I Corinthians 9:24,25

I Corinthians 9:24,25 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. The Apostle Paul uses a great word picture here. The Greeks had all kinds of athletic events in their Olympic games held five hundred years before Paul wrote these words. The Corinthian church knew all about the Olympics because they were Greeks themselves living on the Peloponnesus Peninsula. When a runner won the race, he went to the bema stand, the award podium, and received his laurel wreath. But made of green leaves, the laurel wreath didn’t last more than just a few hours. Just like any cut flower, the wreath was only temporary. So winning a laurel wreath couldn’t have been the runner’s real goal. The runner didn’t train so hard and run to get that flimsy little wreath; he ran the race to win and to be the first one to finish. And Paul reminds us that, although the runners competed to get a leafy wreath, we will get a crown of gold from Jesus Christ when we finish life’s race. But we should not do our best for a golden crown; we should do our best for Jesus, just to be doing our best. And as an added blessing, Jesus is going to give us a really, really cool solid gold crown for obeying Him. What a great deal! What a great Savior!

I Corinthians 9:9,14

I Corinthians 9:9,14 For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. In the Old Testament, the people used oxen to loosen the husks of the wheat. The ox walked round and round on the hard surface of the threshing floor trampling the wheat so that the farmer could get the grain. But some stingy farmers would but a mask on the ox so that they couldn’t eat the grain that they were working on. But God said that that practice wasn’t right. The ox was doing the work, so the ox had a right to eat some of the grain that he was separating. It was only fair. So it is with our pastors. If they preach and take care of our spiritual needs, we should pay them and take care of their physical needs. After all, the pastor takes care of us; we should take care of our pastor. It is only right.

I Corinthians 8:9

I Corinthians 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. Often we think that we have the right to do something. For instance, I have the right to speak my mind. But, when someone else hears me grumbling and complaining they may get a grumbling and complaining attitude. So what I say and do has an effect of someone else. Years ago, my wife and I sat down to the supper table. She said, “Gerald, what do you want to drink?” I said, “I’ll take sweet tea, thank you.” And then my little daughter said, “I’ll take sweet tea too, thank you.” Kathy and I looked at each other for a moment. Then I said, “I think that I’ll change my mind. I would like a glass of milk.” And my little daughter said, “I think I’ll change my mind too. I would like a glass of milk too.” Let me ask you, as an adult, did I have the right to drink sweet tea? Yes, I did. But did my choice affect someone else? Yes, it did. So I chose milk so that my little daughter would choose milk. That is exactly what our verse is talking about. We should not use our liberty in Christ; we should rather choose to set a good example for others.

I Corinthians 8:4-6

I Corinthians 8:4-6 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth ... But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. There is only one God, and that is the true God in heaven. There are many religions on earth that make up their own gods with their own ideas of how things work. But that doesn’t mean that they are real or true. How can someone worship a god that they themselves made? How can someone make a beautiful stone statue, and then begin to pray to that same statue? It just doesn’t make sense. But there is only one Creator and one Redeemer, His dear Son, Jesus Christ. God loves us and send His Son to save us and to give us eternal life. God wants us to have the same life back that Adam lost so many years ago when he sinned in the Garden of Eden. God has never stopped loving us. And God loves you! Never forget that He alone is the One true God!

I Corinthinas 7:27

I Corinthians 7:27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. God calls us to live the life that He wants us to live. God is the one who decides if we will be married or not. God decides if we will be born in America or Sudan. God decides if we will be born in Tennessee or Montana. God decides if we are born to good Christian parents or unbelievers. And it is God Who puts desires into our lives. I am glad that Nick and Christine Papastavro had a little girl years ago. I am glad that they trusted Jesus as their Savior and taught their little girl the Bible so that she would trust Jesus as her Savior. She grew up and attended the same Christian college as me! God gave me my dear wife, Kathy, and I am glad. If you are married, thank the Lord. If you are single, thank the Lord. If you are ... well just thank the Lord!

I Corinthians 7:20

I Corinthians 7:20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. God gives each of us different abilities. And we should use the abilities that God has given us. But problems begin when we see other people and wish that we had their abilities. But guess what they are doing? The other people are looking at us, wishing that they had our abilities. We want to be like them and they want to be like us. If we are short and small, we want to be tall. But if we are tall, we wish that we were short and petite. If we have a high voice, we wish we could sing the low bass line. If we have a deep, low voice, we wish that we had a sweet high solo voice. Our verse tells us that if we are tall, be happy that we are tall. If we are short, be happy that we are short. However we find ourselves, be happy however we are.