| Yesterday's Bible Study |
In this letter, Paul's final exhortation to the Corinthians, he encourages them to be strong in the faith. Today, we can take his encouragement and strive to do what he instructed them to do: stand fast, be like men, and be strong. Let's break these instructions down to get a clearer idea of what Paul was saying.
His first instruction for the Corinthians was to stand fast in the faith. In their church, there were false teachers and other people who were deceptive. The Corinthians had to be on guard to protect their beliefs. Paul wanted them to know what they believed and why they believed it so they could be discerning. This would give them the confidence to stand firm in their faith, trusting in the Lord's goodness and knowing that the Gospel was truth.
Next, Paul instructed the Corinthians to act like men, with men being a collective term for all Christians. He wanted them to obey God's Word with the zeal of people fighting for an important cause--like soldiers defending their faith. They were not supposed to be faint or fearful as they stood for Christ and continued to serve Him in dark places. Instead, Paul assured them, they could go in faith and courage. Today, we can do the same.
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Paul concluded by telling them to be strong. The meaning of this is clear enough--we should not back down or compromise our faith when it becomes difficult. So what is the path to spiritual strength? It's fairly simple, actually ... daily time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer, attending a church where we can worship the Lord with other Christians, and obeying the Lord.
As simple as these steps may seem, they require strength. It takes commitment to read the Bible and pray when we are busy and to wake up early for church on Sunday morning. It takes effort and work to be holy in all the details of our lives. However, this is how we build strength. This is how we are able to grow and strengthen our spiritual muscles so we may be strong as Paul instructs us in today's verse.
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