Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

This chapter opens with Paul giving a recap of the history of Israel and the events that occurred as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. He reminds the Corinthians that these things were written for their instruction. During the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings, the Lord called them to love Him above all else (Deuteronomy 6:5-9) and not turn to idols. The Israelites disobeyed the statues and commands of the Lord repeatedly and this brought great suffering into their lives. Paul encourages his readers to remember these things that shaped their history, pointing to the need for a perfect Savior, Jesus Christ. He tells them to “flee from idolatry” in verse 14. The common meaning for the word flee is “to run away” and some might add “to run away swiftly”. This isn’t an act to be performed haphazardly. Paul knows the dangers of idolatry and tells his brothers and sisters in Christ to run away from it. If you’ve ever watched a suspenseful film, you know there’s always a scene when you wish you could scream “RUN!” to the characters in the movie because you can see the danger that is around the corner. Paul can see what’s coming for the church at Corinth if they don’t crush idolatry and this is the moment to “RUN!”. Flee from anything that has the potential of taking the place of Christ on the throne of your heart. Serve and worship Him alone.

He tells the readers that many things on this earth are permissible for believers but not everything is beneficial. Paul goes on to say that God owns everything, in fact, the whole earth is His possession. Then he gives some pretty simple, yet meaningful advice in verse 31—“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I love this statement because it’s a filter that you can use to run everything through as you go through life. You can always look at a situation and ask if it’s bringing God glory or you can identify if your heart is in a position to bring God glory in what you’re doing versus doing something for selfish gain. And why is the glory of God so important? Well, first of all, He’s the only One actually worthy of glory and honor. He doesn’t have to earn it. Secondly, when He is glorified, folks come to know Him through salvation and are therefore taken from eternal death to eternal life. When God is glorified, lives are changed!

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Think about what keeps you from reading God’s Word every day or what keeps you from serving Him. Anything you look to before you focus on the Lord can be an idol. Sometimes we allow things to become an idol before we even realize it.
• Once you identify the idols in your life, take time to surrender them to the Lord. Also, identify some boundaries you might need to keep to prevent yourself from going back to those same idols again and again.
• Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help in this. As He works in your life, He will give you strength in this process. 

Family Devos: 1 Corinthians 10 

By: Cody Smith 

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset 

Head

In today's reading from 1 Corinthians 10, the apostle Paul is addressing the Corinthian believers about the lessons they can learn from the Israelites' experiences in the Old Testament. Paul reminds them of how God led the Israelites out of Egypt, providing for them and performing miracles along the way. However, despite God's faithfulness, many of the Israelites fell into disobedience and idolatry, which resulted in their downfall. Paul warns the Corinthians to learn from these examples and not to repeat the same mistakes.

Heart

 The message that Paul wants to convey to the Corinthians, and to us today, is the importance of staying faithful to God and not being led astray by temptations. The Israelites had witnessed God's miracles and blessings, yet they still turned away from Him. They allowed their desires and cravings to control their actions, instead of seeking and trusting God. Paul encourages us to remember that we have a choice to make. We can choose to follow God and His ways, or we can be swayed by the world and its temptations.

Hands

The lesson we can take from this passage is to be vigilant and intentional in our faith. We should be aware of the temptations around us and make choices that honor God. Just as the Israelites faced various trials and challenges, we will encounter difficult situations in our lives. In those moments, we can turn to God for guidance and strength. We can resist the urge to give in to sinful desires and instead seek God's will for our lives.

Today, let's reflect on our own lives and identify any areas where we might be tempted to stray from God's path. Let's pray and ask for His help in staying faithful and making choices that align with His Word. Let's also encourage one another to live lives that please God and to support each other in times of temptation.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the warning and lessons from the Israelites' experiences. Help us to be aware of the temptations that surround us and to rely on Your strength to overcome them. Give us discernment and wisdom to make choices that honor You. Help us to encourage one another and to seek Your will in all we do. In Jesus' name, Amen.