Tuesday, July 23 - 1 Corinthians 4 (Sorry I forgot to post this yesterday)

PRIDE

  The Corinthians were fiercely divided with the various factions claiming superiority.  They were losing their spirit of humility and self-sacrifice, considering themselves even greater than the apostles.  Paul here reminds them that to be a follower of Christ is not about one-upping each other, it is about faithfulness to God and sharing His Word among the nations.  Paul declares to them not to "go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another." (v. 6)

  Paul then uses some biting sarcasm, poking fun at how great the Corinthians think they are.  And then he shows how the Apostles, in contrast, often were considered fools, hungered and thirsted, were reviled, persecuted, slandered and mistreated -- all for the sake of Christ.

   The long and short of this chapter is that we must be careful not to let our pride get the better of us, promote division, and seek to justify our blessings as "well-deserved" above others who seem "less-blessed."  The Gospel is not about glory nor about prosperity.

    Instead, our joy is in the grace of God which He desires to be preached and modeled to all peoples.  Our "greatness" is found in humbling ourselves and yielding to His will, not in trying to upstage the other guy.