1 Corinthians 10:14-11

Be Still: Father, thank you for your breath in my lungs. I praise you today. Holy Spirit breathe your life in me as I read your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Read: 1 Corinthians 10:14-11 

"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.' (v 1)

Encounter: Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian and church pastor who died as a prisoner of the Third Reich during The Second World War. Bonhoeffer wrote of how freedom works within the church, following God’s example: 

'... the freedom of God... finds its strongest evidence precisely in that God freely chose to be bound to historical human beings and to be placed at the disposal of human beings. God is free, not from human beings, but for them. Christ is the word of God’s freedom.'

Jesus came as a baby and died on a cross at the hands of those he made. Through his incarnation and crucifixion, he sets us free and gives us a model to follow. This is the point that Paul is making in our passage about the Christian believer’s use of freedom. We have been set free by Jesus, not to be free from others, but for others.

Freedom doesn’t look like a desert island away from everyone; it looks like a life laid down. As Paul says in verse 24 of chapter 10, 'No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.' And in all this we 'follow the example of Christ.'

Apply: Paul here addresses how the Christians in Corinth might use their freedom around food. He suggests everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Reflect today on how you might use the freedom you have found in Christ for those around you. For example, you are free and secure in God’s love today to cheer someone else on (perhaps someone you’d usually feel competitive towards). Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you today - to bring freedom - to then lay your life down for those around you.

Devote: Jesus, thank you for your example. Holy Spirit fill me with your love and your freedom - that I might use my freedom today not for my own good, but for the good of others.