7/23-7/29 Overview

The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in Corinth to address their problems, including division among the believers. We began reading the letter last week. This week we will finish reading Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Next week we will briefly return to the account of Paul’s third missionary journey in the book of Acts before reading portions of another letter.

 

Below are some suggestions and questions to help you as you read scripture this week:

1. Approach scripture with humility. Seek to receive what the Bible reveals without trying to make it say what you want it to say.

2. Invite the Holy Spirit to speak a message to you through the verses you read.

3. What do these verses reveal about God?

4. What do these verses reveal about humanity?

5. What do these verses teach me about myself?

6. How do you see yourself in the story when reading biblical narratives?

Which of these characters would I be?

In what ways is their story similar to my story?

7. Read, study, and discuss scripture with a small group or another person.

8. Use a Study Bible. A Study Bible is a very helpful tool that includes information shared by scholars about historical and cultural realities during the time depicted or the era of the document, the author, when the book might have been written, the intended audience of the document, themes and messages within a book or letter, and more. The NIV, NRSV, ESV, and NLT Study Bibles are worth considering if you do not own one. There are a few available from the AUMC Library in the back of the chapel. You can also purchase a Study Bible from ChristianBook.com, Cokesbury.com, or Amazon.com.

 

*If you do not have a Bible, consider downloading the YouVersion Bible App for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play for your smartphone or tablet. You can also use www.BibleGateway.com to look up and read various translations of Bible verses online for free.

 

Sunday (7/23)

READ Psalm 139:23-24 to set your focus on God:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” – Psalm 139:23-24 NLT

 

LISTEN to a hymn or worship song that helps you to worship the Lord.

 

READ Leviticus 19:18 as we focus on loving our neighbors today and throughout this week.

 

PRAY now and throughout the day letting the words of Psalm 139:23-24 and Leviticus 19:18 guide your prayer.

 

SERVICE – Look for opportunities to be obedient to God today and throughout this week by loving people who are made in the Lord’s image using acts of service. Opportunity today may include those who gather with us to worship, family members or friends within your home, neighbors living next door, or even the strangers you encounter.

 

 

Monday (7/24)

READ Psalm 139:23-24 to begin your devotional time:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” – Psalm 139:23-24 NLT

 

READ 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. If you did not read 1 Corinthians 1:1-2:5, as well as chapters 3 and 5, you are encouraged to read them before reading the verses for today. If you are using a Study Bible you may find it helpful to read the study notes. How will you “honor God with your body” today (v. 20)?

 

SERVICE – This week we are focusing on loving our neighbors through acts of service as we follow Jesus’ example of humble servant leadership (John 13:1-17). The “neighbors” we are supposed to love includes family members, friends, fellow believers, people who live next door to us, co-workers, strangers, and even our enemies. You are encouraged to use your body in a way that honors God to serve others today as an expression of loving your neighbors.

 

PRAY letting the Holy Spirit guide you. The Spirit may lead you to pray in response to the verses you read or in response to your desire to love others today.

 

 

Tuesday (7/25)

READ Psalm 139:23-24 to help you to center yourself in God.

 

SOLITUDE and SILENCE. You are encouraged to spend a few minutes alone with God sitting, kneeling, laying down, or walking. Spend these minutes letting the message of the psalm roll around in your heart and mind. Let it fill your thoughts.

 

READ 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 and 10:23-11:1 remembering that Paul is addressing specific issues within the church of Corinth. You may find it helpful to read the section titles for chapters 7 through 9 before you begin reading the verses for today. Which word, phrase, or verse is the Holy Spirit emphasizing for you for today?

 

SERVICE – “Follow the example of Christ” today by serving others (1 Cor. 11:1). One of the ways we can serve others is by praying for them and with them.

 

PRAY for:

• Those Who Are Closest to You (family members & friends)
• Those Who Point Others Towards God (parents, grandparents, pastors, teachers, professors, coaches, musicians, authors, filmmakers, influencers, churches, etc.)
• Leaders (locally, nationally, & globally)
• Those Who Are Vulnerable & In Need (children, orphans, widows & widowers, the hungry & homeless, refugees, sick & diseased persons, prisoners, etc.)
• Yourself (tell God your thoughts, feelings, and desires)

 

 

Wednesday (7/26)

READ Psalm 139:23-24 to begin your devotional time.

 

READ 1 Corinthians 12. You are encouraged to use the suggestions and questions from the Overview portion of this devotional as part of your study time. You may also find it helpful to use the study notes if you are using a Study Bible.

 

SERVICE – Today, serve someone who is part of the church, which Paul describes as “the body of Christ,” as well as a person who is not part of the church. If you are a believer, seek to serve using your spiritual gifts. If you are unsure which spiritual gifts you have, you are encouraged to use the “Spiritual Gifts Inventory” assessment on the United Methodist Church Discipleship Ministries website. The link is below for the inventory assessment, which will reveal which spiritual gifts you have been given by the Holy Spirit: www.umcdiscipleship.org/spiritual-gifts-inventory/en

 

 

PRAY through your day, including offering thanks for the presence of the Spirit of Christ with us, spiritual gifts, as well as praying for the people you will be with or have been with.

 

 

Thursday (7/27)

READ Psalm 139:23-24 to focus your heart and mind on our Creator.

 

READ 1 Corinthians 13, the “love chapter.” Then spend a few minutes writing out verses 4 through the first sentence of verse 8, but replace the word “love” and “it” with “God.” For example, “God is patient, God is kind.”

 

SOLITUDE and SILENCE. You are encouraged to spend a few minutes alone with God sitting, kneeling, laying down, or walking. Spend these minutes seeking to simply be with the Lord, the source of love, as you let the message of 1 Corinthians 13 sink deeply into your heart and mind.

 

PRAY thanking God for being the source of love, then ask the Holy Spirit to help you to live the message of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a.

 

SERVICE – According to 1 Corinthians 13, love “does not insist on its own way” (1 Cor. 13:5 NRSV). Today, as a way to serve others as an expression of love, do not insist on having things your way, but instead offer to let others have their way.

 

 

Friday (7/28)

READ Psalm 139:23-24 to begin your time with God.

 

READ 1 Corinthians 15, the final chapter we will read from this letter from Paul. What does this chapter reveal about life, death, and resurrection?

 

LISTEN to the version of the song “Rattle” by Zach Williams & Steven Furtick using the link below for the YouTube video or using a music streaming service.

 

“Rattle!” by Zach Williams & Steven Furtick Essential Worship lyric video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRNFLM4VX3Q

 

PRAY in response to our source of hope, life, and resurrection as revealed in the Bible verses and song lyrics. Trust the Holy Spirit to help guide your prayer.

 

SERVICE – Invite the Holy Spirit to bring to mind someone you know who has lost a loved one to physical death during the past year or two. The person you know may be a widow/widower, parent, child, or someone who lost a close friend or long-time co-worker. Write a list of various ways to serve them as an expression of loving your neighbor. Choose one of the options you listed and schedule a time to do it this weekend.

 

 

Saturday (7/29)

How are you going to remember and observe the Sabbath this weekend? The Sabbath is a day each week that is set apart from the others to stop, rest, worship, and delight in the Lord and what he has given us. You may need to incrementally observe the Sabbath by setting aside an increasing portion of a day each week beginning with an hour, then increasing it to multiple hours or part of a day the next weekend or month, and eventually designating an entire day for remembering and observing the Sabbath.

 

LIGHT a candle and LISTEN to a worship song or hymn as a way to prepare your heart, mind, body, and soul for observing the Sabbath.

 

READ Psalm 92 during the morning remembering that our theme for today is “the Sabbath.” You are encouraged to either spend some time using the following questions to guide you through a time of journaling, thinking through your responses, or use them for a discussion with a family member or friend:

• How have you experienced God’s love this past week?

 

• What does creation (the earth, sun, moon, stars, oceans, rivers, streams, ponds, creeks, the sky, plants, animals, and people) reveal about our Creator?

 

• The psalmist describes the Lord as “my Rock” in verse 15. What comes to mind when you think of the Lord as your Rock?

 

SOLITUDE and SILENCE. Spend ten, twenty, or thirty minutes alone with Jesus seeking to rest in the peace that can only be found in and from the Lord. If you struggle to stop and rest, consider laying down, kneeling, or sitting on a very comfortable chair or seat. If you need a nap, then sleep so that your mind and body receive the rest that you need.

 

PRAY allowing the verses you read to guide your prayer.

 

 

READ Exodus 31:12-13 during the afternoon or evening. These verses are another emphasis about the Sabbath given by God to Moses while he was on Mount Sinai for forty days and nights receiving the instructions and commandments for the Israelites (Exodus 34:27-28). For Christians, a sign of the new covenant made in and through Jesus is the Holy Spirit in us and with us (2 Cor. 1:21-22).

• What does the Sabbath reveal about God and the Israelites?

 

• What are some reasons it is still important for people to observe the Sabbath now?

 

• How does observing the Sabbath impact your schedule and the way you manage the time God has given you?

 

• Which part of observing the Sabbath means the most to you today, an opportunity to stop, time to rest, worshiping God, or delighting in the Lord and what he has given us?

 

• How does observing the Sabbath set us apart from people who do not observe it?

 

PRAY allowing the verses you read to guide your prayer as you conclude this Sabbath.