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CHRISTIANITY OASIS
DAILY BREAD DEVOTIONAL
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STRONG FOUNDATION
CHRISTIANITY
OASIS HAS PROVIDED YOU WITH THIS STRONG FOUNDATION STUDY. MOST HAVE
HEARD OF THE PHRASE STRONG FOUNDATION ... BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU TOO
CAN POSSESS A STRONG FOUNDATION IN CHRIST? LET US SEEK AND FIND THE TRUTH
OF STRONG FOUNDATION TOGETHER, SHALL WE?
THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS
CHAPTER 3
It’s a pleasure to have you back again to join in for another great study
session here at Daily Bread. We’ve been learning about spiritual matters in
this part of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, and he was explaining
how the wisdom of God is spiritually perceived, not mortally.
Are there times when you feel more spiritual than other times? Are there
times when you feel more “in tune” with the Holy Spirit than at other times?
Watch how Paul explains that if you’re in a carnal state of mind, you can’t
grasp what the Holy Spirit may be revealing to you.
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as unto
spiritual men,
but as unto carnal, like to babes in Christ.
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat,
because before now, you were not able to bear
(understand) it,
neither yet now are you able.
For you are still carnal, since there is still envying,
and strife,
and divisions among you, are you not carnal, and walk as
men (mortals)? While one of you says, I am of Paul; and another says, I am
of Apollos;
are you not carnal?
(Remember in the first chapter, Paul mentioned that the people in Corinth
were bragging about who they were baptized by, as though one was different
or better than another, when all are baptized into Christ.)
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos?
Aren’t we ministers by whom you came to believe in
Jesus,
just as the Lord gave opportunity to every man?
I have planted, and Apollos watered;
but God gave the increase
(enabled your Faith to grow).
This is a good time to be reminded of what happened to Herod. In
Acts 12:21-23
you can read about how the angel of the Lord killed him because he took
credit for helping other countries during a famine instead of giving the
glory to God. And when Moses struck the rock in Meribah to bring forth
water, without honoring God in the eyes of the children of Israel, the Lord
wouldn’t permit him to enter the Promised Land.
Numbers 20:8-12
Never take God’s credit for yourself. This is what Paul is expressing here.
So then, the person who plants is nothing special,
neither is the person who waters;
but God that gives the increase .
Now he that plants and he that waters are one:
and every man shall receive his own reward according to
his own labor.
For we are laborers together with God:
You are God's husbandry (gardener),
you are God's building.
Okay now, it’s time to put on your
architect hat, and picture what Paul is describing here:
According to the
Grace of God which
is given to me,
as a wise master builder,
I have laid the foundation,
and another builds upon it.
But let every man be careful how he builds thereupon.
Because no man can lay another foundation than what is
laid,
which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man builds on this foundation with gold,
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble, every man's work will be
made known,
for the day (end result) shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire;
and the fire shall test every man's work, of what sort
it is.
If any man's work remains,
which he has built thereupon,
he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be burned,
he shall suffer loss:
but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
We’re going to combine the planting and watering concept with the
building concept that Paul is talking about. Did you picture what he was
talking about? Someone introduced you to Jesus at sometime in your life.
That was the person who “planted” the seeds of your Faith, or laid the
foundation of your building. Jesus is the seed or the foundation. He’s the
cornerstone that you’ve heard of so many times before. When you think of a
foundation, you think of it as unmovable, solid, strong. Sooooo, Jesus is
our foundation.
Now, other contractors (God’s prophets, saints, ministers, servants,
etc.) will build upon the foundation. They will enlighten you about
spiritual things, they’ll help you to understand things that might be
confusing to you, they put up the walls, the cabinets, the fixtures, and
everything else that depends on your strong foundation. They do the
watering. Now, if they don’t use righteous materials, or in other words, if
they use anything but TRUTH, on the day when your building is tested with
fire, it’ll be clear what kind of work each contractor provided and TRUTH
will remain, but anything else will be burned and the contractor will not
profit, but the building will be saved, even though it went through fire.
Don’t you know that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God lives in you ?
If any man defile the temple of God,
God shall destroy him,
for the temple of God is holy,
and you are that temple.
Let no man deceive himself.
If any man among you seems to be wise in this world,
let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.
For it is written,
He takes the wise in their own craftiness.
Job 5:13
And it is also written,
The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are
vain.
Psalms 94:11
What does this remind you of? Does it kind of remind you of the parable
that Jesus told about the difficulty of a rich man entering heaven?
Matthew 19:21-26
Therefore let no man glory in men.
(Don’t give your praise to people.)
For all things are yours;
whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas (Peter),
or the world, or life, or death,
or things present, or things to come;
all are yours; and you are Christ's;
and Christ is God's.
Servants of God are but tools that He uses to help seek and recover His
lost children. Like the Carpenter that builds a house ... If you see His
wonderful works, you don’t praise the hammer for doing such a great job, you
praiseth Carpenter. He who does the increase. Give credit where credit is
due.
Can’t wait until next time when we continue on with Paul’s first letter
to the Corinthians, so don’t miss it, right here at Daily Bread.
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