Humility

Have you ever had anyone say to you do as I say and not as I do? As you read 1 Corinthians 4:6-13 you will read how Paul applies what he is teaching to the Corinthians to himself and Apollos. He is saying to the Corinthian believers I have applied all that I have written to you in Chapter 3:5 through 4:5 to myself and Apollos. In doing this he is showing the connection of how this lesson bears weight on their lives as a church body in Christ Jesus. His lesson to them is this: “Do not go beyond what is written.” Already in this letter Paul has made many references to Old Testament passages. What we call the Old Testament today was the only Bible they had because the New Testament was being written by the Apostles and the author of Hebrews following Jesus’ resurrection and ascension back to heaven and the sending of the promise- the Holy Spirit. Learning how to apply the word of God to our lives before we apply it to other people is essential. It’s not easy to do it literally takes the help of the Holy Spirit. When we do go beyond what is written we are in danger of becoming puffed up and falling into a state of pride which is not healthy. Proverbs 16:18 teaches us that Pride goes before destruction a haughty spirit before the fall. The Corinthians believers and maybe you are headed for destruction because of a prideful spirit in your heart. The Lord has a way of humbling us for our own good. Everything that the Corinthian believers had or that you and I have comes from God, through Jesus Christ. Romans 11:36 teaches us “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.” I don’t know what is going on in your life but maybe you and I need to step back and just thank the Good Lord for all that he has blessed us with. Not just materially but more importantly spiritually. Taking the time to step back and looking at all that the Lord Jesus has done for us should bring us to a place of humility as well. This was a difficult letter I imagine for Paul to write, but in reality it was a letter from Jesus through Paul to his church. If we are not careful we will find ourselves being brought very low because of pride in our lives. We have to remember that the Lord will allow what is only beneficial for us to take place in our lives so that we learn to depend on him. As the letter to the Corinthians goes on and as they read the letter we will find that they have to make some adjustments to the Lord Jesus in their lives as individuals and as a congregation. As you read the letters to the Corinthians you may find yourself with the same struggle that I have- constantly having to make adjustments in my life to stay in step with the Lord.