COLLEGE STUDENTS: There Will Never Be Another Time Like This. 1 Corinthians 7:32-34.

A Sunday school teacher once told us that college would be a special time: “You will never again have so much freedom and so little responsibility.” He explained that we would have so few hours in class and so much free time to play or study or work or whatever.

He added: “Use your time wisely.”

Few of my friends were diligent. They were kids, right? They watched TV, listened to music, went to concerts, dated, and generally goofed off. I won’t name any names—but my brother was my only close friend who studied more than I did and he did not often have to balance work and school. I studied AND worked. Thirty years later there remain movies, songs, and TV re-runs from those years that I have no memory of: I was too busy for pop culture.**

On top of that, I started reading through the books of the Bible. I did not read them in order—just whatever interested me. But I read a lot and kept a written, daily prayer list. Throughout five years of college, I spent about an hour a day in the Word, in prayer, and memorizing verses. In the years since, I have rarely been able to match that. Paul explained that it’s different when you have a family:

“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 Corinthians 7:32-34.

You will never again have so much free time. Have fun! But use your time well! Spend time in the Word every day. You will NEVER regret time you spend with the Bible—and God will bless you!

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**(I know this sounds like bragging, but I was studying because I was trying to make up for lost time. I had ignored school and failed classes for years, and I knew if I did not study as hard as possible, I would fail college classes too. In the early years, I considered my situation one of sink or swim, do or die. I studied madly, desperately, a man running for his life.)

Are You Strong Enough to Be Weak? 1 Corinthians 9:19-22.

Are you fiercely independent? Are you strong and strong-willed? Do you insist on doing your own thing—on being “true to yourself” no matter what? There may be a place for such traits, particularly among those who have suffered bullying, abuse, and shame. When others have destroyed your dignity and self-worth, you may find your self-esteem rehabilitated by a dogged commitment to always doing what you want. During the years you spend overcoming the trauma of living like another person’s slave, perhaps it is natural for the pendulum to swing the other direction and you spend time serving only yourself. I am not a therapist but a pragmatist; I believe you should do what you must to find healing.

But eventually we must recognize that insisting on your own way is the reaction of a child, not an adult.

A growing believer in Christ, one who has been born again into a new life, is a person strong enough–through the power of Christ in you–to forgive, love, and serve others with selfless humility, see Colossians 1:27: “Christ in you [is] the hope of glory.”

If you hope to make a difference for Christ, you must operate from selfless strength. Not the insecure, wobbly strength of someone committed to being “true to self.” To reach people for Christ, you must be so strong that you can set your SELF aside. Are you that strong? Paul was:

“Although I am a free man and no one’s slave, I have made myself a slave to all, in order that I might win some. To the Jews, I became like a Jew to win Jews. To those under the law, I became like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law—to win those under the law. To those outside the law, I became like one outside the law—not being outside the law, but under Christ’s law—to win those outside the law. To the weak, I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some” 1 Corinthians 9:19-22.

Paul does not merely set aside his own will. He sets aside his point of view.

This is a man who can talk to those with whom he disagrees—and he can wrap his mind around their point of view. He can enter that point of view, inhabit the other person’s perspective. Can you? Some Christians are unwilling to consider alternative points of view, and their “black and white” position renders true conversation almost impossible. A good conversation requires some give and take, a volley like a tennis match. Imagine Paul—he can meet Jews in their obsession with Mosaic law and guide them to the cross. He can meet pagan Greeks in their pantheon of powerless idols and guide them to the One True God of Christianity. Paul can talk to the weak as though he too is weak. He can talk to the slave as though he too is a slave.

Have you had much success sharing your faith?

Consider Paul’s advice: don’t compromise your principles or doctrine, but learn how to see the world through someone else’s eyes. Meet them there. Become one of them.

“I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” 1 Corinthians 9:22.

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How Do You See Yourself? 1 Corinthians 7:17.

Most of us take our cues from our friends—if they think you’re special, then you think so too. If they tell you you’re mean, or selfish, or too sensitive, then you will begin to agree. And if they see you as someone else’s “better half,” then that will be what matters to you.

But the only thing that matters is how Jesus sees you.

Does He decide your worth based on your gifts and talents (which came from Him), or based on your personality (also a gift), or your relationship status, or—what nearly every man builds his identity on—his job?

No. Jesus looks at who you are IN CHRIST.

Consider this paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 7:17.

“God, not your marital status, defines your life.” You might also paraphrase it as: “God, not your relationship status, defines your life.”

We should find our worth, our self-esteem, in Jesus: He loves you, He has a plan for you, He made you for a purpose, He died for you, forgives you, and declares you blessed. That is what matters. The opinion of the Creator of the Universe is the ONLY opinion about you that matters.

Are you married? It doesn’t matter.

Are you single? Doesn’t matter.

Dating? Doesn’t matter.

Are you a huge, famous, wildly admired success story? Doesn’t matter. (And many who are super-successful can tell you that it does not satisfy.)

Are you a failure? Doesn’t matter.

Are you rich? Doesn’t matter.

Are you poor? Doesn’t matter.

Are you strong, weak, talented, average, genius or not?—None of that matters.

The only “metric” with which to measure your life is who you are in Christ.

Read His word. Study His word. Memorize His word and ask Him to help you see yourself the way He sees you: redeemed, blood-bought, sanctified, given gifts, and destined for greatness and glory in heaven.

“And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your relationship status, defines your life.” 1 Corinthians 7:17, The Message.

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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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