1Brothers, I couldn’t speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in Christ. 2I fed you with milk, not with solid food, for you weren’t yet ready. Indeed, you aren’t ready even now, 3for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren’t you fleshly, and don’t you walk in the ways of men? 4For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you fleshly?
5Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed, and each as the Lord gave to him? 6I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase. 7So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s farming, God’s building.
10According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each man be careful how he builds on it. 11For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13each man’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man’s work is. 14If any man’s work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward. 15If any man’s work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire.
16Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, which you are.
18Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He has taken the wise in their craftiness.” 20And again, “The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless.” 21Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours, 23and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
True Christian Service
Giving Food to the Hungry
Following up from yesterday’s devotion concerning the imminent return of Jesus, we find in these verses some good instructions for living in the present. Christian service is at the center of a transformed life. The Hebrew concept of Mitzvot cannot be disconnected from a lived-out faith. Mitzvot are “good deeds”. I think it’s better to think of those as actions we’re directed to do through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Basic Bible doctrine teaches that works for the sake of works are nothing but wood, hay, and stubble (1 Corinthians 3:12). The passage above concerns Jesus urging us to take action. It is a teaching with which we are all familiar, but few of us truly take it to heart and act on it. Notice that Jesus calls those “righteous” who have busied themselves in serving others. They have been kind to strangers. They have helped to meet the physical needs of those who are less fortunate. They have given clothes to people who had none. They have gone to visit those who are sick and infirm, and they have invested themselves in those who are in prison.
Reader, at this point, you might be thinking, I’m not sure that I’ve done any of this! What is the common thread in each of these things? It is not readily noticed but it is there. It is serving others FROM WHOM WE HAVE NOTHING TO GAIN. That is pure giving. James, the brother of Jesus, calls it “true religion”. He says it is to minister to the widows and orphans. Those are included in the category of people from whom we have nothing to gain. It is easy to decide to serve others who might notice or from whom we might receive some kind of reward. Oh, it’s seldom so overt as to be about monetary matters. It is the affirmation, accolades, and “atta boys” that we might receive in serving some. The Bible tells us to pay close attention to serve those from whom we have nothing to gain. Those are the “widows and orphans.”
Jesus clearly says that when we step out of our comfort zone and minister to those from whom we gain nothing, we are involved in Kingdom business. He says that, in fact, we are doing these things to Him. That’s an astonishing thing to contemplate. So, when you’re out doing for others, and you never hear even a " thank you, don’t get too bothered by that. I’m not suggesting that we should be grateful and say “thank you” when someone does for us. But be prepared to do things for others without ever hearing a thank you. That’s between them and God. As for you and me, let us be content in knowing that we’re doing something for Jesus Himself. He said, “if you’ve done these things to the least among us, we’ve done it unto Him.” Is it easy? Absolutely not. Is it worship? Absolutely yes! That’s something to think about as we ponder where we should invest our time, talents, and treasure on this day that God has graciously given us.