Danny Panter

Pursue Love

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 13 (day six)

“Pursue love…”-Paul, 1 Corinthians 14:1

That just might be the best summary of 1 Corinthians, pursue love. The Corinthian church was so preoccupied with chasing other things, it had left love behind, with heartbreaking results. Even making a big deal out of good things, like Spiritual gifts, or Bible knowledge can hurt a church rather than build one. That’s why Paul wrote pursue love. Essentially Paul is asking them to get back to loving God and loving their neighbor; start making a big deal out of love again.

We all have the tendency to make big deals out of lesser things, and if we let them they can get in the way of love. What can those things be for you? That might be a great question to ask God. I promise He will show you if you do.

Desire

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 12:4-31 (day six)

But earnestly desire the higher gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:31

We rarely get to the details of the nature of the Spirit’s gifting, mostly because we find the Spirit a bit challenging to wrap our minds around; He is like the wind after all. But here Paul urges us to desire or seek the higher gifts. When is the last time you sought after a spiritual gift or gifts? Probably not recently; I certainly can’t remember the last time I asked the Spirit for a particular gift.

Some quick implications to consider when thinking about Paul’s words:

It would seem you can have more than one gift at a time.
Or multiple gifts at different times, in other words your gifting could change.
We should ask God for spiritual gifts; asking God is the natural outcome of desire.

We tend to desire knowledge (more Bible study), maybe we should desire the Spirit’s gifts, or both. Perhaps, if we desired the higher gifts (those that bring more immediate benefit to the church) we would better understand how God uses them in the body; perhaps we’d experience greater common good and growth.

Gift it a try. Starting asking God for the higher gifts. He might just answer your prayer.

Fight for Freedom

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 5 (day six)

It is for freedom that Jesus set us free.- Paul, Galatians 5:1

Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. -Paul, Romans 6:13

“If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off.”-Jesus, Matthew 5:30

1 Corinthians 5 is a reminder just how seriously God takes sin. The church in Corinth had become cavalier, arrogant even. They were under God’s grace after all, why should they concern themselves with sin; so they thought.

Truth is, we can’t ignore inrepentant sin. Jesus didn’t; he died to set us free to righteousness. So be free. Don’t ignore unrepentant sin in your own life…or the church. Take sin as seriously as Jesus did.

Co-workers

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 3:1-17 (day six)

“For we are God’s fellow workers.” -Paul, 1 Corinthians 3:9

Isn’t that statement amazing? Paul was referring to himself and Apollos, as an attempt to persuade the Corinthian church to repent of their divisiveness. But the simple truth of that statement is astounding; that God would include them AND us in the work he is doing.

It reminds me of the time Jesus told the disciples, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from the Father I have told you.” (John 15:15) We are friends with God; we are co-workers.

The journey of the Christian is to grow into those truths. Are you?

Good Wisdom

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (day six)

All good things come from above. Hebrews 1:17

True wisdom isn’t home grown, it’s a gift given from above. The homegrown kind isn’t wisdom, it’s hubris. That’s the kind of wisdom some in the Corinthian church were dealing, self-exalting, division causing hubris.

Godly wisdom leads to peace and unity, not a fractured church. It brings people together; it doesn’t push people away. This is why the simplicity and the foolishness of the Gospel is the greatest gift of godly wisdom. It does what our hubris could never do.

We know we are living by the wisdom of God when the kind of Gospel we live (and tell others)results in the tearing down of walls, not building them.

Think

Re:Verse reading–Philemon 1-25 (day six)

Although slavery in the Roman Empire was not based on race, it was equally dehumanizing and reinforced extreme prejudice against slaves, even freed slaves. In that day, Philemon had complete authority over Onesimus’ life; he was nothing more than property to do with as he pleased.

The Gospel changed that kind of thinking. The Gospel did not upend (immediately) an evil system, but it did upend Philemon’s mind. The Gospel would not allow him to think of Onesimus as property, but led him to think of him as a neighbor, and then his brother.

The Gospel will always, always change the way you think about others. Jesus quoted the Old Testament saying, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Everyone is your neighbor. Does your thinking need to change too?

Gates Too

Re:Verse reading–Acts 12:1-19 (day six)

“[The gate] It opened for them of its own accord,…” Acts 12:10b

God is in the details. Can you imagine if Peter were left to pick the lock of the gate, after God had done everything else? Being Peter he probably could have figured it out, but that is not how God works. I like to think that this is a small way of God saying, “I do ALL of the rescuing; Peter you have no part in this other than to receive.”

There is no part in our own rescue story that was left to us to figure out; God did it all, even to the smallest detail. It is also a great reminder that God is in the daily details of the obstacles we face.

There is no gate he cannot open, or keep closed.

Time and Words

Re:Verse reading–John 3:1-21 (day six)

“Now there was a man,”-John 3:1

Some of the most important moments in human history come down to a conversation. This one in John 3 might be one of the most famous, not because of Nicodemus but because of John 3:16. We don’t know the rest of the story of Nicodemus, whether or not he came to faith in Jesus, but he does represent God’s grace to all of us. Jesus gave time and words to this man at night; he challenged his way of thinking, nudged him to see the Kingdom of God.

This is true for all of us. “Now there was this man named Danny” or “Now there was this woman;” everyone of us could exchange our name for Nicodemus’. By the power of the Spirit Jesus engaged us with gracious words, nudging us to see Him and receive Him by faith.

Believe What?

Re:Verse reading–Mark 9:14-29 (day six)

The father cried, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Believe what exactly? In this case, it seems clear. Jesus was inviting him to believe in Him, that he was able to bring lasting change and new life in the most desperate situation, i.e the life of his demon possessed son. There is no doubt that God expects us to believe that he brings victory into our life through His Son Jesus, but what if God is also inviting us to believe something else, or at least a nuanced belief?

What if He is inviting us to believe that He can even use us to bring new life and hope to others in desperate need? What if he not only wants to do something in you, but also through you? Do you believe that? I do.

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.

Real Life

Re:verse–Hosea 1,3,14 (day six)

God didn’t use a vision, or a dream to reveal the heart of his message to Hosea; he used real life. God commanded Hosea to marry, only to rescue his wife years later from a life of rampant adultery. The message was clear. It was not lost on Hosea just how devastating and painful sin could be, nor the cost of covenant keeping love.

The real life of Hosea spoke volumes about the ugliness of sin and the extraordinary love of God. I wonder what our real lives have to teach us?