The Bible – The Message
11–12 These
are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we
don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at
the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as
they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could
fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence;
it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.
13 No
test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have
had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down;
he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help
you come through it.
Thoughts:
In the first 10 verses of chapter 10, Paul shared with the
Corinthian church much of what their ancestors had done and how they were
punished for their sin. In verse 11 he tells them that these were all recorded
so that they might be warned not to repeat the same sins, otherwise they would
face the same consequences. Friends, our Bible today is totally inspired, and
ordered by God so that we also may be reminded of the many sins of our
ancestors and the ensuing consequences. With any common sense at all, we should
take note, and not repeat the same sins, but I am reminded that without Christ
in control of our lives, we are led by the same Satan that our ancestors were,
and we are bound to repeat the same sins, and perhaps even more hideous – even as
we read about, or see on the evening news. Like Paul, I must remind you friend,
that we will be punished just like our ancestors. Sin will not enter heaven,
and there is only one other place for you to go, and unlike David’s wish in
Psalm 109 about his enemies, I would not wish the alternate place on my worst
enemy. Friend, think about this real good, we are careful to take very
seriously the warnings about possible tornado touchdowns, or hurricanes, or
heart attacks, etc. I would so like to see us also take the warnings God has
placed in His precious Word very seriously and take our precautions to prevent
the danger that will result by simply placing your faith and trust in Jesus my
Savior. He made special provisions just for us so that we might one day be with
Him in glory where there is love, peace and joy forever in store for those who
believe. The warnings are evident friend, and the provision for a safe and
secure passage to safety is very clear. Please don’t continue to live your life
in danger of not being prepared for something that could happen in an instant.
Enjoy heaven’s glory while still here on earth by knowing my Savior today. He
loves you and will welcome your decision, without regard to your present condition.
Use information from the footnote to help you make this vital change. I assure
you that you won’t regret it!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for opening my eyes to my life of sin, a
life without You in it. Thank You for encouraging me to make a right decision
back in 1988, and thank You for working with me to maintain a life pleasing to
You. I regret that it has not been perfect, but I thank You for being a
forgiving God; an encouraging God to help me along the way and prod me of sin
that was lurking. Thank You for working in my life to help me be more like You
every day. I realize that Satan tries every trick in the book to trip me up, so
I plead with You to continue to guide me, protect me and show me the ways of
righteousness. May You receive glory because of something that I may say or do
in the matchless name of Jesus. Paul’s warning reminded me that there is no
time to waste, so I humbly ask that You immediately bring to my attention when
I fail and lead me to the cross for forgiveness so that my life will not be
marred by sin. Lord, I have unsaved family and loves ones, unsaved friends and
coworkers, tender their hearts and minds so that they may heed the same warning
of which Paul warned us about in 1 Corinthians 10. Please use my life to be a
witness to them so that they may surrender their lives to You before it’s too
late. Please be especially gracious to those led to this devotional today, may
they shore up their position with You this day. These requests can only be
handled by You dear Lord, so I humbly ask these in Your precious and holy name,
AMEN!
NOTE: If you have been
challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak
with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or
encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words
underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote
the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to
read or pray.
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