Paul
the apostle asked the church members in Corinth is “you
cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils”
nor can you “be partakers of the
Lord's table, and of the table of devils”.
In chapter ten and verse twenty-two of
First Corinthians, Paul asked the Corinthian church members “do
we provoke the Lord to jealousy?”
where we read:
Do we
provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
The
verse begins, “Do
we provoke the Lord to jealousy?”.
Paul began
with the words, “do we”
which refers to “Paul and the church members” “provoke”
which means
“stimulate and excite” “the Lord”
or “he
to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of
deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah”
“to jealousy” which
refers to “ to rivalry or emulation”? Paul rhetorically
questioned whether the church members and he were “stimulating and
exciting” “the Lord”
toward “emulation or jealousy”.
The
verse continues, “are
we stronger than he?” Paul
added the words, “are we” which
refers to “are Paul and the church members” “stronger”
or “mightier, more forcible, firm and sure” “than
he” which
means “than the Lord”? Paul added the question of whether he and
the church members were “mightier” than “the
Lord”.
When
we meditate upon these words from Paul, we notice how he uses
rhetorical questions that are certain to be answered, “no”, to
make his point. No one “stimulates and excites” “the Lord”
to be “jealous” over them, nor is anyone “stronger”
or “mightier” than He, and yet, some people act as though they
are capable of both. God is only “jealous for” us because
He knows His way is best for us, and we should not attempt to think
we are “stronger” than He. We do best for ourselves when
we simply align with His ways and not allow anyone else to convince
us of any other way.
Next
time Paul tells the Corinthians, “all
things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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