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1 Corinthians 8 Devotional – Day 5

ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness

JESUS IS THE CHURCH’S HEAD God the Son, Jesus, is the head of the Church. As the head, the part of the body that sees, hears, thinks, and decides, He gives the orders that the rest of the body lives by. 

Ephesians 1:22-23
And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

Praise Jesus the Head of the Church
Praise Jesus, God in the flesh. Praise Jesus for surrendering his body to save the church. Praise Jesus for his submission to the Father’s will. Praise Jesus that he is alive and still leading his church in the world.

CONFESSION: Confess your sins to God and receive 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: Bringing our requests to God.

  • Bring your personal prayer requests to God.
  • Ask God to strengthen and grow our church.
  • Pray that many would come to faith in Christ through God’s work at River.
  • Pray for yourself as you read the scriptures.

SCRIPTURE READING:

1 Corinthians 8 Christian Standard Bible

Food Offered to Idols
Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “we all have knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone thinks he knows anything, he does not yet know it as he ought to know it. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by him.

4 About eating food sacrificed to idols, then, we know that “an idol is nothing in the world,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him.

7 However, not everyone has this knowledge. Some have been so used to idolatry up until now that when they eat food sacrificed to an idol, their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not bring us close to God. We are not worse off if we don’t eat, and we are not better if we do eat. 9 But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, the one who has knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, won’t his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols? 11 So the weak person, the brother or sister for whom Christ died, is ruined by your knowledge. 12 Now when you sin like this against brothers and sisters and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food causes my brother or sister to fall, I will never again eat meat, so that I won’t cause my brother or sister to fall.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:

How has this past year shaped you? There have been many points of difference and division that have caused harm to relationships, families, churches and society at large. There have also been many opportunities to grow in the ability to listen, lead, and grow. How would you measure this past year? Have you progressed as a Christ-follower or regressed? How do you know which has happened? You have progressed if love leads your thinking/valuing/doing more than before. That is hard to measure but if we are honest we can probably discern whether we have moved towards others (especially those who are hard for us to love) or away from them. Do you move through life looking out for self or seeking to put the interests of others first? How would you plot your “love trajectory?” Trending up or down? This kind of self-evaluation is not to make us feel bad but rather to help us become better. We must be honest with our current status so that we can become more like Jesus in the days ahead.

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