Secrets for Successful Christian life

READ: Isaiah 19,20; Psalms 72; 1 Corinthians 16

SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 16: 13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
14 Do everything in love.

OBSERVATION: In the first epistle to Corinthians, Apostle Paul responds to some of the problems in the Corinth church and questions of the believers. There were issues like divisions, lawsuits, sexual immoralities, sinful temptations, misunderstandings about the spiritual gifts and resurrection among the Corinthian believers. Paul answers to all of them in the preceding chapters. Here, in his concluding remarks, Paul reminds and commands five things to the Corinth believers. The Corinthian believers need to keep the main thing the main.

In verse 13, we see a tetrad (i.e., a set of four things) for victorious Christian living. These four commands appear like military commands. The first command, “Be on your guard,” reminds us that we should be careful to oblige our responsibility as Christian regardless of what we face or what happens to us. We need to stand firm in the faith because it helps us resist the devil who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet.5:8,9). Satan can do nothing against a believer who remains firm in his/her faith in Jesus Christ. Paul admonished the Corinth believers to think like adults, not like children (1 Cor.3:1; 13:11; 14:20). We should be courageous as mature Christian. We should be careful not to fall (1 Cor.10:12). The strength we need comes from the Lord Jesus. We always need to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Eph.6:10). These four things are interconnected, and each of them is vital for a victorious Christian life. Finally, in verse 14, Paul reminds, “do everything in love.” In chapter 13, we read Paul’s description of the greatness and importance of love in Christian life. Loving God and loving one another are not just great commandments but the way of life for every Christian who wants to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

APPLICATION: As a Christian, I should not live according to worldly customs and practices. I should not “conform to the pattern of this world” (Rom.12:2). I need to be watchful of my walk with the Lord and remain firm in my faith. Jesus already overcame the world. Jesus gives me the strength to be courageous and be strong to stand against the enemy, the devil. I am not “under the law, but under grace” (Rom.6:14). Sin and Satan have no power over me. God’s love enables me to do everything in love.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for teaching me the secrets to be a faithful Christian. Lord, help me live my life “like a good soldier of Christ Jesus,” today and forever. Amen.

- Arputharaj Samuel
+91 9538328573

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