2 I praise you for being faithful in remembering me. I also praise you for staying true to all my teachings, just as I gave them to you. 3 Now I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ. The head of the woman is the man. And the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings shame on his head. 5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered brings shame on her head. It is just as if her head were shaved. 6 What if a woman does not cover her head? She should have her hair cut off. But it is shameful for her to cut her hair or shave it off. So she should cover her head. 7 A man should not cover his head. He is the likeness and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man. 8 The man did not come from the woman. The woman came from the man. 9 Also, the man was not created for the woman. The woman was created for the man. 10 That’s why a woman should have her head covered. It shows that she is under authority. She should also cover her head because of the angels. 11 But here is how things are for those who belong to the Lord. The woman is not independent of the man. And the man is not independent of the woman. 12 The woman came from the man, and the man is born from the woman. But everything comes from God. 13 You be the judge. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God without covering her head? 14 Suppose a man has long hair. Doesn’t the very nature of things teach you that it is shameful? 15 And suppose a woman has long hair. Doesn’t the very nature of things teach you that it is her glory? Long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to argue about that, we don’t have any other practice. And God’s churches don’t either.

Ok, I love challenging verses in scripture and this is certainly one! Paper and ink were incredibly costly in the first century, and Paul, the author of this letter to the people of Corinth, was an incredibly wise and insightful leader. This tells me that, while we are free in our culture to choose whether or not to wear a hat and cut our hair, there were things going on in Corinth that meant that it was very important for the believers in that city to respect and follow a certain dress code, especially when it came to hair and hats!!

To this day, the way that we present ourselves, remains important, not for the sake of vanity, but for the Glory of His name (for the Church represents Christ).

Lord, help us to have a right understanding of how we should present ourselves in all aspects.

Amen

Written by Justin Ware

14 My dear friends, run away from statues of gods. Don’t worship them. 15 I’m talking to people who are reasonable. Judge for yourselves what I say. 16 When we give thanks for the cup at the Lord’s Supper, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? When we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Just as there is one loaf, so we who are many are one body. We all eat from the one loaf. 18 Think about the people of Israel. Don’t those who eat the offerings share in the altar? 19 Do I mean that what is offered to a statue of a god is anything? Do I mean that a statue of a god is anything? 20 No! But what is offered by those who worship statues of gods is really offered to demons. It is not offered to God. I don’t want you to be sharing with demons. 21 You can’t drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too. You can’t have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to make the Lord jealous? Are we stronger than he is?

The message here is not to participate in idolatry. I easily overlook the relevance of this passage to my context today. In Paul’s context, food that had been sacrificed to pagan gods was commonly sold in the market. This wasn’t to be a stumbling block to Christians unless buying such meat would be an identification with that pagan ritual and culture.

Similarly I can enjoy activities and events that other’s may worship, so long as I enjoy them to the glory of Jesus Christ there is no issue of conscience. However, I am not to be identified as a worshipper of those things. I can enjoy watching my favourite football team, but I am not to make the same sacrifice of time, commitment and energy that a football worshipper will make. This may mean I appear ‘less’ of a fan.

I may enjoy my favourite band to the glory of God, but I will not worship them by prioritising spending on all their concerts, merchandise and albums.

I may enjoy Indian food, however I will not participate in ritual thanksgiving to a god that my host may worship.

I will not participate as a worshipper of these things because I will worship the Lord God and Him alone. I do not want to communicate that there is any other hope in the universe.

God, help me to see that you alone are my hope and the hope of the World, may I never be led astray or lead others astray by worshipping gods that offer no hope at all.

Written by Andrew Mellor

15 But I haven’t used any of those rights. And I’m not writing because I hope you will do things like that for me. I would rather die than have anyone take away my pride in my work. 16 But when I preach the good news, I can’t brag. I have to preach it. How terrible it will be for me if I do not preach the good news! 17 If I preach because I want to, I get a reward. If I preach because I have to, I’m only doing my duty. 18 Then what reward do I get? Here is what it is. I am able to preach the good news free of charge. And I can do it without making use of my rights when I preach it. 19 I am free. I don’t belong to anyone. But I make myself a slave to everyone. I do it to win as many as I can to Christ. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew. That was to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one who was under the law, even though I myself am not under the law. That was to win those under the law. 21 To those who don’t have the law I became like one who doesn’t have the law. I am not free from God’s law. I am under Christ’s law. Now I can win those who don’t have the law. 22 To those who are weak I became weak. That was to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that in all possible ways I might save some. 23 I do all of that because of the good news. And I want to share in its blessings. 24 In a race all the runners run. But only one gets the prize. You know that, don’t you? So run in a way that will get you the prize. 25 All who take part in the games train hard. They do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 So I do not run like someone who doesn’t run toward the finish line. I do not fight like a boxer who hits nothing but air. 27 No, I train my body and bring it under control. Then after I have preached to others, I myself will not break the rules and fail to win the prize.

I see Paul making a parallel, especially in verses 24-27, to the professional athlete who has a clear goal (winning) and therefore a clear lifestyle (training hard to win). And he’s making a contrast – the prize that only lasts for a moment, and the prize that lasts forever. Whatever Paul specifically thought his eternal prize was, the preceding verses seem to me to show what a focus Paul had towards this goal; he determined to preach the gospel free of charge, and to be all things to all people in order to save some. Paul was deeply and powerfully motivated by this eternal prize.

I believe God wants the same deep and powerful motivation for me. And I want the same deep and powerful motivation and discipline that Paul describes in himself here in 1 Corinthians. So I would do well to meditate on what this eternal prize and goal looks like, feels like, and is like, and shape my life around training hard for it.

God, help me to continue to clarify what this eternal prize is – this crown that lasts forever. I read of Paul’s motivation, discipline, and deep care for people, and I want the same. Help me uncover all that I need to from your word to live with similar motivation, discipline and care for people.

Written by Ps. Rob Waugh

9 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus our Lord? Aren’t you the result of my work for the Lord? 2 Even though others may not think of me as an apostle, I am certainly one to you! You are the proof that I am the Lord’s apostle. 3 That is what I say to stand up for myself when people judge me. 4 Don’t we have the right to eat and drink? 5 Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife with us when we travel? The other apostles do. The Lord’s brothers do. Peter does. 6 Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to work for a living? 7 Who serves as a soldier but doesn’t get paid? Who plants a vineyard but doesn’t eat any of its grapes? Who takes care of a flock but doesn’t drink any of the milk? 8 Do I say that from only a human point of view? The Law says the same thing. 9 Here is what is written in the Law of Moses. “Do not stop an ox from eating while it helps separate the grain from the straw.” (Deuteronomy 25:4) Is it oxen that God is concerned about? 10 Doesn’t he say that for us? Yes, it was written for us. When a farmer plows and separates the grain, he does it because he hopes to share in the crop. 11 We have planted spiritual seed among you. Is it too much to ask that we receive from you some of the things we need? 12 Others have the right to receive help from you. Don’t we have even more right to do so? But we didn’t use that right. No, we have put up with everything. We didn’t want to keep the good news of Christ from spreading. 13 Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple? Don’t you know that those who serve at the altar eat from what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, those who preach the good news should receive their living from their work. That is what the Lord has commanded.

Here in these verses, Paul is outlining all that is rightfully owed to him, as an apostle and preacher to the Corinthians – and it is clearly in response to some criticism about Paul. The tone of the letter seems strong, even irritated, but Paul reminds the Corinthians (and also us – reading today) that he is not telling them his rights so he can demand them.

Verse 12b is not what I was expecting.

“Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.” 1 Cor 9:12b

He doesn’t present a clear cut case so he can benefit from it. He answers his critics and then reminds the Corinthians about what is really important to him – the gospel.

I live in a culture that is very aware of its rights and very demanding about getting them  – there is a real sense of entitlement.

Paul reminds me here that the culture around me – is not God’s. My culture – is Kingdom culture. Kingdom Culture is generous and thankful. Rather than demanding rights, I am to be thankful for all I have and prepared to share it so others can discover God’s Kingdom through me.

Lord thank you for reminding me about what it’s like to live in your Kingdom. Thank You for al that You have done for me and all that You are doing in me. Keep changing me – so that it is clear I am living in Your Kingdom, and may it cause the people around me to come to know You.

Written by Ps. Linda Quinn

32 I don’t want you to have anything to worry about. A single man is concerned about the Lord’s matters. He wants to know how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the matters of this world. He wants to know how he can please his wife. 34 His concerns pull him in two directions. A single woman or a virgin is concerned about the Lord’s matters. She wants to serve the Lord with both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the matters of this world. She wants to know how she can please her husband. 35 I’m saying those things for your own good. I’m not trying to hold you back. I want you to be free to live in a way that is right. I want you to give yourselves completely to the Lord.

Singleness!  Paul makes a strong case for singleness and its benefits in staying fully devoted to Jesus.  Marriage provides distractions, caring for your spouse and in most cases your children.  This ‘distracts’ us and Paul wants us to be free of these ‘concerns’.

Paul doesn’t want to ‘restrict’ people, he is saying these things for our good.  That is an interesting thought because in our society marriage is held as more desirable than singleness and to think that being single could possibly be for our good, well…  Yet Paul has his reasons, and so does God in giving us all this encouragement.

So what does it mean for us.  Well if you’re married stay that way!  If you’re single, if you can live with the pressures of singleness then stay that way, because you have more time, focus and opportunity to serve the Lord.  Paul is not against marriage, he is for the work of the Gospel, and so much so he wants our undivided attention to the Lord.

Father, help me not to be distracted form the work of the Gospel but to serve you wholeheartedly!

Written by Ps. Richard Botta