March 19
Relational role
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you…that a man has his father's wife! 1 Corinthians 5:1 (NKJV)
God takes the relationships we share with others very seriously. Sometimes He takes them more seriously than we do. We see an example of this in the fifth chapter of 1 Corinthians.
There was a man at the Corinthian Church who had become sexually involved with his father’s wife. He was sleeping with his stepmother, and it was fairly common knowledge—common enough for it to make its way through the grapevine—all the way to Paul in Ephesus.
But nobody in Corinth appeared to be doing anything about it! The impression we get from Paul’s letter is that a “live and let live” attitude prevailed towards this man’s sin. At first there might have been a few who thought they should say something, but these concerns soon turned to apathy.
Paul, moved by God’s Spirit, saw the seriousness of the situation and administered a serious prescription for the problem. He tells them to throw the man out of the church so that he can hit rock-bottom—and hopefully decide to forsake his sinful lifestyle and get right with God (1 Corinthians 5:5).
Sometimes it’s our responsibility to speak into the lives of those we share relationship with. This can be very uncomfortable because it’s a lot easier to sit back like spectators and watch them do wrong, as the Corinthians did.
But people possess an eternal soul. They don’t just come and go. They last forever, and their sin in this life can have an eternal effect. If we have a relationship with someone who’s running that risk, we need to recognize our relational role to step up and speak out.
When we see our relationships through the lens of eternity, it causes us to take them more seriously, and it enables us to do difficult things that are for their own good.
Think About It…
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
SPECIAL OFFER
God's mercy is new every day. That's because it's needed daily. So to help you walk through a fresh new day, the Active Word has put together this second volume of the 365 Devotional. Our hope in creating this series of devotionals, is to help you connect with God's Word 365 days a year. And the best thing is, you can start any day of the year. Stay in step with God's Word, His will, and learn to live out your faith, daily.
