[APRIL 11] A Memorial

Read: 1 Cor. 11:23-30

"As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes" 

--1 Corinthians 11:26

The Taj Mahal in India is a magnificent mausoleum. Built entirely of white marble, it was commissioned by the Emperor Shah Jehan in memory of his wife, who died suddenly. It took 22 years to complete. Millions of tourists visit this memorial annually in order to see this grand structure the emperor ordered to be built in memory of the woman he loved.

Millions of people also throng to Jerusalem to look at another site—a tomb that some say may have been where Jesus was buried. No matter what tomb He lay in, Jesus occupied it for only a few days. It has been empty for 2,000 years.

Jesus doesn’t need us to build a memorial to Him. Instead, He gave us the Lord’s Supper (communion) as a memorial to remember Him. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus took bread and the cup and gave thanks to His Father before offering them to His disciples (Luke 22:14-21). Each time we partake of those elements in church, we are first to examine ourselves and our relationship with God (1 Cor. 11:28). “As often as [we] eat this bread and drink this cup” we are to do so in remembrance of the One we love, till He comes (vv.25-26).

The Lord has given us an enduring memorial to remind us of what He has done for us. --C.P. Hia

I'll take the bread and cup, dear Lord,

That speak of love sublime,

And give myself afresh to Thee.

My life, my all is Thine! --Anon

REFLECT ON THIS:

The Lord's Supper -- Christ's memorial that He left for us.

[MARCH 28] Helping Love Grow

Read: 1 Corinthians 13

"[Love] does not seek its own."

--1 Corinthians 13:5

A young man told his father, "Dad, I'm going to get married."

"How do you know you're ready to get married, Ron?" asked the father. "Are you in love?"

"I sure am!" he replied.

The father then asked, "Ron, how do you know you're in love?"

"Last night as I was kissing my girlfriend goodnight, her dog bit me and I didn't feel the pain until I got home!"

Ron has got that loving feeling, but he has a lot of growing to do. Vernon Grounds, a former writer for Our Daily Bread, who has been married for more than 70 years, shares these points about how to grow in love:

Ponder God's love in Christ. Take time to reflect on how He gave His life for you. Read about Him in the Gospels, and thank Him.

Pray for the love of God. Ask Him to give you an understanding of His love and to teach you how to live that out in your relationships with your spouse and others (1 Cor.13).

Practice the love of God. Give of yourself. A newlywed told me he thinks love is practical. He said, "My responsibility is to make life easier for my spouse." The other, tougher side of love is to challenge each other to act in godly ways.

Love will grow when we ponder love, pray for love, and practice love. --Anne Cetas

This is my prayer, kind Father,

So direct me from above

That I may live a life for You

And reflect my Savior's love. --Messenger

REFLECT ON THIS:

As Christ's love grows in us, His love flows from us.

[MARCH 12] United Goal

Read: 1 Cor. 1:10-17

"I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you" 

--1 Corinthians 1:10

The spotted owl has been disappearing in the US. Originally it was believed that old growth logging was its greatest threat. But research shows that one of the owl’s relatives may be the problem. For the past 15 years, the barred owl has been rapidly migrating westward. Barred owls, which used to live exclusively east of the Mississippi, compete for the same food as spotted owls but are more aggressive and adaptable.

In a similar way, our greatest spiritual conflict often comes not from outside the church, but from other Christians. This was happening in the church of Corinth, and Paul took some time to address the divisive spirit that had grown in this congregation. This spirit threatened the unity of the church. Paul, with a pastoral nudge, encouraged the Corinthians to agree on the essentials and not be divided over the nonessentials. People were quarreling because they were aligning themselves with different Christian leaders—Paul, Apollos, Peter, and even Christ. In creating these divisions, they were valuing their favorite leader above unity in Christ.

Paul said the one essential that should unify the church is preaching the good news. That should be our united goal as well. --Marvin Williams

Lord, bless our congregation,

We humbly ask of Thee,

That we may walk together
In perfect unity. --Fennema

REFLECT ON THIS:

A united church is a strong church.

[JANUARY 7] God Loveth Adverbs

Read: Colossians 3:8-17

"But we have the mind of Christ" 

--1 Corinthians 2:16

The Puritans wisely sought to connect all of life to its source in God, bringing the two worlds together rather than dividing them into sacred and secular. They had a saying, “God loveth adverbs; and careth not how good, but how well.” Adverbs describe verbs—our words of action and activity. The proverb implies that God cares more about the spirit in which we live than the concrete results.

Pleasing God doesn’t mean that we must busy ourselves with a new set of “spiritual” activities. As the Puritans said, whether cleaning house or preaching sermons, shoeing horses or translating the Bible, any human activity may constitute an offering to God.

We spend much time immersed in the mundane. “But we have the mind of Christ,” Paul reminds us (1 Cor. 2:16). That truth is to guide everything we do. Caring for an elderly parent. Cleaning up after a child. Sitting on a porch with a neighbor. Fielding a customer’s complaint. Filling out patient charts at a nurses’ station. Sitting in traffic. Sawing lumber. Reporting tips. Shopping for groceries.

We need faith and the mind of the Lord Jesus to recognize something of lasting value in even our most ordinary tasks. --Philip Yancey

In the common round of duty

Lift thy heart in praise;

For the Lord hath surely promised

Strength for all thy days. --Tovey

REFLECT ON THIS: 

The world crowns success; God crowns faithfulness!