Skip to main content

1 Corinthians 15-16

1 Corinthians 16:13

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

One of the final verses in 1 Corinthians is the one above. It is such a good and powerful reminder for us today.

Be watchful

-What are we to be watchful of?

            -False teaching
            -Spiritual complacency
            -Sin
            -Laziness

Paul reminds his readers to be watchful. That speaks of living with an intentional awareness. Always on the lookout.

Stand firm in the faith

Colossians 2:6-7 says,
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

How do we stand firm in the faith, by being rooted in the Him! By growing in our faith.

Act Like Men (literally translated, Be Brave)

What does it mean to be brave? Why do Christians have to be brave? Isn’t the life of a Christian easy and without difficulty? NO! Scripture tells us that the life of a follower of Jesus is one where trouble is guaranteed.

2 Timothy 3:12

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Matthew 5:11

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

We are to be brave when troubles and trials come and trust God.

Be Strong
1 Corinthians 16:14

 Let all that you do be done in love.

After saying all of the things above, Paul tells his readers to make sure that they always do everything in love. What a way to sum up, everything! Let’s be known by our love!
Pastor Tony

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

God Has a Plan

Have you ever traced your family ancestry back into the past? What about 42 generations in the past? In the beginning of Matthew we see the genealogy of Jesus. But you know what else we see? We see that God has a plan . God ’s plan extends beyond generations, beyond lifetimes, beyond what we can see and understand.  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,     neither are your ways my ways, declares the  Lord .   For as the heavens are higher than the earth,   so are my ways higher than your ways   and my thoughts than your thoughts. ” (English Standard Version, Isaiah 55:8-9). The people mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus were not perfect people. Remember the story of Jacob, who deceived his father Isaac into blessing him instead of his brother? Or what about Rahab who was a prostitute…David and Bathsheba? People are not perfect, we often make mistakes but our God can take those mistakes and somehow bring good out of them for HIS glor...

Psalm 134

Psalm 134 Come, bless the  Lord , all you servants of the  Lord ,     who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the holy place     and bless the Lord! May the  Lord  bless you from Zion,     he who made heaven and earth!   What do we do when uncertainty and difficultly surround us? Lift your hands and bless the Lord! What do you have to be thankful for today? Such a simple, yet complex thought. We have so much to be thankful for, even when times are difficult. What are you thankful for? Leave a comment to encourage others below and list what you are thankful for.   I am thankful for… Let us know!    

Mark 5-6

Skepticism is easy.   I confess that I am not one of those people who naturally sees the positive or potential in any given situation. As much as I enjoy fairy tales, real life experience has conditioned me to not expect the happy ending.  I doubt I’m the only one. I think the root of skepticism is fear… fear of losing control, fear of disappointment, or fear of the unknown.  The Gerasenes were so afraid of the unknown that they begged Jesus to leave them after he healed the demon-possessed man.  The citizens of Jesus’ hometown were skeptical of his claims and demonstrations of power.  They couldn’t see past the known, the comfortable, and familiar.  The same was true of the mourners at Jairus’ house.  They laughed at Jesus’ claim that the daughter would yet live.  They doubted his power.  The disciples, even after participating in the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, didn’t look for a miracle to save them from the stormy sea. ...