Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
This chapter opens with Paul giving a recap of Israel's history and the events that occurred as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. He reminds the Corinthians that these things were written for their instruction. During the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings, the Lord called them to love Him above all else (Deuteronomy 6:5-9) and to avoid turning to idols. The Israelites repeatedly disobeyed the Lord's statutes and commands, which brought great suffering into their lives. Paul encourages his readers to remember these things that shaped their history, pointing to the need for a perfect Savior, Jesus Christ. He tells them to “flee from idolatry” in verse 14. The common meaning of the word flee is “to run away,” and some might add “to run away swiftly”. This isn’t an act to be performed haphazardly. Paul knows the dangers of idolatry and tells his brothers and sisters in Christ to run away from it. If you’ve ever watched a suspenseful film, you know there’s always a scene when you wish you could scream “RUN!” to the characters in the movie because you can see the danger that is around the corner. Paul can see what’s coming for the church at Corinth if they don’t crush idolatry, and this is the moment to “RUN!”. Flee from anything that has the potential of taking the place of Christ on the throne of your heart. Serve and worship Him alone.
He tells the readers that many things on this earth are permissible for believers, but not everything is beneficial. Paul goes on to say that God owns everything; in fact, the whole earth is His possession. Then he gives some pretty simple, yet meaningful advice in verse 31— “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I love this statement because it’s a filter that you can use to run everything through as you go through life. You can always look at a situation and ask if it’s bringing God glory, or you can identify if your heart is in a position to bring God glory in what you’re doing, versus doing something for selfish gain. And why is the glory of God so important? Well, first of all, He’s the only One actually worthy of glory and honor. He doesn’t have to earn it. Secondly, when He is glorified, folks come to know Him through salvation and are therefore taken from eternal death to eternal life. When God is glorified, lives are changed!
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.