Old Testament: Joshua 7-8
Poetry: Psalm 48
New Testament: 1 Corinthians 3
Kung Fu Panda
Peter Parker (Spiderman)
Cinderella
Frodo Baggins
Luke Skywalker
King David
Jesus’ disciples
What an eclectic list of characters! Any guess on what they have in common?
They were all underdogs, devalued by society, and yet through some combination of luck, magic, leadership, divine appointment, and/or wise counsel, they went on to do mighty things. Though some characters in that list are fictional, there are plenty more true accounts in the pages of your Bible and in ancient and recent history of people overcoming opposition and obstacles to become the Greats we know today.
In I Corinthians 1, we read about how we were nothing special before we were saved by God’s grace and grafted into his family, that He often chooses the “underdogs” to do His work. In chapter 2, Paul reiterates that we need the wisdom and power of the Spirit in order to understand and speak the things of God; Paul clarifies that even he, who we now know as one of the greatest missionaries of all time, “did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God… My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” (verses 1, 4-5). Now, in the third chapter, while recapitulating to the Corinthians how we are all foolish without God, Paul is addressing quarrels and jealousy among the believers, reminding the Church how important it is to be united.
I bet that a lot of the same words he wrote to the people back then would also be penned to us today; we humans can still tend to think we’re all that and a bag of potato chips with no need for God, and division still dominates our fleshly nature. As a mom, I’ve broken up more quarrels than I can count; it seems that my kids will find a reason to argue with each other about anything and everything! And as the wife of a pastor, I’ve seen division rear its ugly head in the church too many times. Churches have even split over petty things such as decor. It seems silly that we find trivial things to bicker about when there are bigger issues plaguing the world today such as war, poverty, and human trafficking.
In this chapter, Paul emphasizes that we are all working together for God, but God is the real Force that makes anything happen. Paul reminds us that we are all on the same team, building on the foundation laid by Jesus Christ. In typical Paul fashion, he keeps us humble by reminding us of our foolishness; in modern-day terms, though we might have thick wallets or a string of letters behind our names indicating our importance in this world, we are all nothing without God.
I’m always encouraged when I see Christians set aside their differences to work as one unit for a good cause, or when churches with very different doctrines join hands to reach their communities for Christ. We are meant to be one body: the body of Christ. It is crucial that we as believers unite hands and hearts for God’s eternal mission.
-Rachel Cain
Reflection:
– Consider ways that you can help create unity and decrease division within your own church family. (A good place to start is to not participate in gossip).
– Are there any local organizations with which your church or your own family could join to show the love of Jesus to your local community? State? The world?