The spot began as a small discoloration on the baseboard adjacent to one of our bedroom doors. Unsure of what caused it, we dismissed it as an unidentified spill. After a lengthy stretch of rainy days, however, the three-inch spot had not only grown, but the baseboard on the opposite side of the door began to yellow as well. The bowing wood and the musty smell of damp carpet hastened our investigation, and we discovered that our original assessment had neglected to capture the full picture. Overflow from the rain had seeped into the doorframe of our back porch, resulting in damage that had now become plain to see.
We all see our own opinions quite clearly. We’re confident in assessing the reliability of what we see—especially in our appraisal of others. After all, we assure ourselves, we see what we see. Or do we?
In 1 Corinthians 3–4, Paul deals with a type of conflict that we still experience today among believers in Jesus: divisive, opinionated allegiance. We often fail to recognize our own limitations regarding the level of knowledge we possess. Paul’s admonishment of the Corinthian church is relevant: We’re not qualified to assess others because we rarely have total clarity of our own motives (1 Corinthians 4:2-4). Only God is qualified to evaluate and acknowledge what’s praiseworthy (1 Corinthians 4:5).
We desire security and sureness of truth, but setting our allegiances based on our human opinion is dangerous ground. Our perspective is limited, and even what insight we might possess is often not our own (1 Corinthians 4:7). True love for God is revealed in our sacrifices for the good of others, and the deeper proof of our wisdom is seen in our willingness to remain teachable (1 Corinthians 4:9-16).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 7:1-17
More:
Read Mark 9:50 and consider what it means to have “the qualities of salt,” especially in how we interact with others.
Next:
How can we discern if our allegiances have been formed around the truths of Scripture or the opinions of people? How can trying to prove our opinions to others cause us to become prideful?
don777 on July 5, 2017 at 6:25 am
There is only one truth and that is the Word of God. The Bible. The Core & Foundation of it is Jesus. Matthew 22:37-39 (NLT) 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Mercy given mercy received. There are so many personalities & levels of growth in Christ. One Body with Many Parts 1 Corinthians 12:12 (NLT) 12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. In all things Love. We must always stay in the Truth. If we start to water it down or leave some out that is not love. If I was a doctor & decided not to tell a person that they have cancer because I don’t want to hurt them, that is not love. Now if I have an attitude when I’m telling someone about Christ, maybe I need to look at what is going on with me. Usually it is because of my relationship with Christ is lacking/slacking. We start to drift and become legalistic. Start living by law instead of love. In Christ Love. +>i
Gary Shultz on July 5, 2017 at 6:30 am
Hi Regina: If I could, I would like to start with your very last word, prideful. We are so good at being human. We love things that feed the ego and elevate ourselves in our little click of self righteous people, even at the expense of completely wronging others. Criticism falls from our lips like rain. You could be critical of my poor writing skills, being a teacher, but instead, you have chosen to pull out of the confusing heap of words some phrase or jingle you like. Thank you for mercy. However, often our initial course is not to extend grace. As with Joseph we must learn grace and mercy and recognize just where that really comes from and how God has bathed us in it, yes, every day. You may even have a picture of me in your mind, an old, little, fat guy getting up early to mess with the writers of ODJ. Well, I do very much enjoy responding to some excellent thought and if it wouldn’t be for spell check, no one would ever understand. Thanks Regina
Tom Felten on July 5, 2017 at 10:14 am
Regina, thanks for redirecting our eyes off of ourselves and back to Jesus. Yes, true wisdom and insight is found in Him!
minkjh on July 5, 2017 at 2:51 pm
You pose some very sobering questions here, Regina. It seems discernment is not in vogue for far too many folks, both inside and outside the church. Where our allegiance resides is determined often by the persistent din of popular opinion, or as we’re seeing today, dynamic cultural shifts that were unthinkable even a few years ago. Many don’t want to be viewed as intolerant so little by little biblical truth is first compromised and eventually obliterated from the conversation. Defending our faith (1 Pet 3:15) in light of the gospel is how to confront hostility from those opposed to the Truth.