Man Up

Meditations in First Corinthians

June 30, 2022

Man Up 

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.

And do everything with love.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Read: 1 Corinthians 16:1-18

This closing chapter is divided into three parts. The first two are covered in today’s reading and the third is tomorrow’s reading which will bring to close our journey through First Corinthians these last 2 1/2 months.

I first noticed how Paul urged the church to exercise discipline in their giving: “On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned.” (v.2a) For many years we divided our tithe into fifty-two parts, and I looked forward each week to placing our offering into the collection plate. The pandemic changed that when churches closed, and the emphasis shifted to online giving. Now I am paying our tithe monthly, but Paul’s point is not wasted on me. Cheryl and I have long practiced the discipline of tithing, and we have found God is faithful to Jesus’ promise in Luke 6:38,

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

Secondly, I have been fascinated by the different translations of the word courageous in the verse quoted above. The NLT has a footnote that says the literal Greek in the verse can be rendered, “Be Men.” In looking to other translations, I think a good translation, from back in the day, would be, Man Up. I think the church in Corinth got Paul’s point, and so shall we. We are living in difficult times, and it is vitally important that all of us be on guard and stand firm in the faith. We need to be courageous and strong, and above all do everything with love.

My Takeaway: More and more, I am drawn to Paul’s testimony in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” My hope is that all of us seeking the life in Christ as our way of life will live in such a way that these words will be a suitable epitaph for our lives.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.