7 Minute Read
Be Still
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a couple of minutes to breathe deeply, to quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, prayerfully ask the Lord to speak to you in this time and let Him know that you will be listening and will make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Today’s Bible Reading:
Nehemiah 11:1–12:26
1 Corinthians 10:14-33
Psalm 34:11-22
Proverbs 21:14-16
Listen to the Lord
Slowly and reflectively read the following verses and listen to what God will say to you through them. Then, consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT): “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Reflections from Scripture:
It has been said that a text without a context is only a pretext.
That means that if we rip a verse out of its context, we can essentially make it say whatever we want it to say and not necessarily what God actually said.
So when we look at a verse in the Bible, we need to investigate the “neighborhood” in which that verse lives. Doing so helps us to properly understand what God is saying.
When we look at 1 Corinthians 10:31, and then look at the verses around it, we realize that the Apostle Paul was talking about a problem in Corinth. It was common practice for meat sacrifices to be offered to the pagan gods. So the question on Christ-followers’ minds was: “Can I eat meat that was offered to idols?”
Essentially, Paul said that the Christians could eat it if it did not plague their conscience. If they had to silence their conscience while eating it, though, they were sinning. Further, if they ate that meat offered to idols and it didn’t bother their conscience, but it offended another Christian who believed that eating the meat was sin, then the first Christian should refrain from eating rather than cause a fellow Christian to stumble.
So, it is in this context that we read our Verse for Today:
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT): “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
This verse means that everything we do, including eating and drinking, is an opportunity to show others how good our God is. It is also an opportunity for us to demonstrate that God really is in the forefront of our minds in the moments of our days and that we are willing to follow Jesus’ example of personal sacrifice on behalf of others.
This, my friend, demonstrates to the watching world that you take your walk with Jesus seriously. It shows that you aren’t a SMO (Sunday Morning Only) but that Jesus is who you follow each day of the week. It shows that you are following His example and are willingly sacrificing your rights for the benefit of others. When others see this, many of them can’t help but take note.
And in doing so, you will glorify God. You will show others the goodness and greatness of the God we serve.
Spend Time in Prayer
Lord Jesus, there are so many competing worldviews around me. While I am convinced that You are the only way to Heaven, many others do not believe that. Help me to live in such a way that my life is constantly, and naturally, pointing to You and Your goodness. I pray this in Your Name, Amen.
Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com). His latest book is God’s Grace in the Real World. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
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