Category Archives: 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians, 2 Peter, 2019, Ephesians, Questions, Repentance, Salvation

The Response!

Gallery Leave a comment 
17 So this I say, and solemnly affirm together with the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the [unbelieving] Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds [and in the foolishness and emptiness of their souls],  18 for their [moral] understanding is darkened and their reasoning is clouded; [they are] alienated and self-banished from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the [willful] ignorance and spiritual blindness that is [deep-seated] within them, because of the hardness and insensitivity of their heart. source

Please see the brackets in the third line around unbelieving. It is really important for us to grasp Paul is penning about not just any Gentiles, but the unbelieving, as there were many Gentiles in the Community (Church, Body) at Ephesus. Another clue for us that when a Gentile became a follower of the Jewish Messiah, they became family. Yeshua (Jesus as you may address Him) has One Family, One community.

But what of these unbelieving Gentiles? It was a term his readers understood; well understood. Outcasts. Banished from the Commonwealth of Israel.

BUT look it’s self-banishment! It’s not GOD’s will that any be banished! (See 2 Peter3:9)

Self-banished. What a word! What does it mean? Banished means sent away as an official punishment.

A few questions.
How often do we send ourselves away from fellowship with GOD because we have deemed ourselves unworthy?
How many of us see the bottom layer of that thinking?
When we self-banish ourselves, who’s the judge, the jury and the executioner?
Who alone has that Office and Responsibility?
So what are we doing when we self-banish?
What would cause us to do that?
(Subtle Pride.)
But it’s still damnable pride, is it not?

But wait! Does not the Scriptures tell us to judge ourselves so that we will not be judged?
Absolutely! It does! See 1 Corinthians 11:31. So what’s the factor here? The Response!

Pride sends us away!
Repentance draws us close!

1 Corinthians 11:31 Amplified Bible (AMP) 31 But if we evaluated and judged ourselves honestly [recognizing our shortcomings and correcting our behavior], we would not be judged. source

Please see it!  And correcting our behavior! That’s what repentance does. It corrects our behavior. Pride, even subtle pride, keeps us banished.

Repentance. Oh, what a beautiful, loving, holy gift!  Let us unwrap it as often as necessary!

Oh, Father, thank You, thank You for the gift of repentance! Pour out Your holy gift of conviction with repentance again and again that we may fellowship with You continually.  Amen and amen in JESUS name. 

1 Corinthians, 2019, Gospel of Mark, Hebrews, Leviticus

Second on the List

Gallery 11 Comments

Acts of sexual immorality

Honestly, I’d like to skip over this one, but — well, that will not do.

So what is sexual immorality? Sexual immorality per se is not given in Webster’s 1828 edition. However, immorality is defined as:

IMMORALITY, noun Any act or practice which contravenes the divine commands (emphasis mine) or the social duties. Injustice, dishonesty, fraud, slander, profaneness, gaming, intemperance, lewdness, are immoralities. All crimes are immoralities, but crime expresses more than immorality  source

Like it or not sexual intimacy beyond what is prescribed in the Holy Scriptures is sexual immorality.

1 Corinthians 7:2 (KJV) 2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. source

And for those married folks:

Hebrews 13:4  (KJV)4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. source   This just might be better than we have yet believed.

Answering further is Leviticus 18.  If you are not familiar with this chapter of Holy Writ, I hope you will use the link provided; there you will find three translations to choose from and there you will read that GOD has covered it all.

The boundaries of sexual morality are narrow, extremely narrow, for the purpose of broadening the pleasure of GOD’s Children beyond mere human delight and satisfaction.

Mark 7: 20 And He said, “Whatever comes from [the heart of] a man, that is what defiles and dishonors him. 21 For from within, [that is] out the heart of men, come base and malevolent thoughts and schemes, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 acts of greed and covetousness, wickedness, deceit, unrestrained conduct, envy and jealousy, slander and profanity, arrogance and self-righteousness and foolishness (poor judgment). 23 All these evil things [schemes and desires] come from within and defile and dishonor the man.” source

Forbidden Path
13 Things

Until next time ~ ~  ~

1 Corinthians, 2018, Pictures

Garden Beds

Gallery Leave a comment

Perhaps, I should have known but I’m either inexperienced or woefully out of practice. I planted cucumbers and squash apparently in too close proximity.  As you can see the squash has heavily influenced the cucumbers.

Life Lesson: Choose carefully with whom you share a bed; the forces of nature are more powerful than you think. 

A bed. Time. Elbow to Elbow. You know. Life!

1 Corinthians 15:33  (TLV) 33 Do not be deceived! “Bad company corrupts good morals.” source

Disclaimer: This is not to say my cucumbers or squash are bad, you know. You are tracking with me, right? :)

1 Corinthians, 2018, You Tubes

Just the Underlined

Gallery Leave a comment

Just the underlined parts was the message of the morning.

2 Corinthians 12

Verse 11 – . . . For I am in no way inferior to the super-special emissaries—though I am nothing.  

And the message? Healthy, holy, humility. The Apostle had it. I so need it! A healthy, holy, honest evaluation of myself that enables me the independence to boast not unto others, or seek their approval; yet to be utterly dependent upon my Savior. 

Verse 14 – . . .  for I seek not your possessions, but you!

Oh for this to be so! Us toward GOD and we toward one another! So often it’s not. Father, forgive us!

Verse 15 –  I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. . . .

This is holy, godly service played out with feet and hands because the heart has been made whole with healthy, holy, humility that has and continues to seek His Face, rather than His Hands.