GLUTTONY: AMERICA’S PET SIN. 1 Corinthians 9:27.

My mother once told me she was addicted to sugar. She liked hard candy and kept ice cream around. But addicted? I had to realize even thin people struggle with gluttony.

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but I will not be MASTERED by anything” 1 Corinthians 6:12.

We are free to eat what we want, with two caveats: (1) Don’t cause the weak to stumble (1 Corinthians 8:13); and (2) Don’t become addicted. Food addictions are deceptive: it’s difficult to recognize an addiction when so many different things satisfy it. But if your meals regularly include sugar, fat, or fried food, you may have a sugar/fast-food addiction.

But is gluttony even a sin? No one preaches on it. Sins destroy lives. What’s wrong with enjoying the food God gave us?

Proverbs says, “Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony” 23:2.

Gluttony is a sin, and yes, it destroys lives (obesity, heart disease, death). Beware “those who … gorge themselves on meat, for … gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags” Proverbs 23:20-21.

“Their god is their stomach” Philippians 3:19. –

Imagine if Paul told you your god was your stomach!

Remember that your body is His temple. Sometimes the lost judge the health of our message by the healthiness of our appearance. We were not saved for “self-care.” We were saved FOR HIM. “YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN. You were BOUGHT for a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

Sins of the flesh are TOUGH: you MUST eat, after all. But if you focus on Jesus, you will do fine. “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify fleshly desires” Romans 13:14. Talk to Him. Pray. Worship. Sing. And don’t be afraid to exercise a little self-discipline.

“I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified” 1 Corinthians 9:27.

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IS THERE A BEST TIME TO BE DEVOTED TO CHRIST? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 7:32-34.

Is there a time of “peak performance” in your spiritual life? Everyone knows peak performance in sports happens while you are young—early teens for female gymnasts, to 20s for runners and tennis players, and perhaps 20s and 30s for baseball and football players. The peak time for academic achievement is college and grad-school years. I suspect peak performance in medicine, lawyering, teaching, law enforcement, engineering, and many other careers does not come until the 40s and 50s, because of the experience necessary. But is there a key time for peak spiritual performance?

Yes.

But first, another question. Does it make any difference? Do we have to do all this spiritual stuff? Can’t we just do what we want? Well, no. He bought you.

“For you are not your own. You were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

He just wants to spend time with you. Grow closer to Him—grow spiritually—and you will grow closer to all your goals.

So what’s the time for peak spiritual performance? While you are single.

“An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the things of the world—how he may please his wife—and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman is concerned about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world—how she may please her husband” 1 Cor. 7:32-34.

You are not your own. Jesus bought you. Devote yourself to Him and to His word while you are single—it is SO MUCH EASIER now than it will be when you are married! Don’t waste this opportunity! Your ETERNAL rewards may be largely determined by decisions you make in the next few years. Decide to grow in Christ.

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Prohibition and Meat Sacrificed to Idols. 1 Corinthians 8:7-13.

Pictured–the “21st Amendment,” a bar in New Orleans’ French Quarter celebrating a unique bit of legislation. I did not go inside.

Have you ever eaten meat from an animal that was sacrificed to an idol? Probably not. Have you ever been seen “dining in an idol’s temple” (1 Corinthians 8:10)? Doubtful. In fact, the entire conversation must seem hopelessly irrelevant to 21st-century life in the USA. But it is quite relevant, which we will come to. But first, consider Paul’s argument. He explains that idols are nothing, thus, in grace, we have the freedom to eat meat dedicated to idols with a clean conscience. But we must exercise such freedom with caution. Why? Because some with a “weaker conscience” might not understand.

“Not everyone has [our understanding of freedom]. In fact, some have been so used to idolatry up until now that when they eat food offered to an idol, their conscience, being weak, is defiled…. We are not inferior if we don’t eat, we are not better if we do eat. But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, the one who has [this freedom in the grace of Christ], dining in an idol’s temple, won’t his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols? Then the weak person, the brother for whom Christ died, is ruined by your freedom. Now when you sin like this against the brothers and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to fall, I will never again eat meat, so that I won’t cause my brother to fall” 1 Corinthians 8:7-13.

So why is the meat-sacrificed-to-idols conversation relevant to life today? ALCOHOL.

Christians enjoy freedom in Christ. Paul writes “all things are lawful for me” 1 Corinthians 6:12. We have the freedom to consume alcohol. Jesus created wine out of water at the wedding at Cana, John 2:1-11. Jesus also consumed alcohol and fed it to His disciples at the Last Supper. Moreover, He promised to drink wine again in heaven Matthew 26:29.

Nevertheless, the United States has a complicated history with alcohol. In response to some very real problems created by the abuse of alcohol, the temperance movement saw the passage of two Constitutional Amendments: in 1919, the 18th Amendment made the manufacture, transportation, and sale of liquor a crime. In 1933, the 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment. The story is complicated, but it is worth noting that many Christian churches and even entire denominations took sides in the Prohibition battle. Those historic positions continue to have influence.

What does it mean for today? It means that Christians must exercise their freedom with love and consideration for the conscience of their brothers.

If you teach at a Christian school or volunteer to work with youth at your church, be careful about wounding the conscience of children who may have been raised to believe drinking is wrong. You can argue the Bible gives a more “nuanced” message on the subject. But children and young believers often cannot grasp nuance.

We have freedom in Christ. But more importantly, we must exercise our freedom with wisdom. We must not cause young Christians or new believers to stumble.  Look again at how Paul concludes his words:

“Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never again eat meat, so that I won’t cause my brother to stumble” 1 Corinthians 8:13.

Enjoy your freedom in Christ. But remember that self-restraint and love for your weaker brother are more important.

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P.S. Drinking is a nuanced issue with plenty of gray areas and room for reasonable minds to disagree. Remember the history of Prohibition in the United States: many churches and denominations took rigid positions on one side or the other–and those positions tend to persist a century after Prohibition was repealed. My conclusion is: Jesus drank wine and miraculously provided it to others. Who am I to say it is wrong? Yet dozens of Bible passages warn of the ill effects of drinking. We must do as Paul says, “let each man have his own conviction” (Romans 14:5) and “judge not” (Matthew 7:1). Finally, If you drink often, consider fasting often. Fasting moderates appetites, ensuring we will “Be not drunk on spirits, but filled with the Holy Spirit” Ephesians 5:18. https://dadsdailydevotionals.com/2023/04/06/its-not-if-but-when/

OBJECTION! Calls for Speculation! 1 Corinthians 2:11.

Even before law school, I had a favorite objection:

OBJECTION. CALLS FOR SPECULATION.

This is what a lawyer says if opposing counsel asks his witness to ‘speculate’ on facts that are unknown or unknowable. The objection applies particularly well to questions about what another person might have been thinking. Consider these objectionable questions:

“What was your wife thinking at that moment?”

“Why did your partner breach the contract?”

“Why did the defendant fire his weapon?”

Such questions are terribly common—we hear them every day, in conversations having nothing to do with lawsuits—yet they violate a simple fact: one person cannot know with certainty what another person is thinking. You can make guesses, but even the most educated guess remains speculation. Paul agrees:

“For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the person that is inside him?” 1 Corinthians 2:11. In other words, the only person who truly knows my thoughts is me.

Paul goes on:  “So also the thoughts of God, no one knows but the Spirit of God” 1 Corinthians 2:11. Paul is saying that no one knows God’s thoughts either—except the Holy Spirit. Can you see where this is going?

“The Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God”1 Corinthians 2:10. And—“We have the mind of Christ” 1 Corinthians 2:16.

Do you see that? Though no one can know the thoughts of God other than God Himself, the Holy Spirit–Himself God–searches out the secret things of God and reveals them to us, because we have access to the mind of Christ. Through worship, prayer, and with a significant emphasis on Bible study, we can discover the deep things of God. But USE CAUTION…

You MUST search the scripture to confirm everything, Acts 17:11. You must “test everything” against the word, 1 Thessalonians 5:21. If you do not verify everything by the scripture, you risk the sin of misattribution: never attribute to God things you cannot confirm in scripture.

But with those cautions in place, consider this amazing fact: you may only be able to speculate on the thoughts and emotions of your closest family and friends. But because the Holy Spirit dwells inside believers, you do NOT have to speculate on the heart of God.

You can be certain—confident enough to testify in a court of law—that God loves you, that He desires a relationship with His children, and so much more.

“We have the mind of Christ” 1 Corinthians 2:16. Praise God!

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BABY FOOD. 1 Corinthians 3:2

1 Corinthians 3:2 compares spiritual teaching to baby food:

Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? 1 Corinthians 3:1-3.

What about you? Are you ready to go deeper with God? Or will you be content with baby food? With beans and peas and meat blended and whipped into a milky paste? God is ready to promote you to steaks and real food. Are you ready to be promoted? What about your friends? Do your friends want to grow? Do they read the Word? Are they anxious to move on to the meat of God’s deeper lessons? Or are they content with tiny meals of baby food, five minutes of something light and they’re done for the day or the week?

No one has more influence in the lives of young people than their friends.

Are your friends encouraging you to grow in Christ? Are you encouraging them? And if the subject does not come up, why not? There is not one thing more important in life.

Let me encourage you to go deeper with God, to dine on the MEAT of the Word. Ask Him to help you. He’s ready to feed you more.

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JESUS MADE HUMILITY A VIRTUE. 1 Corinthians 4:7.

Do you think everyone has gifts and talents? Is everyone a genius? No. Some enter life saddled with heavy burdens and no strength to lift them. Life is not fair. And yet, God often touches the “least of these” in ways the rest of us can only admire.

In God’s Kingdom, you will hear the foolish say something wise. You will see weak people begin to be strong. As the broken grow in Christ, you may see the least admired elevated above all others. Sometimes God gives the poorest student the richest insight. Sometimes He elevates the least attractive beyond all the beautiful people. Sometimes the scorned become the admired.

“God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that NO ONE CAN BOAST IN HIS PRESENCE…. LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD” 1 Corinthians 1:27-31.

God is the Great Equalizer. You are not better than anyone. You are not less than anyone:

“For what makes you superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not receive it?” 1 Corinthians 4:7.

God, keep us humble. Bless the hurting and broken who have never enjoyed the spotlight, the trophy, the victories, and admiration. Bless those who have been on top with the humility to share those moments with those who have always been on the bottom. Thank you that in Christ, we are all humble—but we can boast in You. Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord!

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INSPIRED BY SACRIFICE. 1 Corinthians 1:18,27.

Are you inspired by sacrifice? By soldiers who die for their country? By athletes who gut it out? By people who fast for enlightenment? These are great things; they should inspire. But sacrifices mean nothing until you accept the sacrifice of Jesus.

Growing up in Manhattan in the 1950s, my uncle Bill was inspired by the sacrifices required by Eastern yogis and spiritualists. He tried yoga and sat in the Lotus position while chanting the mantra “ohm” to get in touch with “the Universe.” And then something unexpected happened. He heard a voice:

“I know you are praying, but who are you praying to?”

Bill was stunned. That blew his concentration. So much for yoga! God had spoken to him—it may have been the clearest word he ever heard from the Lord. He discovered he did not need to sit and empty his mind to reach the Universe. He needed to read the Bible and fill his mind with the thoughts of the Universe.

That’s what the Bible is, after all: it is God’s thoughts on every subject.

Soon Bill accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on his behalf, and he was born again. NOW he was ready to make a few sacrifices, to fast, to gut it out, to honor God with a life of monogamy and self-control.

Sacrifices draw some of us like moths to a flame, from the wartime sacrifices of storming the beaches of Normandy, to the religious sacrifices of climbing stairs on your knees, hanging by ropes from an actual cross, or fasting for 30 days. We want to make a great sacrifice—and we think it’s foolish to say we can’t save ourselves. But that’s pride.

God says humble yourself, admit you CANNOT save yourself, and accept the sacrifice Jesus made on your behalf.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved…. We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles…. But God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and what is weak to shame the strong” 1 Corinthians 1:18,27.

If you want to make a sacrifice, sacrifice the pride that tells you that you can get to heaven on your own: you need Jesus!

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They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love, But They’ll Know We Are Mature by Our Unity. 1 Corinthians 3:3.

Imagine the unity of being a new Christian in the early church. You and your friends witnessed the life and death of the long-awaited Messiah. You heard Jesus pray that you would all be one, see John 17:21. Talk about a ‘Shared Cultural Moment’![1] You were a witness to the crucifixion and resurrection—or at least you can say it happened during your lifetime! What could create a more powerful sense of unity between believers? We are all on the same team, right? But the unity did not last, and Paul confronted the Corinthians about it:

“It has been reported to me … that there is rivalry among you…. Each of you says, ‘I’m with Paul,’ or ‘I’m with Apollos,’ or ‘I’m with Peter,’ or ‘I’m with Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?” 1 Corinthians 1:11-13.

The Christian church in the U.S. is divided into an estimated 200 denominations. Do you think we have rivalries? You bet we do. Is that wrong? Perhaps it depends—is this a friendly rivalry between brothers, or is this a bitter feud? There is nothing wrong with playing in a church softball league and battling your Christian brothers and sisters on the field. But Jesus said people would know true believers not by their competitiveness but by their love, John 13:35.

Do you love members of other churches?

Do you love members of other denominations?

Jesus does. You should too. Otherwise, you are fleshly and immature.

“I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers? For whenever someone says, ‘I’m with Paul,’ and another ‘I’m with Apollos,’ are you not unspiritual people? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” 1 Corinthians 3:2-7.

Unity is important. When the lost complain about the number of denominations, only love can answer the charge. If you do not love the people who attend other churches, you will never be able to persuade someone to attend yours.

Denominations are a normal result of disagreement; I do not believe they are wrong per se. After all, each of us has a right to worship with those with whom we agree. And even if we are kind to each other and “agree to disagree,” it may make sense to worship in different places. Churches must make many decisions about what they believe and how they exercise that belief—find a church that you can agree with.

But even in the best church, you will sometimes disagree with your pastor and leaders. Without a mature spirit of unity and forgiveness, you will not be able to get involved and stay involved with your local church.

Paul takes it even further: without a mature spirit of unity and forgiveness, you will not be able to mature from milk to solid food. Do you really want to remain a baby Christian forever?

Humble yourself and be humble not only toward your pastor, but about your pastor, your favorite Bible study leader, or author: “No one should boast in human leaders” 1 Corinthians 3:21.

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[1] The following events have something in common: the Kennedy assassination, the attacks of 9/11, the TV broadcast of the Moon landing, STAR WARS hitting the theaters, and even the Ice Bucket Challenge. When everyone you know is paying attention to the same event, that event becomes a “Shared Cultural Moment.” Few things are more unifying. When everyone you know is watching the same thing on television, then during that day and for days—even years—after, you know you can talk to anyone and they will identify with you and be able to understand your feelings. Shared Cultural Moments create an incredible sense of unity.

FAHRENHEIT 451. Acts 19:19.

What do you think of book burning? Heating printed pages to 451 degrees Farenheit? Most Americans are against it—and against censorship of any kind. But believe it or not, some great legal minds have advanced arguments in FAVOR of censorship. In fact, we ALREADY censor child pornography. Some argue we should censor all pornography (as we once did)—because it does nothing good for the world. I agree.

But aside from censorship by the government, consider VOLUNTARY censorship. Do you own anything you should destroy? Any books you should burn?

When Paul was preaching in Ephesus, God worked miracles through him. Incredible things were reported:

“This became known to everyone… And many became believers… and those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. They calculated their value and it came to 50,000 pieces of silver” Acts 19:19.

That must have been a raging inferno, a huge conflagration, a massive pyre. But aside from the size of the roaring flames, consider the value. Fifty-thousand silver coins in today’s money is worth $4-5 million. That’s a lot of money! Why didn’t the former magicians take their books to a used book shop? Half-Price Books would have paid them a fortune! Or they could have auctioned off their best spells and potions on eBay, right? Why throw away such a valuable investment?

But as with horoscopes—magic is not harmless fun, it’s evil—and once the magicians repented of their sins and found Christ, they wanted to destroy the works of the devil, not pass them on to someone else.

What do you own that needs to be burned? What websites need to be blocked? What friends need to be shown the door? Sometimes God calls us to RADICAL OBEDIENCE. Even to the point of setting something on fire.

God, speak to us. Lead us. Draw us to you and show us what parts of our lives or habits we need to burn so we can be 100% dedicated to you.

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One Reason to Ignore the Ratings System. Acts 19:19.

When I was a kid, I imagined that the day I turned 13, my parents would rush me off to a PG-13 movie. And four years later, on my 17th birthday, I’d go out and watch all the R-rated movies I could afford. It was as if there were something magical about the ratings and the dates, as though the day I hit 21, I would be magically transformed from a college student into a completely mature and perfect man. But that’s not the way life works, right? Some mature faster than others. Some never mature at all.

More importantly, there is no magic to the ratings systems for TV, movies, games, etc. Someone makes a judgment call. Sometimes they get it wrong. Some R-rated movies are much cleaner or “milder” than some PG-rated movies. Like I said, it’s a judgment call.

But more important than any ratings system, God expects you to use your judgment—to use GOOD judgment. Don’t watch things just because the rating looks okay. The rating is a guide, not a guarantee. And a misapplied rating may be a Trojan Horse—you trust the rating without questioning it, and two hours later, your mind is full of darkness or evil or fear. It is not worth it. You can turn it off halfway. If there’s trouble, stop and take a break. Get away and ask yourself if you really want to see this (or read it or listen to it). There are better things to do with your time.

In Acts 19, God worked amazing miracles through Paul. Demons were cast out of people and everyone in Ephesus was amazed.

“And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone: and they counted up the price of them and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the Word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing” Acts 19:19.

Remember how much Jesus was sold for? Thirty pieces of silver. These burned books were worth 50 THOUSAND pieces of silver. That’s almost 2,000 times more than they paid Judas to betray Jesus. They say this was 50,000 day’s wages. In other words, all the money three people could earn in fifty years! It’s an incredible sum. But no one said, “let’s sell the books and donate the money…” The occult books could have commanded a high price–they were financially valuable. But the books were so filled with evil that burning them was the only thing the new believers could do.

Could you ever destroy your possessions? Could you burn a favorite book or movie if God put that on your heart?

Think about that—not everything is worth watching or reading. Some things need to be destroyed. I bet you can think of some things you have watched or put in your mind that you regret. Are you willing to burn them? Why not? (*I’m not encouraging you to start a fire. I’m interested in your heart.) Are you willing to admit that they are wrong?

Sometimes I hear kids say, “It’s okay. It’s fine. I’m fine. It won’t affect me.”

But it will affect you and you are not “fine.” All of us are vulnerable. If we put bad things in our heads, we will suffer. We are called to “guard our hearts,” (Proverbs 4:23) and to “hate evil, you who love the Lord” Psalm 97:10. Do hate evil? Do you hate it enough to burn it? If you do not hate evil, then do you really love the Lord? You know God hates evil. Why don’t you?

Pray: Dear Jesus, help me to hate evil. Help me to use good judgment and not to simply rely on ratings. Help me to guard my heart. Show me when I’m watching or reading or listening to something bad. Help me change. Help me turn it off and use good judgment. Fill me with a hate for evil. Help me to hate evil so much that I can burn it. Help me to see the ways the enemy uses bad things to draw me away from you. I want to love you and serve you with my whole heart. Thank you.

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