There was Church division in Corinth…some followed Apollos, some Peter, and some Paul. All three were Godly men…all three were preaching the Gospel. So where could there be the disagreement? Apollos was an Alexandrian Jew that was converted to Christianity and tutored by Aquila and Priscilla in areas of the faith he was ignorant of. While Peter was one of the original twelve Disciples that had witnessed firsthand the work of Jesus. Finally there was Paul, a Jew and persecutor of the Christians until that fateful day on the road to Damascus when the Lord confronted him. All three were passionate about the Lord and the desire to evangelize. But they all came from different backgrounds and different life experiences, and their preaching styles showed it. Thus Paul exhorted the Believers to be joined together in Christ and the Gospel, not divided apart by man and subtle nuances.
Author: kezha1
A Christian mother, grandmother, and retired nurse living in Illinois. Called into a ministry of encouraging others to find their ultimate plan and purpose in life through Christ.
Exodus 4: 11-12 ” The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’ “
Moses had many excuses of why he wasn’t the person to go to the Pharaoh and demand release of the Hebrew children. But the Lord countered with an airtight defense of why Moses was just the right man for the job. We want to argue with God, but speaking from very personal experience…you’ll never win. We can object all we want, but God desires obedience exclusively. For if He calls you to something, He can and will give you whatever skill is needed to accomplish that task. With God, arguing will get you nowhere…obedience on the other hand, will move His Kingdom forward.
Colossians 2:2-3 ” My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. “
Do you know Jesus? No really, do you know Jesus? For in that perfect comprehension of just who Jesus is and what He’s done for you, comes the unveiling of hidden things. In it we’re able to recognize and discern truth from distorted truth. In knowing Jesus, comes the revelation of God’s wisdom…His divine insight and knowledge of once concealed things. I’ll ask you again, do you know Jesus?
Psalm 52:9 ” I will praise You forever for what You have done; in You name I will hope, for Your name is good. I will praise You in the presence of Your saints.”
Do you see your glass as half empty, or half full? Rather than focus and dwell on the have nots…concentrate on what the Lord has already accomplished in your life. Thank Him for what He’s brought you through as you expectantly wait for Him. Linger in the miraculous happenings of your life story with the Lord as you anticipate what He’ll do next. As one of the faithful, your glass will never again be half empty…for the Lord’s love will fill it to overflowing.
Psalm 52: 8 ” But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever. “
I am planted like a thriving tree in Your presence Lord…grafted securely to the root of Jesse…my dependence is on You and You alone. I praise You Lord for Your never-ending mercy and kindness. I thank You for Your everlasting and eternal love. Amen.
Nehemiah 6: 15-16 ” So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. “
In only 52 days the wall around Jerusalem was rebuilt, securing it from enemy attack. Despite everything their enemies attempted to do to dissuade and intimidate them, the wall was made strong. In less than 2 months time, the people of Jerusalem had done something of super-human ability… and their enemies realized this. Nothing will ever stand in the way of God’s plan…not people…not circumstances…not anything. And this will render the enemy fearful and in awe of God’s great power.
James 2:17 ” In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. “
Prayer is good…action is good, but the Lord wants us to do both together in wisdom. In Nehemiah 4: 8-9 it says, “They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to met this threat.” Prayer will give you God’s vision. It will give you courage and resolve to move out in discernment and a clearer understanding of the problem you face. Prayer is good…action is good, but they need to go hand in hand to be the most effective.
Galatians 6:7 ” Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. “
Have you ever been mocked for your faith? Maybe it was something general like, “It’s only the weak that need religion.” Or maybe it was pointed like, ” You’re stupid to think that there’s a God!” Either way, when someone ridicules and laughs at our belief in God, they’re treating our precious Lord with contempt. So stand strong when you’re scoffed at for your beliefs… don’t be tempted to compromise or cave in when poked fun at, for God’s shoulders are very broad and He can take the taunts. And besides, as this verse reveals, He can and will not be mocked.
II Kings 19:31 ” The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”
Isaiah talks about the zeal of the Lord six times in the Bible. God’s zeal…His passion, intensity, and fire for His people is evident in the countless times that He intervened on their behalf….achieving miracles only God could perform. The zeal of the Lord Almighty is still working on our behalf today…carrying out His will for His people.
John 3:19 ” This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”
In this verse Jesus so wisely observed the world’s value system both then and now. For what we treat as precious and dear, are what we value. Are they things of virtue and truth, or things of sin and wickedness? Jesus came into the world to shed illumination on our spiritual darkness…that we love evil rather than good and falsehood rather than speaking the truth.(Psalm 52:3) He declared in John 7:7, ” The world hates Me because I testify that what it does is evil.” Pray that the spiritual darkness that is enveloping the world may be lifted and banished as we seek the light.
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