Join us as we focus each day for nine weeks on a different part of 1 Corinthians 13.
Thursday: It is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. 1 Corinthians 2:4-5
Read: 1 Corinthians 1:31-2:5
Listen: 1 Corinthians 1
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Paul enters Corinth physically and emotionally drained from the beating he got in Philippi. He is also under incredible stress from his experiences in Thessalonica and Athens. He says, “I came in fear and trembling, but not with eloquence and human wisdom.” Instead of dialing up his presentation in a city where the cross is repugnant, he dials it down. He did not play the “pow and wow” game of other speakers but depended on the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s message was simply Jesus crucified to bring salvation through personal belief. It was about humbling yourself before God and accepting his gift to be rescued from sin and death.
When we humble ourselves and come in weakness before God, he unleashes his power and presence in our lives. The center of Paul’s presentation is humbly recognizing our weakness and need for dependence on God’s power to do what he asks. “[His] grace is sufficient for you, for [his] power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
In your Culture of the Cross journal, list things you struggle with on page 46. Write after each entry, “His grace is sufficient for me.” As you write, submit each thing to God’s will and ask the Holy Spirit to give you his wisdom, guidance and power to behave the way God asks. If you would like to talk about what this means, email us at btw@adabible.org.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
