A Deep Look at 1st Corinthians 16:30, Day 3

New International Version:

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

Be Courageous, Be Strong

If you have read this part of 1st Cor. 16:13 in other translations, you might have been startled to see it written as "act like men."  I've read that the Greek for the first direction above is decidedly masculine, not in that it excludes women but in the sense that it is calling us to a manly action.  Like warriors: be brave, be courageous!   We are not to fear the enemy because we stand with God the Creator of all things!

The fourth command is to “be strong.” Strength here is defined as spiritual maturity.  Just as we are standing firm in faith, we are to be strong in that faith.   

When you were a baby, you enjoyed toys like rattles or something with lights.  As you grew you became interested in other toys, LEGOS or Barbies.  As a teenager, you are now interested technology, media, cars...  The point of this is we understand that a teenager still playing with rattles indicates something wrong with their maturity development.  This same principal applies to your faith. 

Why are so many Christians satisfied  with a spiritual maturity of a baby? Spiritual immaturity is what has weaken the Church.  A Barna Research Group statistic revealed that only 2% of students at Christian colleges are biblically literate, as determined by their answers to 10 basic foundational questions.  Questions like how to attain salvation, who is the Holy Spirit, does hell exist?   Only 2% could answer these correctly, and the answers are not complicated, they are laid out simply in the bible for us to read.  A child could recite these (in fact, my boys are learning this right now).  Babies can be fed with milk, you should crave spiritual steak!  Begin with the basics and move onward.  A strong and brave faith is a mature faith.  

1st Corinthians 14:20 says, "Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults."

Let's not confuse a mature faith and when we are called to have "faith like a child."  A child-like faith is a faith of wonder, and not questioning the ways and miracles of God, just accepting them.  A child-like faith is one not preoccupied with desires, dwelling on those things that tempt us. Rather, babies are preoccupied with having their needs met (as ours are met by God our Father).  A mature faith can be child-like in this way, but like a mature adult in how we study the word, and pursue God before other priorities. 

How is your faith child-like?

How is your faith spiritually mature?

What actions do you need to take to live out the directions "be brave, be strong?" 

A Deep Look at 1st Corinthians 16:30, Day 2

New International Version:

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

Stand Firm in the Faith

This second direction concerns not only an action but the content referenced in that action. We have to be concerned about faith, what we believe. “The faith” is the contents of the Word of God. This faith is the faith of doctrinal content, it is the Truth of God. 

Colossians 2:6 says. " As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,  rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving."

Jude 3: " Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."

As we gather from these verses, we must know who we believe, what we believe, and  why we believe. The Christians life is not based on fairy tales, fiction, or feelings but upon a well-grounded faith.  We believe what we believe because God said it in His Word, and then He sent His Son to be His Word in flesh here on earth.  God blesses us with moments, miracles, experiences that shape our testimonies and help us to find reasons why to trust Him and believe His word, but these moments shouldn't drive our belief.  God's Word and  the gospel should drive our faith.  If you don't know WHY you believe the foundations of the faith, how can you hope to pass it along to others? 

There is nothing as broad as God but there is nothing as exclusive as God.  The Bible places such emphasis on the oneness of God because there is only ONE God, not many.  Defining and standing firm in our faith does not make us narrow-minded and ignorant, it frees us to accept those things that are beyond the realm of human possibility. 

If Christians do not develop an appetite for the Bible, they cannot develop into spiritually mature believers. Christians cannot live on spoonfuls of the Word; they need daily doses of spiritual nourishment.  Feeding our souls is of vital importance, just as feeding our bodies is vital.  

And it is upon the Bible that we are standing firm.  We are unwavering on our belief because His word, a biblical foundation is steady, sure, and unmovable.  This is why Christ Church has used this verse to define the parish through current trials (Come Stand With Us).  

Are you standing firm in the faith?

What changes could you make it your daily life to live out this direction?

How strong is your biblical foundation?

A Deep Look at 1st Corinthians 16:30, Day 1

Hey my ladies! I am sorry I haven't posted much in the last two weeks.  With VBS and continuing to restore the house I have been busy.  To make up for that I have a three day devotional for you.  Katie asked me to write some devo material for her youth camp next week, and I thought I would pass it along to you.  I did draw inspiration from a commentary, but I can't seem to find the source to direct you too, but if I do stumble across it I will post it as an edit.  

1st Corinthians 16:13--

New American Standard Version:

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 

The Message:

Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you've got, be resolute.

New International Version:

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

King James Version:

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

Be on the alert

There are several quick, fast directions in this verse.  The first direction in Cor. 16:13 is to "be on the alert," which in short translates as "watch".  The New Testament uses "watch" 22 times, and different translations might use awake, be vigilant, watch. All carry the same meaning. The author, Paul, warned the Corinthian church about internal problems throughout 1st Corinthians.  He is telling them: this world is rife with spiritual danger, so be alert!  When the Christian lets his guard down, he puts himself in spiritual jeopardy.

God’s commands are not merely good advice and they are not meant be to optional for the Christian.  We are to stay alert, looking for the enemy, Satan, to tempt us and lead us into situations and actions that break God's heart.  We are to watch our hearts and minds and make sure our thoughts and desires are honoring to God, and not dwelling on sinful ambitions and desires.    

It does not take much for a believer to grow cold towards godly things.  There is little desire to fellowship with God’s people, read the Bible, or present ourselves to God in prayer when our hearts are not on fire for Christ. 

Read the following verses:  Matthew 26:41; Romans 13:11;  1 Corinthians 15:34; Ephesians 5:14; 1st Peter 5:8.

How do these verse enlighten your understanding the first directions given in 1 Cor. 16:13?

How is Satan described in these verses?

What actions do you think you have to take to live out the direction of "Be alert/ be on guard"?

How To Pray for a Future Spouse

“She is out there. My Cinderella. She is real. She exists. I pray for her constantly. May God satisfy the desires of her heart, draw her close, consume her. May He claim her passions, her identity, her refuge, her hopes, her strengths and weaknesses, every fiber of her being. May she treasure and cherish her Savior more than anything of this world and cling to His will with every ounce of her stamina. By all that she is, does, and strives to be, may He draw near to her and she to Him.”
- Adam Young (Owl City)


Girls, change the gender and pray for your future spouse.  Pray for yourself in this manner too.  How you live now will matter to your future self later, so weigh out your decisions carefully in the dating arena.  


Do not conform to the world in this area.  Our culture today has destroyed boundaries, and tried to convince us that no commitment and meaningless everything is what you actually want in a relationship, but broken hearted woman a few years older than you are now show us that these lies fade away to loneliness and discontent.  The truth is most of us are created for communion with a spouse that mirrors the church's communion with Christ, honoring Creator God.  You do not have to date a thousand people to understand what it is you like in a guy-- you simply need to look for a guy running hard and fast after Christ, and God will likely step in and reveal one that happens to enjoy similar tastes in music, books, etc.  Although I can tell you that Joey and I differ in about every way other than our faith and love for Christ and call to student ministry and God has stepped in and made this marriage work for His glory for 10 years now. 


If you are going to be worthy of the guy running hard and fast after Christ, you must be running the race well too.  Keep a steady pace, and date those who are running next to you.  Don't slow down to wait for a guy to catch up, he should be running alongside!  


So here are the verse for today, all keeping the in  RACE theme.  Run the race well, ladies.  


Hebrews 12

 ¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

 ²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Vision of His Glory Conference Notes

I found this among my old facebook blogs, and I thought I would pass it along for you to hopefully gleam something from them.  Below the notes is the website for the author of the book Vision of His Glory.  A couple of years ago the Women of Christ Church hosted a one day conference using this book as a means to help teach us how to study the Bible and specifically  the book of Revelation.  If these notes intrigue you, I highly recommend ordering the book, which makes a great small group study.  




You are always on His mind, by name. You have always BEEN on His mind, by name. How can you feel unimportant?

God never spreads Himself thin-- He is fully with you, all the time as He is fully with me, all the time.

John was in exile on Patmos. What is your Patmos? Is it a hospital bed? Is it a workplace where you are the only Christian? Is it a small house with small children? Is it a new city? There are all different kinds of Patmos, aren't there? An it requires patience to live in the solitude of Patmos.

There are times when I think God is silent, but in reality He is speaking; I am just not listening.

What vision of Jesus are you mission because you are preoccupied with yourself, your problems, your pain, and your circumstances? In the midst of depression, turn around and see Jesus. Focus on Christ. When you focus on Christ, you are too preoccupied with Him to have time to think about your problems. 

Surrender is...
totally yielded. "I am available Lord without reservation. Anything. Everything. All for You."

When you are caught up by the entertainment of the church, by your business IN the church, by numbers, by success, by the world then you become ignorant of the condition of your own heart. 

Religion is not a substitute for a living, relationship with Jesus. 

Do not let pride keep you from coming to the foot of the cross to confess.

"Anne, I know you have little strength. In fact that's all a mother of three little children has. But my grace is sufficient for you." (pg 73-74)

Weakness makes us dependent, and God loves dependent, He can use that to His glory. Overcome the delusion of weakness (that the world sees as a fault). God is not weak, and He can take the weak and make them pillars of His Kingdom. 

What habit of sin are you tolerating in your life? what attitude of sin-- bitterness, selfishness, pride, resentment, anger, jealousy, unforgivenness-- are you nurturing instead of crucifying? 

Ask yourself: Are you on fire for Christ? WHY NOT?

What has interrupted your praise?

Ask yourself: Who is praising our Lord because you are praising Him?

Jesus is not an American God. There is no room in the church for racial prejudice. 

Do not mistake God's patience with tolerance. His gives us time to repent, and return to Him. 

One life lived with purpose, meaning, and truth can be a powerful witness to Christ--never underestimate what one life can do for His kingdom.

His name is the Word of God. 

One day...
No More Scars. No More Suffering. No More Separation. 

"Store up treasures in heaven"
Your treasures should be your children, your family. Those are what you want to see stored in heaven!

When you confess, NAME your sins outright, and claim responsibility for them. Ask to be washed, then live in the forgiveness He has already promised us, enjoy the forgiveness. The cross was sufficient for all of it. 

Do I allow God to be in control?

Have I focused on the hardships instead of the Christ?

Do I grieve like those without hope instead remembering the One with whom my hope is secure? (1 thess. 4:13)

Do I live in a way that testifies that I believe God is trustworthy and true? (Rev. 22: 6)


"The Vision of His Glory" by Anne Graham Lotz 
annegrahamlotz.com

Reject Apathy

So, for those of you who have not yet seen me nose in my favorite magazine, maybe you caught a glimpse of a copy I passed to Allie during our recent Bell Tour trip.  Relevant covers everything from music and media to social justice issues, and recently the cover article was asking if Rob Bell is a heretic.

Okay, so they have always covered justice issues (at home poverty, Invisible Children, etc) and challenged the Christian's responsibility to the world, environment, and neighbors near or far.  They have launched a new magazine with the sole intention of covering only this content and they call it Reject Apathy.  Apathetic is a key word used by so many of us old people about the younger generations, which could be a bit unfair because it is your generation using publications to spread messages like rejecting apathy.  This could be a great resource for you to gain a greater knowledge about Christ's call to minister to the weak, the needy, the orphans, those in desperate need of justice.

Nearly all of you, my girls, have attended multiple mission trips with the youth group or church, and have volunteered for various groups, projects, ministries in town.  Some of you already are heeding the call to be a responsible steward of the earth God created for us through recycling and green living.  I know your hearts are filled with compassion for those around you, and I have been blessed to have had a group that has so freely given to others.  So, this is not one of those "I -love-you-but-I-wish-you-were-more..."  kinda of blogs.

It is just I found Reject Apathy so amazing, so go peruse the first issue online at this link.  http://www.relevantmagazine.com/rejectapathy-magazine/issue-01

So, whatever you are doing tonight (whether you are in France, or at Katie's, or preparing to hang out with camp kids again tomorrow....I am praying for you and I love you dearly.  Good nite, ladies.  ;-)