189th Week, I Corithians Chapters 5-9 (Click on the Title for video Introduction)

 Click on title for Video Intro

Monday Chapter 5

I Corinthians 5

Verse 11

Jeanie Boldt

Verse 11: “But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man, do not even eat.”

THOUGHT

The reading of this chapter may be a little confusing to a true believer. However, we must not take the words out of context. We must listen carefully to what Paul is saying. Sin in the life of the believer is far worse than sin in the life of an unbeliever. We cannot isolate ourselves from the world, but we can separate ourselves from disobedient believers so that God can discipline them. We need to love those who have done wrong and accept them back into the fold if they have admitted their wrong and asked forgiveness for their sins from God our Father and from those they have hurt. 

If they refuse to admit the mistake and feel they are living the right way, we as Christians cannot condone their actions nor should we associate with them. To continue to include people like this in our church body would be setting a very dismal picture of God’s Home and Church Family.  The phrase, “deliver such a one to Satan” 5:5, suggests that there is spiritual safety within the fellowship of the local church. To be disciplined and dismissed from fellowship makes us vulnerable to Satan’s attacks.  It is far better to confess our sins, be forgiven, and be restored to fellowship. 

The place where we Christians come into the picture is when these sinners confess their sin to God and family.  After that action, our arms should be wide open to love them and carry them along to full restoration. I believe the church is doing more of that all the time with recovery groups in the church, divorce care groups in the church, single parenting, sexual addictions, and more in the church.  Let’s be there for them.

PRAYER

Father God, may our hearts be open to those who error and commit sin that is forbidden in our scriptures. May we as fellow Christians hold them accountable and not allow them to continue in the act if they are professing membership in our Christian body. Help us to somehow be lights of direction to guide them to true repentance. May our hearts be loving and open to those returning to the flock after forgiveness is asked. Give us hearts and souls of mercy, grace, and understanding.  Please forgive us when we do wrong and are bad examples for the body of Christ. Be with all our churches, their leaders and support groups.  May You be with each of the Salt Shakers as we begin a new week. Give us guidance. Fill our souls and spirits up with Your Love and Grace and Mercy.  I pray for PEACE for each of the Salt Shakers.  AMEN

Tuesday, I Corinthians Chapter 6

I Corinthians 6

Verses 19-20

Jeanie Boldt

Verses 19-20: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own, you were bought at a price.  Therefore, honor God with your body.”

THOUGHT

We belong to the Lord.  He made the human body.  He dwells in believers by His Spirit, and He purchased us at the cross.  The believer’s body belongs to God and must be used to glorify Him.  I loved the application in my Bible where it says that “if we live in a building owned by someone else, we should try not to violate the building’s rules.”  We must care for our bodies just as we would someone else’s property.  We should not violate it or do something that would harm the structure.

I have to tell you that this verse is very special to me.  After losing 3 uncles to heart disease before their ages of 53, my father to heart disease at 69, and an aunt at 62, I realized that my chance of heart disease was pretty gosh darn good.  I knew in order to see my children get through school, marry, enjoy children, (my grandchildren) I would have to do everything in my power to care for that heart.  I decided eating a good diet, exercising regularly, not smoking and keeping a happy heart through the peace I receive from my Lord and Savior were the things that would keep this temple alive and well as long as possible.  I am driven to this continual care because I love my husband, children, grandchildren, and all the Salt Shakers.  I want to love them for as long as I can.  Yes, I will work hard at caring for myself. 

 

Next time we over indulge or decide to talk ourselves out of exercising, or forget to be in the Word – just think about the responsibility that the Lord gives us.  We must care for the temple.  As we already read in Chapter 3:16, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” 

 

Also, what does it say to others who need help with problems and see Christians not carrying for themselves or abusing their bodies?  How can you care for others when you can’t even take care of yourselves?  The Lord needs us.  Let’s stay in SHAPE.

Let’s all do our best.  Take care of YOU!!!  We will in turn be caring for our God!

PRAYER

Father, thank You for the special temple that You gave each of us.  Forgive us when we complain about not looking or being as we would like to be.  Help us to love ourselves as You created us (SPECIAL IN YOUR SIGHT).  Hold us accountable to care for ourselves the best way we can.  Please help us realize where we have shortcomings and give us the strength to fight that wrong desire.  I pray tonight for the health of each Salt Shaker and the special beauty that shines through each of them from the Holy Spirit within.  We love You as our Creator and our Redeemer and our Friend.  AMEN 

Wednesday, I Corinthians Chapter 7

 I Corinthians 7

Verse 20, 35

Jeanie Boldt

The chapter really dealt a lot about being married.  Marriage is a gift, and not everybody has been given the same gift.  Paul speaks about the success of marriage involving much more than FINDING the right mate.  He states that “It requires BEING the right mate.”  He does not deny the blessing of marriage, but he does remind us of the burdens that marriage brings, especially when the times are tough.  Building a Christian home is a great ministry, and no one should enter into it lightly or carelessly.  I would like to turn from the topic of marriage to the topic of just being complete at where we are in our lives now.

Verse 20: “Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.”

Verse 35: “I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

THOUGHT 

This chapter’s verses, 32-35, were the basis of a message that my family heard on singleness at King of Kings Church this past June.  Tanya and Alan, Heather, Jane and Tom, and Rory and I heard Pastor Burt speak on these verses on Promise Keeper’s weekend.  So many times we look at people who are not married or experiencing a relationship as someone out of the norm.  However, they are devoted to the Lord at the time just the way He wants them to be.  Many people feel that they cannot be complete without someone else in their lives.  However, with this type of a position we can devote more worship and praise to God.  

We serve the Lord differently when we are single than when we are married.  We need to realize totally that we can serve the Lord right where we are – be it single or married.  We need to realize that if we believe we are living as the will of the Lord wants us to, “WE ARE RIGHT WHERE WE SHOULD BE”.  We can only become complete in life when “WE ARE COMPLETE IN CHRIST”.

PRAYER

Father, God, thank You for marriage.  We praise You for the spouses that You have chosen for us and pledge right here as a renewal to You that we will honor and love them as You would want us to.  We lift our single Salt Shakers and praise You for where they are right now, not only those who have never married, but those who have lost their spouses.  They are favoring the world just as You would want them to right now.  Thank You for this.  We pray for Christian mates for our single Salt Shakers.  Help us to realize that we all are right where we should be and can praise and honor You exactly as You desire us to each day.  Help us stay close to You and lean on You.  AMEN

Thursday, I Corinthians Chapter 8

I Corinthians 8

Verse 13

Jeanie Boldt

Verse 13: “Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.”

THOUGHT

This is the verse that I live my life by for my husband’s second most important thing in his life, and that is his sobriety.  July 21, 2001, three days after Rory kissed me for the first time, was when I decided I loved this man and needed to stop consuming alcohol.  This is surrendered to the Lord day by day by my husband as he lives one day at a time.  If I truly loved this man, shouldn’t my actions be as a supportive, strengthening, loving, caring, and understanding wife instead of one whose actions might make him fall.  I will never touch a drink again even if I am away from him for several days.

1. Life is controlled by conscience.  Conscience is the judge within that commends us for doing right and condemns us for doing wrong.  If we sin against conscience, we do terrible damage to the inner person.

2. Conscience is strengthened by knowledge.  As we grow in spiritual understanding, a weak conscience becomes stronger, and we appreciate our freedom in Christ more.

3. Knowledge must be balanced by love.  Your spiritual knowledge can be either a weapon to hurt people or a tool to build people up.  

When we love others, our freedom should be less important to us than strengthening the faith of a brother or sister in Christ.  I feel that my husband is stronger because of my actions.  Let’s think of others as we live out our days.

PRAYER

Father, thank You for my husband’s sobriety.  Thank You for the direction of the Holy Spirit to show him just how much I do love him.  Help us all to live lives that only strengthen those around us and not bring them down.  We need your guidance and the power of the Holy Spirit.  May it flood our souls each and every day.  Help us to reexamine our life-styles.  If there are any areas where we are a threat to a fellow child of Yours, guide our actions to change.  Parents, you must act each day as the best example for your children in the world.  Thank You for our jobs, our health, our homes and most of all for the love that binds this group together.  AMEN

Friday, I Corinthians Chapter 9

I Corinthians 9

Verse 22

Jeanie Boldt

Verse 22: “To the weak I become weak, to win the weak, I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.”

THOUGHT

I love Paul so much.  Gosh, he was into saving the loss.  He was daily thinking about winning souls to Christ.  He daily ran the race to win the prize for others.  He wanted everyone to know the wonderful blessing of eternal salvation.  He wanted everyone to wear the crown that will last forever.

I guess why I chose this verse is because it was when I was in the ditch that I learned to relate better to those who were really hurting.  After a process of healing and becoming healthy, I realized that I wanted to help those who were in that same ditch.  Now that I am strong, I can become like them for I walked that same path.  However, now I am stronger and can reach down, help pull them up and out and share the saving grace of Christ our Lord. 

Ministering to those who are struggling with divorce, affairs, a mother who no longer knows you, miscarriage, moving from a home that you thought you would live in forever and beginning a new life all over again at middle age, and loving a man who has the disease of alcoholism, are my mission.  I guess that is the Paul in me.  I feel that I can be of value to these people because I have walked their walk, can talk their talk, feel their pain and possibly through all that introduce them to JC.  Many Stephen Ministers choose this mission because they can help the weak because they have been there.  My husband always says that anyone who is helping with recovery needs to have been through the fire, for if not, those in the group can see right through them realizing – “They don’t know the pain we are experiencing.”

Praise God for the rough roads we have been on.  He will use us for others.  We can build bridges to help anyone we can love and meet on a common ground.  Praise God for the fire.  We can use it to ignite others to His saving grace.

PRAYER

God in Heaven, thank You for the trials that You give us.  Help us to use them so that we can meet others at just the place they can relate to.  Help us to use the pain for someone else’s gain.  Praise God for Stephen’s Ministry and for care groups. Thank You for those who walk the road again so that others don’t have to go all alone.  Thank You for the gift of caring.  Jesus Christ, bless each of us as we begin our weekends. AMEN