement and Edification

24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all;

25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.

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The prophesy here I have found is referring to the role of the pastor/teacher in our day. They encourage, exhort others to good works, proclaim the Truth, share what God has been teaching them from the Word and correct behavior/thinking at times. God does not want confusion or disorganization to characterize the Church. He left us here to be a light in the darkness so He requires that we have a good report among believers and un-believers alike.

I Corinthians 13- Called to Show Our Love

4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails;...

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I have a small note written in the margin of my Bible next to this section of scripture. It simply reads "Love is show in ACTION". It doesn't matter if you are showing love to you God, your spouse, your children, your friends, your coworkers or your neighbors. It will only be clearly communicated if it is displayed in our every action. That is a challenging statement, but "I can do all thing through Him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).

We must lean on Him for strength and perseverance to successfully show Love in all our actions. Thank you Lord for the Spirit's power, Strength and incite! We are so blessed to be saved, how can we not show our love in return?

I Corinthians 12- Encouraged to Power

18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.
...
25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

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God's perfect plan for where I should be, how I should serve and what my gifts are is amazing. I haven't always known what I should do to serve, but He is always presenting me opportunities. I am nearly always blessed when I give up "my plan" to do what He is asking. It is especially comforting to know that God has placed me "just as He desired".

Lord help me to be soft to your prompting...but help me also to be more empathetic. Vs. 26 reminds me to pay more attention to those around me and celebrate with them, or work with them through tough times.

When was the last time you suffered with a sufferer?

I Corinthians 10- Encouraged to Power

12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.

13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

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How incredible a promise... NO Temptation is beyond what we can endure through God's Power. I have always been encouraged by vs 13, because it is a promise that there is a way of escape from sin. The only time it is not very encouraging is after I fail in my walk and sin. This verse reminds me that I am the only one to blame for my sin. It reminds me that I was not depending on the Spirit to give me strength to endure or even find that way of escape.

Even in those times though disappointed in myself, I see the hope that God will help in future times of temptation. I am reminded that the next time I face the temptation I can be victorious, but only if I lean on Christ's Power.

Thank you Lord for you willingness to save, and transport us from this dark world. Thank you for the ability to endure all trials and temptation if we lean on you!

I added in one additional verse this morning..."let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall". Lord help me to be humble, and even in times of victory remind me to fully depend on your provision to get me through the next trial!

I Corinthians 9- Finishing Strong

27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

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Discipline...in every sense of the word is not comfortable. There is the discipline we give (or receive) aimed at correcting our actions. This is typically a consequence for poor behavior, or incorrect attitudes. The other discipline, the one Paul is referring to, is much longer in duration and can be more difficult, more painful, more selfless, more Christlike...

But look at the goal, "I myself will not be disqualified". He is not talking about salvation here, it is his testimony to the world & Christ's followers. God has placed strict guidelines on those in Leadership of Christ's Church, and one slip-up can disqualify. I don't think Paul is talking about his personal loss here, but it is obvious from the context that Paul wants more than anything to have people commit their lives to Christ and grow in Him.

Where do you need more discipline? What are you doing to train your body & mind for Christ? Lord help me to finish strong!

I Corinthians 8- Causing Others to Stumble?

12 And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.

13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

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This passage is a great reminder that we have a responsibility for our actions including how they are viewed by other people. Christian Liberties are an interesting topic... Most of them are cultural, as I see it. In Paul's day it was meat sacrificed to idols, today it could be drinking. There are plenty to chose from really, but what is important here is that we are conscious of how our actions are view.

If someone sees my actions and in turn forms a negative opinion about me, the Church or most importantly Christ, I have done a disservice to my Lord and Savior! That is exactly the opposite of what God left me here on earth to do. I need to be sharing Christ and living my life for Him.

Is there anything you do that could detract from Christ? We better be praying about those activities...

I Corinthians 5- Eternally Secure

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans...
5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

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In this Chapter Paul is instructing the Church how to deal with severe unrepentant sin within the Body. This sin is horrible to the extent that even Non-Believers do not accept it. Paul calls for this man (and others who refuse to repent of sin) to be removed from fellowship with the Church. This also means personal interaction with this man as well. A severe action in an effort to keep the Church pure.

But notice vs 5... The sinning man's spirit will be saved when Christ returns. This is another amazing reminder that God's plan for salvation is perfect. There is nothing you or I can do to mess it up, our destination has been set already...Heaven or Hell.

Although once we are called we cannot change our destination, we can and do affect what our rewards will be. This man will be in Heaven with us, but unless he repented from his immorality, he will have far fewer rewards which he can give back to Christ!

Thank God for our salvation!

I Corinthians 4- Are we Imitation Worthy?

16 Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.

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Paul's exhortation here to a church filled with Prideful, fleshly people was to "do what I do"... If you are a parent you know what this means. Every action, word or attitude is imitated by your children. But here we see this concept stretching out into the public world. Into our work environment, where we shop, where we vacation everything we do is watched by Believers and the Un-saved as well.

Are you living a life that makes it easy for you to say, "live like I live"? This is the hypocrisy killer...living what we believe; everyday, all day, all the time, everywhere.

Thank God for His wisdom that this could not be done in our own willpower or strength so He provided the Spirit to empower us to accomplish His will! God is great and His Grace & Mercy are always sufficient!

I Corinthians 3- Only God Can Cause Growth

6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

[italics mine]

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We have been given a job to share the Gospel. It is not always easy, exciting or even fruit bearing... but it is what we are called to as believers. This passage reminds us that God is ultimately in control of the fruit. God has a plan for every soul on earth. We MUST play our part is spreading the Truth.

Later on in this chapter of I Corinthians, Paul talks about labor being tested as well. What we do for Christ will be shown to be worthy (Gold, Silver, Precious Gems) or self-serving and shallow (Wood, Hay, Straw). We are encouraged that this testing has nothing to do with our Salvation...nothing can take that away.

I don't know about you but I want to come out of the testing the same way I went in, with my building in tact! I will work diligently for His glory, but depend on God to produce growth...