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Whatever You Do…

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Matthew 516a [widescreen]

Reading the Word

1 Corinthians 10:23–11:1 (ESV)

23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

11:1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Understanding and Applying the Word

Paul wrote these words to address division within the Corinthian church. Some were concerned over the eating of meat that had been previously sacrificed to idols before being sold in the market place. Others were convinced that eating such meat was not an issue since they did not believe in the idols that were involved. How should these believers with different thoughts handle this?

Paul’s answer is summarized in verse 31: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” This statement really tells every Christian what we are to do in every situation in life. We are to do the thing that brings glory to God. We make every decision with the intent to honor our Lord. He is first in our lives. This means that we may have to deny ourselves of things we really want or even feel we deserve. The Corinthian believer may need to skip a meal with meat in order to show love to a fellow believer. Unfortunately, how often do we go through our day and make our decisions without even considering how they bring glory to our God or dishonor him? How can we make the glory of God the primary motive in everything we do?

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What Are You Afraid Of?

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Reading the Word

Psalm 118:5–9 (ESV)

5 Out of my distress I called on the LORD;
the LORD answered me and set me free.
6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.

Understanding and Applying the Word

When I was young, I was afraid to be left alone in the dark. My mind could come up with some terrifying thoughts when the lights were off. However, my fears disappeared when I had someone with me. The presence of another gave me strength to face the dark and confidence that I was not on my own to face any lurking dangers alone.

The Lord has promised to never leave us alone. He is always beside us and goes into the darkness with us. He gives us confidence and he faces our enemies with us. “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear,” the psalmist says. How can we fear when the all-powerful King of kings is on our side? In Psalm 23, David writes, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

What are your fears? Know that you can face those fears with the Lord by your side.

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Have No Fear

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Reading the Word

Psalm 56:1–4 (ESV)

1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?

Understanding and Applying the Word

Have you ever felt attacked or looked down upon for being a Christian? Have you ever been made fun of or left out because you are a child of God? What was your response? How did you find encouragement?

The psalmist reminds us that God is with his people. We do not have to fear the world or become discouraged. Our God is for us and we can trust in him! Do you believe that? How will it change how you live each and every day?

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Lies and Deception

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Temptation and Fall

Reading the Word

Genesis 3:1–7 (ESV)

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Understanding and Applying the Word

Satan is crafty, as he has always been. In the garden, he deceived the woman by planting doubt in her mind about God’s goodness. He questioned God’s limitation for Adam and Eve and told the woman that God was holding her back from reaching her potential. “You will be like God, knowing good and evil,” the serpent told Eve. He convinced her that if she ate of the forbidden fruit she would be able to rule herself and have no need for God to tell her what to do. So the woman ate and the man ate. They quickly realized that what they had done was wrong and sought to hide themselves and their shame.

Sin is like that. It promises us a better life. It promises more fun, more fame, more money, more of everything that obedience to God keeps us from. But sin never delivers on its promises. It destroys lives, shatters relationships, and leads to death. We sin because we believe the same lie that the first man and woman believed. We believe that God is holding us back and that our disobedience will give us a better life. We believe that we can run our own lives and that we do not need God telling us how to live.

Do not be deceived. Sin takes us down the road that leads to death. Trusting in God leads us to eternal life in Jesus Christ.

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Be Strong in the Lord

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Reading the Word

Ephesians 6:10–20 (ESV)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Understanding and Applying the Word

Life can be hard. Many difficult things can come our way at almost any time. When those tough times come, it is likely we will hear words like “Hang in there” or “Be strong.” But how do we do that? How do we remain strong when the world around us is falling apart and we have no control over it? Someone may tell us to “Be Strong”, but that is not enough. If we are honest, we know we are very weak and hopeless.

Notice that this passage tells Christians to “Be strong”as well. However, it does not tell us to be strong in ourselves. We are to be strong in the Lord. We are weak, but he is not. The world may not be in our control, but God is in complete control. We can face our circumstances in his strength. We can go into the world each day prepared for battle because the Lord is with us and has given us the armor we need to protect us from all we will face as long as we stand strong in the Lord.

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The Free Gift of God

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Romans 623 [widescreen]

Reading the Word

Romans 6:20–23 (ESV)

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Understanding and Applying the Word

Mankind has a problem. It is a sin problem. We are all guilty and our sin has separated us from God. We are condemned to death and eternal punishment and there is nothing we can do on our own to make things right. We cannot do enough good deeds. We cannot donate enough money. We cannot attend enough church services. We have nothing to offer to God.

Praise be to God because he has done what we could not! God has offered us life as a free gift. We cannot earn it or buy it, but God gives it to us by grace. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to pay the debt we could not. He died in our place and defeated sin and death through his resurrection. Through all that Jesus has done for us, when we trust in him, we receive life. Eternal life. Praise God for his mercy and grace!

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The Words of Eternal Life

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John 668–69 [widescreen]

Shaped by the Word is a daily, Bible-reading devotional. I do not publish supplemental material on Sundays, but do include a suggested reading from Scripture. Please be sure to subscribe to this page so you can follow along each day. Thanks for reading!

Reading the Word

John 6:60–71 (ESV)

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

All to the Glory of God

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1 Corinthians 1031 [widescreen]

Reading the Word

1 Corinthians 10:23–33 (ESV)

23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

Understanding and Applying the Word

“Do whatever makes you happy.” We have all heard that sentiment at some time. The idea is that we should live our lives for ourselves, not someone else. It sounds good at first, but is it biblical? In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul instructs the believers in Corinth that they need to be mindful about what they do. Everything we do can impact other people for good or bad, so we must seek the good of others. We want to do all we can to point others to Christ and help them grow in their Christian walk. Life is not ours to live for ourselves, but it is to be lived for the glory of Christ.

“So, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” That is a much different way to live than we hear from the world. It is not all about us, but it is all about Jesus. And he is worth living for.

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Let Your Light Shine

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Matthew 516 [widescreen]

Reading the Word

Matthew 5:13–16 (ESV)

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Understanding and Applying the Word

How we live is important. It not only affects our relationship with God, but it affects how the non-believing world thinks about God. Christians are the chief representatives of God in the world. 2 Corinthians 5:20 states, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” How we live as God’s people can have the effect of driving people away or helping them to give glory to our Father in heaven.

As followers of Christ, we have been called to go into the world and proclaim the gospel. We do that through the words we speak and through the lives we live. Let us not forget that we represent our Lord to the world. Let us seek to do everything in such a way to bring glory and honor to him.

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Hallowed Be Your Name

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Worship

Reading the Word

Matthew 6:9–15 (ESV)

9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Understanding and Applying the Word

In this passage, commonly referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer”, Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray. Jesus’ words here were not meant to be simply memorized and repeated, but used as an example. We learn a great deal about prayer when we analyze Jesus’ words.

In the opening of his prayer, Jesus says, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” The word “hallowed” comes from the word “holy.” It means “to be set apart.” God is to be treated as holy. He is to be treated as set apart. He is unique and to be revered as God alone. All that we do is for his glory and for his name to be lifted up and honored, as he alone is worthy. When we follow Jesus’s example and desire for God’s name to be hallowed, we are saying that we want God’s name glorified not only in our words, but in our circumstances. Consider the words of Thomas Manton:

We need to deal with God that we may have the end, and leave the means to his own choosing; that God may be glorified in our condition, whatever it is. If he wills for us to be rich and full, that he might be glorified in our bounty; if he wills for us to be poor and low, that he may be glorified in our patience; if he will have us healthy, that he may be glorified in our labour; if he will have us sick, that he may be glorified in our pain; if he will have us live, that he may be glorified in our lives; if he will have us die, that he will be glorified in our deaths (Romans 14:8). – Thomas Manton, Works

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