Just a few evenings ago a Christian couple with a glowing reputation lost their lives in a tragic car accident. Their daughter had been a valued teacher at TCS.

In the middle of that horror, we pray for comfort from the Holy Spirit for the remaining, grieving family members.

Paul identifies the comfort and mercy depths of God in 2 Cor. 1. It’s the emotional supplement available to us when we experience the pain of life’s trials and challenges. His mercy and sensitivity to our distress is available when we really need it.

Our prayers to the Mayo family.

PRAYER: Father, You’re a good, good father who gives us the comfort we need to endure life. Be with the Mayo family right now. Bring Your comfort through our lives to those around us who are hurting.

READ: 2 Cor. 1-4

Paul gives a key to all ministry gifts when he states, “Build up the church.” If we or anyone else see or use our spiritual gifts for self promotion or aggrandizement, we have erred – we are missing the mark.

A healthy self-test is … “do I benefit from my motives or does the Body of Christ benefit? If we puff up at the expense of the spiritual well-being of fellow Christians, we are getting off track.

Love “Seeks not its own.” [1 Cor. 13:5b]

PRAYER: Lord, above all else I desire to put You first, to worship You alone. I don’t worship myself nor my comfort. I want to be selfless like me Lord Jesus Christ.

READ: 1 Cor. 13-16

Paul felt compelled to preach. God prompts us with a compulsion to serve Him in the area He has gifted us. We have been given gifts according to God’s grace that are all released by our faith. Sufficient faith to energize these giftings and callings comes from our personal fellowship and communion with the Lord.

You won’t grow in this faith hanging out in bars or watching inappropriate movies or becoming addicted to cell phone games. It comes through intimate communion with God through His Word and prayer. Your spiritual compulsion will arise.

PRAYER: Father, I want to be effective in Your Kingdom. Open my eyes to see clearly how I can be used by You today.

READ: 1 Cor. 9-12

Regarding sexual immorality, Paul clarifies that we are not to use the body He gave us to gratify our carnal lusts. God has entrusted each of us with a physical body with which to serve Him. When we use it for immorality, it’s like taking a policeman’s cruiser and joy-riding with it. It is CLEARLY unauthorized use of that vehicle, and prosecution is sure to occur.

Further, we honor the Lord when we keep our minds free from lustful thinking. Jesus commands us to avoid committing adultery in our hearts.

PRAYER: Father, I hereby present my mind and my body to serve You. I was created for Your pleasure and not my own. I look forward to my heavenly reward for honoring and worshiping You.

READ: 1 Cor. 5-8

Paul was a tent maker. He knew building and used related analogies in his teaching. He challenges teachers to build using quality materials such as gold, silver, and precious stones rather than wood, hay and stubble.

David stated that God’s commandments are more to be desired than gold. [Ps. 19]

Hence, we build using God’s Word as our main building material. It’s eternal.

PRAYER: Father, we honor Your Word. Grace us to hear it everyday and use it for every challenge life presents.

READ: 1 Cor. 1-4

Paul catalogs a long list of saints in his parting comments in Romans 16. It is touching to hear his respect for many listed by name, and his warning about those he considers enemies of the Lord’s work.

The scripture says honor those that fear the Lord, and markedly avoid those who cause division.

PRAYER: Father, because of Your great love to each of us, give us an encouraging love for one another. We honor those who serve You from a pure heart.

READ: Romans 13-16

What we say is so important. “With the mouth we profess our faith and are saved.” [Rom. 10:10

Sin comes out of our mouth and is forgiven only when we confess it. [1 John 1:9]

“Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.'” [Joel 3:10]

“For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:: [1 Pet. 3:10]

PRAYER; Father, give me the grace today to put a guard on my lips so I always say the right thing and not sin with what I say.

READ: Romans 10-12

Romans exhaustively deals with the nature of sin and its devastation. It also clearly identifies what Christ did in His death to nullify the consequences of sinful behavior in our lives. Revealed are the two natures that war within us … the Law and the Spirit.

Through Christ’s power and presence living in us, we can choose to give the Spirit what it desires in our lives rather than be bound to obey our sin nature.

Ask yourself the question … do I want to please God or my own sinful nature. God’s way is always best.

PRAYER: Father, apart from Christ our Savior we are miserable. You have set us free from sin and death and made us alive to serve You. We choose You.

READ: Romans 7-9

Paul credits our relationship with Christ as being the singular factor in living a successful life here on this earth. He calls it “Reigning in Life.” Since we have been elevated to sit with Christ in heavenly places, and have been made joint heirs of all that He possesses, we can walk in a victory that far surpasses mere material wealth.

It is all accessed through our faith in Christ alone. It’s the gift of God.

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, we approach every daily challenge as victors because of the blood and resurrection of Jesus. We hereby walk in Your overcoming power. 

READ: Romans 4-6

Paul develops a critical theme in Romans … seeking God’s praise rather than man’s. For instance, he cites circumcision of the heart rather than of the flesh as being the essential criteria for pleasing God.

If we live our lives according to the teachings of Jesus as in the Sermon on the Mount, we are taking steps toward receiving God’s praise rather than man’s. We are Jews inwardly rather than outwardly. God sees the heart. Man looks at the exterior.

PRAYER: Father, forgive us for being so carnal and temporal so as to seek man’s approval rather than Yours.

READ: Romans 1-3