Reading
SAA Notes
In verse 19, the your is again plural – “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” We put the emphasis on you the individual. Paul puts the emphasis on you plural i.e. the body of Christ. Individual sin taints the whole body of which you are a part. Meditate on verse 11.
SJA Notes
* God Above, thank You for Your wisdom from on high – Please teach us today.
“Why not suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?”
Paul calls on us to behave in a very clear way with our brothers and sisters in God’s church.
Often our skin is very thin with each other, we can bleed easily. Often we are quick to take offence and to seek retribution, slow to maintain grace with patience.
Paul points out the folly of this.
“To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you.”
This is not an easy passage to read or to accommodate in our thinking.
The message is clear.
Where is our trust?
Is our trust in human justice for a temporal wrong?
Or is our trust in the Eternal God who made us His people even though once we were His enemies?
When our trust is in God then our perspective on suffering, even at the hand of each other, is to be changed.
Remember Jesus’ words on prayer, that when ask God to forgive us our sins it is wrapped up with our own measure of forgiving others.
These words from Paul are to resonate,
“Why not suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?”
* God Above,
Thank You for Your love – That You have forgiven us, brought us into Your kingdom.
Please help us each day to be kingdom people.
Please help us to act with Christ-like attributes and behaviour.
Amen.