DEVOTION: 1 Corinthians 3:10-23 English Standard Version (ESV)
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled[a] master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you[b] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," 20 and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." 21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours,23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
While it is true that we, as the church, need to remain relevant, and take on today's issues with love, peace, and forgiveness, we also need to be sure to remain true to the foundation of our faith, which is Jesus Christ. We can't be something we're not.
We can't both support the world and all the world's ideas and thoughts, and still remain true to God's Word. Or as Paul puts it here, "18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise." Our allegiances cannot be divided no matter how uncomfortable it might make us.
Let me put it this way, as I live longer in this world, the more I feel as though I am being separated from the world and am becoming a stranger to it. This is because the things that Scripture says are sinful, the world has now, in many and various ways, said are right, good, and should be celebrated.
Our reason, our foundation of faith must remain centered in Christ and His Word. We need to know what the Lord God calls sin in His Word and stick to it. We cannot change or shape God's Word into saying what we want it to say. If God, in His Word, calls homosexuality sin, we must agree with His Word. If God says that living together and having sex before marriage is sin, we must agree with God's Word. If God says that I have sinned against Him in my thoughts, words, and actions; I must agree with God. Otherwise, when the day of the Lord comes and the fire destroys everything that is sin and sinful, we will be in danger of being annihilated.
So we call sin what it is, and we call grace what it is. Sin is rebellion against God's will. Grace is what God gives us freely because of His Son Jesus Christ to all who believe.
Let us pray: Lord, you have made known to me what is real and true. Help me to live by it, and not to get caught up in the world's wrong ideas. Amen.
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CALENDAR
Wed- Ladies Aid noon; Choir 7
Thurs- Newsletter deadline; Lutheranism 101 6:30pm
Fri- Bible Study at Hendershots 7
Sat- Men's breakfast 8am; Worship 5pm
Sun- Worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school 9:45; Voters meeting 9:45
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WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS COMING WEEKEND:
Acolyte- 8:30- Gus Klaustermeier 11- Lydia Miller
Ushers- Allan Dreyer, Lew Feldkamp, Kent Jacobsmeyer, Paul Klover
Altar- Set up- Lucille Luebke; Clean up- Sandy Robine
Elders- Sat- Roy Bohning; 8:30- Al Benton; 11- Steve Robine
Greeters- 8:30- Jim and Vickie McRae; 11- Marv and Molly Hendershot
Lay Readers- Sat- Roy Bohning; 8:30- Erv Yoder??? (Erv is out of town. Anyone want to take this for him?); 11- Steve Robine
Piano- Molly Hendershot