Loving Jesus Style

  Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 (NIV) But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Devotion: Victory is a concept that resonates deeply with all of us, whether in spiritual battles, personal struggles, or professional challenges. In 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, Paul reminds us that true victory is a gift from God, achieved through Jesus Christ. This victory is not temporary or circumstantial; it is eternal, overcoming even the sting of death itself. It’s a triumph that gives us the confidence to face life’s uncertainties with unwavering faith. Paul’s exhortation to “stand firm” is not a call to passive endurance but to an active, immovable commitment to Christ. The world will try to sway our convictions, presenting distractions, doubts, and discouragement...

  Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 (ESV) I have become all things to all people, that by all means, I might save some. 23  I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. Devotion: In this passage, the apostle Paul describes his approach to evangelism and ministry. He says that he has become all things to all people, meaning that he adapts his style and language to different audiences, without compromising the core message of the gospel. He does this for two reasons: first, to win some people to Christ, and second, to share in the blessings of the gospel himself. Paul's strategy is based on his love for God and his love for people. He wants to glorify God by fulfilling his calling as an apostle and a preacher of the good news. He also wants to serve people by meeting them where they are and addressing their needs and questions. He does not impose his preferences or opinions on others, but respects their culture and background, fos...

  Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV) Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Devotion:             Weakness is usually not a trait that we boast about in our society. Both men and women are taught that being strong and in command is the way to get ahead. Everyone likes to be seen as competent and confident. That fact is why today’s scripture seems so out of place. Paul, here, is not only admitting that he is weak and subject to all kinds of indignities but is proud of that fact. The fact that Jesus himself tells Paul to be proud of his weaknesses in the verses preceding the ones we are considering here does little to change our modern sense that one ought not to be proud of one's weakness. ...

  Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 (ESV) 3  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5  and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6  Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Devotion:             These verses from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians very likely represent one of the first creeds of the Christian Church. The first creed may have been the simple statement, "Jesus is Lord.” These creeds were vitally important for the newly founded church because very few people had access to their own copies of the scriptures due to the high cost of reproducing them by ha...

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NKJV) 14  For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15  and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Devotion:             Today, we meditate on the power of Christ’s love to save those who believe. Paul here is writing about how the love of Christ affects believers. He states that this love of Christ compels us. The word translated compels has a wide range of meanings in the original Greek. The most likely meaning, according to commentators, is compel, which means to put pressure on someone or something. God does not force Himself on us but gently but firmly moves us in the direction He wants us to go.             The remainder of the verses explain the direction Christ encourages us to mov...

  Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV) 19  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20  for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body. Devotion:             In these two short verses, Paul tries to bring the Corinthians to some awareness of the state of their souls in Jesus Christ. If we have truly given our lives to the Lordship of Jesus, things will have to be different. Our 21st-century culture, even, or perhaps especially, our Christian subculture, misses the mark badly in this regard.             The chant “My body, my choice” rings loudly in the streets. Our culture has lost its way, and the church has done little, if anything, to correct its delusion. The church in many congregations congratulates herself on how much like the culture she has become...

  Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:1 (ESV) 20  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 6  Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. Devotion:             The church today has an image problem. We are being marginalized and even hated because we hold values that the culture finds offensive. It seems that the golden age of the church in the West (if there ever really was one) is over. We must begin to build anew on our solid foundation in Jesus Christ. We should not waste one-minute placing blame or lamenting and yearning nostalgically for the days gone by.             What, then, must the church do? The ...

  Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (ESV) 16  But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18  And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Devotion:             In this passage of scripture, we consider the freedom we who believe in Christ as Lord and Savior can experience. Under the old covenant, even the Jewish people could not experience the freedom of looking directly at the glory of God. A veil was erected in the temple to keep the people from seeing the most holy place. This veil remains over the minds of unbelievers to this day. The physical temple may no longer be standing, but spiritual blindness remains where Christ is not present.    ...

  Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (ESV) 14  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16  to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17  For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. Devotion:             My father fought in World War II. He had the job of entering concentration camps where thousands of Jews were slaughtered. My dad said that he could always tell when they were getting close to camp because the stench of death was so overpowering. We associate certain smells with specific events. In my Dad’s case, t...

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (ESV) 6  Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.  2  For he says,         “In a favorable time, I listened to you, and in a day of salvation, I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Devotion:             Advent is a season of waiting. Today’s scripture seems to indicate that we should not wait. As it says,  now is the time.  Yet in a certain way we need to be ready for the future coming in the here and now. Our salvation is not to be put off for a more opportune time, because that time will never come. Making our decision to follow Jesus knows no better time than the present. Advent is indeed a time of waiting but it is also a time to act. We must prepare ourselves for Jesus’ coming right now.         ...

  Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (ESV) 16  But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18  And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. Devotion:             The veil spoken of in this scripture passage may puzzle Christians today as we are unfamiliar with the term and what it means. Since in today’s church no one wears veils. The saying comes from the book of Exodus where Moses wears a veil because his face shown with the glory of the Lord after he met with God in the tabernacle. The term is also used of the Hebrew people because their eyes were veiled with regard to Jesus. This spiritual veil prevented them from seeing Jesus for who he really was.   ...

          Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (ESV) 19  For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20  To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21  To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22  To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23  I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. Devotion:             Today’s scripture we can read without really taking it in. We say to ourselves, that is what Paul had to do. We can just remain as we are....

  Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23 (ESV) 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. Devotion:             Here, in this scripture passage we find Paul urging the Corinthian church to seek wisdom from God. The church has fallen to the temptation to believe that they are wise because they follow the teaching of one of the Lord’s servants instead of Christ himself. It is easy to fall victim to this f...

  Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (ESV) 14  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16  to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Devotion:             The picture Paul so carefully draws in this scripture is strange to modern ears. We need to travel back in time to discover what Paul is describing for us here. In ancient Rome when a Roman General won a great victory, he would parade the prisoners of war around the city. During the parade the spectators would burn incense in celebration of the occasion. The odor would be pleasing to the spectators and soldiers, but the smell would be the smell of death to the prisoners of war who would soon be exec...