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1 Corinthians 1 Devotional – Day 2

By January 12, 2021Daily Devotional

NOTE: The daily devotionals for 2021 will follow a different format than last year. The beginning part of the devotional will follow the A.C.T.S. prayer model. ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Supplication is a word that means “make requests”.

Following the ACTS model you will be directed to read the chapter from the New Testament that we discussed on Sunday in the sermon. We will read the entire chapter each day, but each day you will be prompted to read the chapter in a different version of the bible.

ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness

GOD IS COMPLETELY FREE The freedom of God, is also called divine freedom. God is not constrained by anyone other than himself. He does what he pleases and therefore he is always free. He is not bound to the dictates of anyone else. He does make promises which obligate him to do certain things, but he makes those promises voluntarily.

Psalm 135:6 The Lord does whatever He pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the depths.

Praise God for His Divine Freedom
Praise God that he cannot be manipulated. Praise God that he always acts according to his good, just, wise, and loving nature. Praise God for the specific ways that he has freely acted in your life.

CONFESSION: Confess your sins to God and receiving his continued mercy.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

THANKSGIVING: Giving thanks to God for his specific blessings in our lives.

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100

SUPPLICATION: Bring your requests to God.

  • Bring your personal prayer requests to God.
  • Pray for our nation. Pray for your leaders, as well as the judges in our courts. Ask God to grant them wisdom to act with integrity. I Timothy 2:1-2

SCRIPTURE READING:

1 Corinthians 1 English Standard Version
Greeting
1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving
4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Divisions in the Church
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:

There was nothing wrong with learning from or admiring Paul, or Apollos, or Peter, and of course Christ. The problem was not in human or divine role models, the problem was human pride. “My way is better than yours.” “My hero is better, smarter than yours.” Which means “I am better and smarter because of my choice.” It is all quite silly. Human pride is always silly. How has pride raised it’s silly and foolish head in your heart? How have you looked down on or judged others as less? Less spiritual, less intelligent, less caring, less …?

Don’t look to others to see if you compare favorable or unfavorable. Look to Christ with faith then look to others with an eye to bless not to impress or to be impressed.

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