Daily Inspirations

Good morning. Therefore let us celebrate the feast (not just during Passover), not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote you not to associate with immoral people; I did not mean those of this world, for then you would have to go out of the world. I wrote to not associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or… - not even to eat was such a one. Again, this is part of the “shunning” process. What have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? Remember that bad company corrupts good morals. Why, because it always spreads to the entire church. There are two extremes. Some accept everyone no matter what kind of lifestyle they have; and the other extreme immediately condemns those who even have a hint of what the accusers think is wrong (not necessarily what the Bible says is wrong). Those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from amo...

Good morning. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? This probably refers back to the procedure right before Passover. Many times in the Scriptures, leaven represented sin. So before Passover began, they made sure that there was no leaven whatsoever in the house. They would sweep it just to make sure. If there was even a tiny speck of leaven in the dough, the dough would have to be thrown out. Similarly, there’s no such thing as a “little sin” in your life. Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. This verse is one of the reasons why I believe that the last supper was not the Passover meal. If it were the Passover meal, then Jesus our Passover sacrifice died 24 hours after the Passover lambs were sacrificed. Father help us to clean out all the old leaven of sin in our lives. Help us to start each day a pure and fresh lump of do...

Good morning. Remember last time that Paul said he was going to find out the power of those who were arrogant. For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power. You can give all kinds of fancy “teachings”, but they are useless if there is no power in you or in what you say. The Gospel has transforming power. It can not only bring about healings and so on, but it can also bring a change in your heart and your attitude. He then goes through the thing about someone among them having his father’s wife (not talking about his mother – stepmother). Paul gets a bit “hot under the collar“. I on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, I have already judged him who has committed this, as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan (my Bible says that means to put him out of the church, so that he does not have the fellowship of be...

Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find out, not...

Good morning. Back to those who are arrogant: For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast is if you had not received it? All of that is why they are arrogant. Paul then gets sarcastic: you are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish you had become kings so that we also might reign with you. For I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. My Bible says that the word spectacle in Greek means theater. Paul is referring to the gladiatorial contests in the arena or perhaps to the triumphal procession of a victorious Roman general. He pictures all the world and even angels looking on while the apostles are brought in last to fight to the death. How would you like to live your life that way with everyone rooting for your failure or demise? Father th...

Good morning. Last time Paul said that it was no big deal if he were examined by them or anyone else, and that he was conscious of nothing against himself. It was the Lord who was to examine him. And so what should we do? Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God. Ultimately, God is the one who will judge. However, as the old saying goes: we are to be fruit inspectors. Is the one ministering bearing the fruit of the Spirit? If not, then their ministry is suspect. Now these things I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. Sometimes Christians who follow certain “evangelists” think that theirs is better than others’, which make...

Good morning. So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas (not us belonging to some leader) or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God. Some ministers think that they deserve special privileges and don’t have to lift a finger. But Paul says about himself: let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. We should listen to others, because they may see something wrong in us that we do not see. However, just because they think we are doing something wrong does not ...