ON GUARD!
- Key Verse
"Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13)
READ THE CHAPTER
Central Truth
In response to constant worldly influences, we must be alert, on guard at all times, and stand firm in our faith in Christ, not blown off course by the mainstream ideas of our day.
Reflections
Wealth, materialism, secular wisdom, idolatry, sexual sin -- the church was surrounded on all sides by these vices in the cosmopolitan city of Corinth. Can we relate today? The Corinthians were suffering from internal division as worldly influences were slowly infiltrating the ranks. Sound familiar?
As Paul wraps up his letter to believers in Corinth, he offers practical tips for Christian living in a pagan environment. Just as Paul instructs believers in Corinth, we must be on alert and on guard at all times, standing firm in our faith in Christ. Worldly influences that pull us away from total surrender to Christ are all around us today. They creep into our careers (get ahead . . . make more money), our homes (poor entertainment choices and pride), and our relationships (through selfishness), resulting in a slow erosion of our faith and our willingness to surrender to Christ and a blurring of our reflection of Christ.
I often get too comfortable with life and allow my guard to slip. My focus turns to my own comfort and worldly measures of success -- healthy, smart, and athletic kids; nice vacations; accumulating stuff . . . the American dream. My guard is down, and I don't spend enough time in Scripture and prayer. Instead of being surrendered to Christ, I am surrendered to self.
In response to these worldly influences, we must be alert, keep our eyes open, and learn to recognize what we see around us, or we will be caught off guard by sin. In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter warns us that our "adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Our ability to live effectively for Christ this week starts and ends with the issue of guardedness. We must also stand firm in the faith by having a solid grasp of Scripture and then by applying it in our daily lives. Paul's command to stand firm in the faith is active, not passive. As James instructs, "prove yourselves doers of the word, not merely hearers who delude themselves." (James 1:22)
Let's spend the rest of the summer on alert, standing firm, and digging into God's Word, and living it out daily.
Discussion Questions
1. What cultural idols do you see creeping into your daily life?2. Do you spend enough time in Scripture to be able to stand firm in the faith?
3. Why do you think Paul follows verse 13 with the statement, "Let all that you do be done in love"? (1 Corinthians 16:14)
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
1 Corinthians 12-16 (July 2-6)
Read 1 Corinthians 12.
• What does the Spirit give each person?
• Does every person have the same gifts?
• Why is it important for each believer in Christ to use the gifts that God has given each of us?
• What example does chapter 12 use to show why we each need to use our gifts for God's glory?
Paste this link in your browser (http://wmcc.jointhejourney.com/page_/3912) to review some of the various spiritual gifts, as well as examples of the ways in which those gifts are manifested. As you look over the list of spiritual gifts, which ones do you feel are specifically gifts that you have?
Activity: Do this activity one night at dinner. On slips of paper, write: cover eyes, tie hands behind back, can't walk, can't talk (if you have more than four people, write some of them more than once). Have each person draw one of the slips of paper. This is what that person will do or not be able to do throughout the entire meal. To show the need for everyone to use their gifts, everyone will have to work together so that everyone can eat and get the food and drink they need.
After dinner, talk about what it meant for others to use what they had to help you. What a great picture of why God used the body working together as an example of what it means to bring Him great glory!
Johnny Hawkins
July 6, 2012 07:48 AM
Scott, great stuff and reminder on how we need to keep focus on what God would have for us rather than what the world is distracting us with. Love that verse- 1 Cor.16:13!
Elaine Word
July 6, 2012 09:28 AM
Good Morning, and Good Devotional, Scott. This Chapter and your devotional address a very critical issue. There are times when I feel so discouraged by all the distractions that we allow in our lives, and at times I enjoy the distractions in our lives. I often feel like I am stuck, unable to resist them, and unable to remove them. Satan uses everything he can to keep us from God, but if we look at some of the distractions... we see that they are some of the tools that help us to serve the Lord better... for instance, this devotional is available by the internet, which is also the cause of many distractions that keep us from the Lord. For a long time I resisted the internet because of the evil stuff that comes from it. Eventually I weakened, and now, I spend a lot of my time using the internet to get important information, which is so easily and readily available. So, is the answer to rid our lives of the distractions, or to use godly wisdom in using these devices, technology, tools, as they would benefit and not detract. I cannot answer with total confidence, but I can see that the KEY VERSE is the KEY. I Cor 16:13, and the TRUTHS YOU JUST SHARED are paramount to faithful Christian living. If we do not resist the temptations, and if we do not stand firm... the pressures and distractions of the world (all around us) will cave in on us. But, if we apply the pressure of resisting, and stand firm by being devoted to the Lord on a daily basis... we apply a force from within that keeps the balance. We must be diligent, we cannot afford to fall asleep on our watch in these times. Being diligent is what you referred to as "guardedness." That is a good word for it. As we apply God's Word to our daily living, and do so with the intent to please and serve God we will move forward for God. Lately, in my life right now the KEY word has been INTENTIONAL. We must reach out, reach in, and reach up with total INTENTIONALITY. I pray that we, as God's people, will "Press On", "Resist Evil", "Stand Firm in the Faith" "Fight the Good Fight" and please God.
Alexandra
July 6, 2012 03:40 PM
This is a real problem in my life. I dont know how to live my life "being on guard". I have a catholic background that leads me to think I have to do things to get God's love. It is hard for me to understand how to apply the grace given by God. A good Christian should bear fruit (by his actios) right? Sometimes I think I should pray more, I should share the gospel more often, I shouldnt listen to some kind of music or watch certain tv shows/movies. My mind gets tired thinking about the things I should or shouldnt do.. How can u live ur life having a balance between the grace (freedom given by God where there is nothing we can do to be good enough) and the christian fruits (the good deeds)?...
Gary
July 7, 2012 10:54 AM
Alexandra, The problem you experience is very real to many of us believers. We did a study utilizing Francis Chan's book, "The Forgotten God" in our community group. This book focused on the Holy Spirit, His characteristics and purpose based on God's Word. For me, it gave me a clear understanding of the Triune God and how daily the Holy Spirit ministers to me. In the situations of life I began to witness Christ's amazing power working through the Spirit's leading. I also found that the Spirit manifested supernaturally the fruits of the Spirit in me when before it seemed to be such a stuggle ( Galations 5:22-23 ). In Matthew 11: 29-30, Jesus speaks of taking His yoke and He says that it is easy. This is true in our walk with Him when we follow by His power manifested through the Holy Spirit. To accomplish the " bearing of fruit " we must understand that being in His Word, spending time in prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit move our hearts to action, then allows God to work through us as "vessels" to accomplish His will and bring glory to Him. If you come from a "works" oriented faith background I would encourage you to maybe read Chan's book and to remember Ephesians 2:10. And most importantly that we are commanded to "love one another" and that instead of being anxious about how or what good deeds God has for us to do, we need to just do as the disciples did, they put down their nets when Jesus called for them to follow Him. That "following" is in the moment when He speaks to us through His Holy Spirit and it is by His power and grace and only by Him that "fruits" are accomplished. Again, His Word is true when He says that His yoke is easy. Hopefully you will find this helpful and may God bless you as you seek to know Him better and grow in Christ. Blessings,Gary
Alexandra
July 7, 2012 04:32 PM
Thanks for replying Gary. It sure is really helpful. God bless you. Thanks for the references you gave me. I really appreciate it. :-)