Fave part of the Bible: 1 Corinthians 10: 1-14

In recent times, this: 1 Corinthians 10: 1-14 has become my favourite part of the bible. 

I read it often to remind myself of the crux of the Word, the purpose of life and Jesus dying on the cross.

I hope it strikes a cord in you as you read it too.

1 Corinthians 10The Message (MSG)

10 1-5 Remember our history, friends, and be warned. All our ancestors were led by the providential Cloud and taken miraculously through the Sea. They went through the waters, in a baptism like ours, as Moses led them from enslaving death to salvation life. They all ate and drank identical food and drink, meals provided daily by God. They drank from the Rock, God’s fountain for them that stayed with them wherever they were. And the Rock was Christ. But just experiencing God’s wonder and grace didn’t seem to mean much—most of them were defeated by temptation during the hard times in the desert, and God was not pleased.

6-10 The same thing could happen to us. We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way as they did. And we must not turn our religion into a circus as they did—“First the people partied, then they threw a dance.” We must not be sexually promiscuous—they paid for that, remember, with 23,000 deaths in one day! We must never try to get Christ to serve us instead of us serving him; they tried it, and God launched an epidemic of poisonous snakes. We must be careful not to stir up discontent; discontent destroyed them.

11-12 These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.

13 No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.

14 So, my very dear friends, when you see people reducing God to something they can use or control, get out of their company as fast as you can.

How Often Should We Forgive Someone Who Continually Hurts Us?

It's absurd how often we sin and fall short of God's glory.

Most times, it takes barely twenty hours after repentance before we are right back in our filth; making avoidable mistakes and failing at the same temptations.

After a few trips up and down Salvation Aisle, we (the sinners) get tired of asking for forgiveness and begin to think that God hates us.

Isn't it funny? That we, the sinners, are the ones who get tired of asking for and receiving forgiveness? We judge ourselves more harshly and flippantly than the good Lord does.

God has a different take on forgiveness and empathy than we do. When Jesus said in Matthew 18 that we should forgive others seventy times seven times, he really did mean it.

21 At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, " Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?"

22 Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven. – Matthew 18:21-22: (MSG)

He meant we should never tire of forgiving any particular person, no matter how many times he/she made a mistake.

He meant that He knows that the human flesh is weak. And while mostly good-intentioned, we are not reliable or perfect.

He meant that we should understand that this is the way the flesh is (and thus how everyone is), and treat ourselves and other humans accordingly. 

He was saying that even though we are all pieces of shit who disappoint Him regularly, He still loves us and as long, as we offer forgiveness to the people who hurt us, He will offer forgiveness to us. 

This knowledge is so important that it's included in the Lord's Prayer:

"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." (Matthew 6:9-13)

We can't only forgive certain people, and stay mad at others. We must give forgiveness to all and sundry; and we must give it every single time, no matter how many times.

So the next time you're tempted to hold a grudge against someone, remember that God's forgiveness depends on this. 

Forgive others that God may forgive you too.

New Understanding of God

It's been more than a year since I published on this blog, I'm sorry if I let you down by going AWOL. God has been teaching me a lot, and I had to focus and learn.

The last time I wrote in this blog, I was in my first job after university and national service. I had no idea that the next month I'd move to a new country, start a new job in another industry, and begin an almost brand new life.

I thank God for being kind to me. Though my walk with Him has been inconsistent, His love has been steady as a rock.

I am at a point in my life when I'm very certain of my faith – I love and worship God Almighty, I have accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, and I have the Holy Spirit living in my heart. Over the past two years, God has answered almost all the questions I had growing up. He's taught me what's truly important and what's not. He's helped me become a self-assured woman, and I'm more than grateful.

Loving Christ brings with it an understanding of self. An understanding that can't be found any other way. Loving Christ teaches you to be okay with who you are. If you're someone who doesn't like to talk much (like me), you learn that that's okay.

Loving Christ gives you peace. You learn that you don't have to be anything other than who you are. You never have to pretend. You never have to try so hard. You're at peace, knowing that as you are, God loves and is pleased with you.

Loving Christ means that you enjoy being in His presence, and you actually stay in it. This has been one of the biggest lessons and changes for me (one I'm still undergoing), because I used to rush through prayers, rush through the Bible, and daydream through church services. But God doesn't care about the rituals we perform. It's never about your outward actions, or going through the motions. It's about your state of mind and what you think inside you – of God, yourself and your fellow humans.

I got an even better understanding of the Grace, which we say so often:

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, 

and the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit 

rest and abide with us, now and forever more. Amen.

The fellowship of the Holy Spirit... It's funny how we often pray for things we don't fully know about. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit means the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We should be in God's presence all through our days, now and forever more.

Loving Christ teaches you that God is not an idol to be kept aside and worshipped on special days. God should be a part of everyday life, every aspect of our lives. We should be thinking about God every second of the day. We should fellowship with the Holy Spirit throughout the day. God doesn;t have to be separate from the life we live.

I have a lot to share about Christ. I'm growing in Him everyday and often when I read my Bible, I'm moved to write things down. I intend to share them on this blog with everyone who cares about God. Whether you're in a good place with Him, or you're trying to get answers, or build a relationship, I hope that my daily musings help you understand Him more.

Have a good day!