Category: Bible Studies

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 2:7

“No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.” (1 Corinthians 2:7, NIV)

The NEB says God’s secret purpose was “framed from the very beginning to bring us to our full glory.” The Remedy says it was “the wisdom that God determined to restore in us before anything was created.” Before there was a problem, there was a plan to heal it (2 Timothy 1:9).

What is God’s Glory? The word means honor, splendor, radiance, the weight of intrinsic worth. But Scripture defines it more simply. When Moses asked, “Shew me thy glory,” God answered, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee,” and He proclaimed Himself “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 33:18–19; 34:6). His Glory is His character.

The truth about the character of God is the mystery hidden since the lies of Satan blinded Adam and Eve and a third of the angels. This truth is being revealed now, since the revelation Christ made on the Cross showed all creation who God truly is. “Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son… I have glorified thee on the earth” (John 17:1, 4). The Fires of Truth and Love flowing from Him into this sick world are the truth of who He is, and this is the power to heal all the damage we were born with.

Truth is healing. Lies will destroy you from the heart and mind out, until the whole being is wretched. But the truth of Love, brought into the heart and mind, heals. The Glory of God moves from God to His saints. As we become more like Christ, and His character of Love shows in us, we reveal more of the Glory of God to the world around us. “We all… are changed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

Our connection with heaven is lighting up our lives, and lightening them too. There is a light that shines out as that connection grows stronger. Science is just beginning to see how deeply our choices resound in our minds; Dr. Tim Jennings of Come and Reason Ministries brings this out strongly in his Reality of God seminar. But Scripture saw the light long before. It clothed Adam and Eve in Eden. It lit up the face of Moses when he came down from the mountain (Exodus 34:29). It shone from Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, when “his face did shine as the sun” (Matthew 17:2). This is the connection we have with Christ and heaven.

The glow can be seen in the eyes and presence of one who is truly connected with the heart of Christ, who has the mind of Christ in them. Not everyone will be drawn to it. Those who have set their heart and mind against Him may feel a repulsion toward a child of Christ. Jesus said it would be so: “every one that doeth evil hateth the light” (John 3:20). This is to be expected. Let it go. They are only reacting to what they have chosen to become.

And yet we love as Christ loved, willing to give to anyone who shows even a small amount of goodness, which can only come from Christ. Even the lost soul who is hard to look upon may still carry a glimmer of Christ in their countenance. The Jesus in me sees the Jesus in you.

The Love of God shapes our minds, healing us in heart and mind. Truth believed, understood, embraced, and applied has the power of heaven in it. Truth taken in and absorbed into the heart is a power able to transform and re-create the image of God in sin-sick humans.

But we must do more than just hear truth. We must learn to love the truth for it to have its healing effect in our lives. Paul warned of those who “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Love the truth, and let it shine.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 2:6

“We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.” (1 Corinthians 2:6, NIV)

Phillips has a wonderful way of putting the last line: “the powers-that-be, who soon will be only the powers that have been.”

The wisdom we share is the wisdom of truth: to know yourself, and to see the Lord’s hand in your life. All the wisdom in all the fields of the sciences will come to nothing if it does not acknowledge that all truth comes from God. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10), and in Christ “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

Who are “the mature”? Beck calls them those who are “ripe for it.” The Remedy says this wisdom is understood by “those whose minds are being healed and transformed.” Maturity here is not age or education.

The mature Christian is one who is aware of their effect on others. They will be kind and understanding even when they are exhausted, knowing their words and actions can strongly affect a hurting young soul. The consistency that comes with maturity is a trait others come to rely on: the one who is always rock solid. This is true only because they have found the solid Rock to stand upon, one that never moves or rocks their world (Matthew 7:24–25). All they are is safe in the hands of Christ, and they can say with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15).

And that is what genuine Wisdom is: speaking the words needed to the one who needs to hear them, just when they are ready to hear and learn. Isaiah knew this gift: “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary” (Isaiah 50:4). This wisdom can only come from the working of the Holy Spirit in your life.

So don’t let big words and impressive titles intimidate you. The truth you stand on, the wisdom you share, is from the One who created the entire universe, set everything in motion, and sustains it all. You can trust this truth, because He is completely interested in you and your life, and He will heal all the damage in you.

When Christ is done with us, the most simple will be as wise as Solomon (after he repented and got his mind right). “The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7).

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 2:5

“…so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” (1 Corinthians 2:5, NIV)

This is why Paul kept his speech simple and came to Corinth trembling. He did not want their faith resting on him. Faith that rests on a clever speaker falls when the speaker fails, or when a cleverer one comes along. Faith that rests on God holds.

The Remedy says their trust should rest “not… on human charisma but on God himself and his character of Love.” I would have kept the word power, as nearly every other translation does. Still, the two belong together: God’s power is the power of His Love. Our faith is grounded in His character, His Love, His power, and His ability to do all He has promised to do in us, “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

We are surrounded constantly by His loving care. His watch care is a hedge of protection we are living behind. All the comfort and goodness we have in this life come as a gift from Him. Our selfish human nature grabs hold of the good with no thought to the Giver, to the One who is keeping us safe. But faith remembers the Giver, and that is what roots it in Him rather than in His gifts.

Our faith can rest safely in Him. His timing is perfect, so we need not be alarmed when our day goes in a new way. Often this is the Father protecting us from what we cannot see. “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). He is letting us be a witness to others, and growing our faith in Him and His constant care.

Learn to be happy in every circumstance: happy because you are growing the strength to hold a fuller cup of blessing, or happy because you have the chance to trust Him when it costs you pain. Paul learned it: “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11).

He is always near. He will never leave us; it is we who pull away from Him. So relax, and allow life to be what it will, while you do your best to bless and support all the good. The Father is in charge of how it all turns out in the end.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 2:4

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” (1 Corinthians 2:4, NIV)

The Remedy says it with tenderness: Paul’s “preaching was not the preaching of a professional speaker,” but “the Holy Spirit worked through me to make clear the truth about God’s character of Love.”

Our work is to share the truth in love, with kindness, in the language and the best understanding we have. The rest is His. The Holy Spirit is there to draw the listener to the truth. He works through the bond between us, letting the Fires of Light, Love and Truth flow from us and engulf the one we are sharing with.

Without a bond, they will not listen. My rule has always been to never answer questions that are not being asked. The only way to bring someone to ask is for them to believe you really care and want to hear what they have to say. This is the building of a bond between you and the one the Father has brought to you for care. He is trusting you with one of His dear children, and your duty is to reach their heart with the Love He has filled your life with. Peter said the same: “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you” (1 Peter 3:15).

Sometimes the meeting is very short, only a few minutes as you pass on the street. The Jesus in you will reach out to the Jesus in them, that little part of their soul that is able to respond to the Love of Christ. It will see that Love in you, and a bond will form, ever so slight but enough for a question and an answer. It is enough. The Holy Spirit will carry it on from there.

The breath of heaven will accompany the words we say when the Spirit presses them home to the heart. There is no need for fancy words, and no need to convince or convict the listener that what we say is true. Jesus promised that the Spirit Himself would do the convicting (John 16:8). When He attends our words, we are able to lift a soul, spread a healing balm over the raw, hurting places, and leave them knowing the Father was in the words. Their hearts burn with the Love flowing from the throne of God, just as the hearts of the two disciples burned on the road to Emmaus: “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way?” (Luke 24:32).

We never know when someone’s time on this earth will end, and we may not know all the heartaches they carry. That is a mercy. To carry everyone’s heartaches would destroy our ability to be present for the next soul the Lord brings to us. So in the short time we have together, we do not dwell on their hurts. We hear what they need to share, and then we point them to the One who holds all the answers.

Love will not let that time be spent only on airing griefs, for two reasons. First, the hurting one needs to hear answers, and the time we have is short. Second, we need to stay free to go on with our day, ready for the next soul the Lord brings, with the vitality the rest of the day still asks of us. Maturity learns how to make the most of the good while keeping itself free to move on. Even Moses had to learn this. Jethro told him, “Thou wilt surely wear away… for this thing is too heavy for thee” (Exodus 18:18).

The Lord knows every heartache, and He will use our kindnesses to show Himself to those He brings to us for blessing. The Holy Spirit’s presence with our words is all the proof we need that what we say is truth.

And the truth of our lives, our consistency of character, speaks louder still. Paul could say, “our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance” (1 Thessalonians 1:5). May the same be said of us.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 2:3

“I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.” (1 Corinthians 2:3, NIV)

Phillips puts it plainly: “in myself I was feeling far from strong; I was nervous and rather shaky.” The Remedy shows us why: Paul was “so unsure of how to present this life saving truth in a way you would appreciate, that my hands trembled with nervousness.”

This is the love Paul had for those he came to share the truth with. His trembling was not the fear that freezes. It was the trembling of a man who cared deeply about the people in front of him. When we truly care, and want with all our hearts to be a blessing to others, we will not take our task lightly. When our heart is in the work, we will feel as Paul did, afraid that our words and actions will not be enough.

And that is exactly where the blessing begins. The Jerusalem Bible says Paul came “far from relying on any power of my own.” It is when we rely on ourselves that we make a wreck of our work. Knowing you are not capable, in your own wisdom or strength, of the work the Lord has placed on your plate is enough to keep you safe in His hands and keep pride away from your heart.

Many a young minister has been ruined for his life’s work by the flattery of his congregation. He needs our honest encouragement and our prayers, but care is needed, especially with the young and with those who must guard themselves against pride.

The wise understand the personalities of those they speak with. A study of personality is a very good investment for anyone who wants to be a blessing in the work of the Lord. The more timid need building up, while the stronger sanguine and choleric may need a firmer word to be heard. Paul knew this: “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). Understand who you are speaking with, so you do not harm with words you intended as a blessing.

God answered Paul’s trembling right there in Corinth. One night the Lord spoke to him in a vision: “Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee” (Acts 18:9–10). The Father is with us too. He will give us our words and guide our willing tongues to say what is true. Our part is to care enough to tremble, and to trust Him enough to speak anyway.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 2:1–2

“And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:1–2, NIV)

The Remedy says Paul did not add to their confusion with theological jargon, “but instead, I presented the truth in simple language, so even the children could understand.” Paul was one of the most learned men of his day. He could have impressed them. He chose not to.

Keep your speech simple. Simple words leave room to listen, and they allow the listener to better share what is on their heart. Using big words can cause the timid soul to draw back or shut down for fear of making a fool of themselves. Listening is how we hear the heart of the one in front of us: who they are, and what events have shaped them into the person they have become. Everyone has a back story; it is what makes us who we are. Most of us learned to deal with pain and disappointment in our early years, at a time when we had no power over what came into our lives.

So our work is not to impress but to empower. We make people strong to grow and become more by showing them the One who has all the strength and wisdom, the One with all the answers. This was Christ’s own way: “The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 143)

And what was the simple truth Paul would not move away from? Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The Remedy calls it “the simple truth about God’s character of Love as revealed in Jesus Christ and his self-sacrificing death on the Cross.” Everything else Paul taught flows out of that one picture of who God is: Love that gives itself.

The simple truth lived out is our best witness. Words can be argued with, but a life whose selfishness His truth is healing cannot. When we let Him do that work in our hearts and minds, people see the true Savior, and there is no more powerful witness for the truth.

Lord, show us more of You. Flow through us and out to this sin-sick world. We need healing, and we need Your strength to be a blessing to each one who crosses our path today.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 11:16

“If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.” (1 Corinthians 11:16, NIV)

“Please don’t waste time arguing about this; this is the only healthy way to live, and that’s how all the churches of God understand it.” (The Remedy)

Paul closes the matter simply: if anyone wants to argue, we have no other practice.

The strongest point to understand is that new truth needs to be accepted in your own heart and mind. You cannot accept it for someone else. Settle it between yourself and God, and allow those you have influence over to see the example you set, but also to settle it for themselves.

Choosing the best way to live, for the happiest life here and eternal life to come, only makes sense. There are always those who will resist new knowledge, anything that changes or affects the way they have always done things. It is good to shake up your routine every so often; change is a good thing. You have an opportunity to create new habits which protect and grow your mind. You will have the chance to learn something new, dig into the reasons for the change, and discover even more about the Love of God and His natural laws. There are really no downsides to learning something new and embracing new things.

Wisdom must always be your guide. If you spend time with the Lord daily and plan your life around blessing others, then the new knowledge will easily fall into place in your life. You are already living with the angels, eating the food of heaven, the spiritual food the Lord provides each day; this is only a normal part of your life.

People new to the faith will still be learning how to live a life of faith centered on caring for others, ensuring you care well for yourself and your family, and unlearning old, useless habits that are no longer needed. All those things we did to protect ourselves or try to hide ourselves from God are outdated ways of coping that we no longer need.

The coverings we make for ourselves are often temporary and useless for the long haul. Adam and Eve, making their clothing out of fig leaves, were only temporarily covering themselves (Genesis 3:7). God gave them lasting clothes (Genesis 3:21) and the understanding of how to clothe themselves for the rest of their lives. His fix was one that worked indefinitely, as long as it needed to be done. Often what we do for ourselves is a temporary fix to stop the pain or embarrassment of the moment, not a long-term fix to heal the underlying cause or completely eradicate the need.

The life lived with Christ at its center is open, ready to be of service, but at the same time wise to know what service is best for each person in your life. The life of faith does not make you a powder puff, but a loving, kind, but wise and prudent person, a well-rounded personality who can be relied on.

There is no need to argue a point of truth with anyone. Settle it in your heart between yourself and God, then live your life, happy and content. Life is good—you are in His care.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 11:15

“…if a woman has long hair, it is her glory. For long hair is given to her as a covering.” (1 Corinthians 11:15, NIV)

“…it is beautiful and healthy for a woman to embrace her femininity and let her hair grow long.” (The Remedy)

Paul points to something God built into nature itself. Phillips calls it “the cover provided by nature for the woman’s head.”

The talents and what you have naturally from God—your hair, your womanhood, your story—are meant to be embraced. This is where you will find your true calling, that one thing in life that gives you your joy and your purpose. Begin looking for your truth in the natural gifts God has given you.

To embrace every part of your story. To be the complete woman God intended you to be—this is true fulfillment. Any ambition or activity that degrades the woman you are, or keeps you from expanding your talents, is not something you should pursue. Be the woman God made you to be; there true Joy is going to be found. Stepping out of His plan is never your best option.

Link your life to the people and activities that feed your heart, soul and body. Only you know what truly feeds you, what drives your energies and gives you the extra boost. Doing what you love is what allows you to meet every morning with a spring in your step. But before you can be doing it, you have to discover what “it” is—the thing you love to do.

This is only done by spending time with yourself, the Father and trusted friends who know you well. Your mornings belong to the Father; that early time is yours with Him alone. Your friends come and go throughout the day. Build relationships with the ones who will be there, who will support you as you grow and share in the discovery of “you.”

Feel free to explore anything that catches your interest. Open your mind to all the possibilities, then discover the one that really speaks to you. This is what living life is all about: becoming more, blessing others with the talents you have, discovering our amazing God. He is your very best resource and is always right beside you. Any moment of the day or night, you are always in His care.

So feel free to explore, develop and become more. This is the beginning of forever; you decide with every choice you make who you will be and where you will spend it.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 1:26–29

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards… But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise… so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:26–29, NIV)

The Remedy says God “purposely chose what appears to be the worst cases… to reveal the tremendous transforming power of His Remedy.” He does not choose the impressive. He chooses the broken, and then He shows the world what His Love can do.

Our minds and ways of thinking change as we allow the healing to happen. As we let the mind of Christ guide us, we begin to see what the world considers wise and strong as foolish and weak. Our view is above the world, and our strength comes from above the world. Our feet are strolling through heaven each day as we breathe the air of the angels and commune with the heavenly Father, knowing His angels guard our way as we go about the business of His Kingdom. Our joy comes from lifting another soul to the view of the glories of heaven.

Our food and water are not our worries; the Father has promised to supply all our needs. Simple angels’ food is our happy fare (Psalm 78:25). We are content with the portion the Lord has seen fit to give us, happy to do each day what providence brings. There is joy in the little things, because there is Love and wisdom in them. We are living under His wings, in His high tower, safe until the storm passes.

The Father is able to take all the broken, hurting, ruined parts of us and put us back together again, making us more than we could have been if we had never broken. He is able to turn all the bad in this world into a glorious victory. “All things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28). So there is no part of our selfish, sinful self we should hold back from Him. He can heal all the damage, what we have done to ourselves and what was done to us, and create a new and better life.

The contemptible, broken person is a diamond in the making. Unseen by human eyes, God sees the pressure applied. He knows the stability of the soul beneath the force; He can see the gem being formed. Each choice we make toward the good, moving our will toward the light, is all we must do. The rest is in our loving Father’s hands. We must only cooperate with the process and choose daily to remain in His care.

Our strength is small, but combined with His we can do anything. Our will is weak, but He can make us strong. Move into the Fires of Truth and Love, directly under the flow, and let them burn through all the useless shields we have built around our lives for protection and comfort. True comfort is found only in Christ and His Love.

I have told more of my own story of this in The Gift.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 1:30–31

“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God, that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 1:30–31, NIV)

The Remedy gives Paul’s last line a fresh turn: “If you want to brag and promote something, then brag about the Lord and promote the truth about Him.” Paul has spent a whole chapter showing that nothing we have is our own doing. So if we boast at all, it can only be in Him.

Everything we have and are comes out of the sacrifice Christ made for all humanity. He gave everything up and emptied Himself of all He was (Philippians 2:7), so that He could become a human being in our fallen world, as helpless as we are. But He overcame in the strength of His Father, and that same strength is available to us. We may draw on it freely.

The Fires of Truth and Love flowing from the Father are flooding into every dark place in this world. Our only hope is to remove our self-imposed blinders and let them burn through everything in us that is not of Him. This is done by choice: our will placed on the side of our choice, choosing with our minds, our hearts, and our actions. Then we have the strength to carry it through.

Weakness comes when we have not truly chosen. Our mind may say, “This is what I should do, what I want to do,” but we have not engaged our will. Then we are as weak as water; our good intentions last only until the first breeze of opposition. Without the strength of the Lord, we have no ability to follow through on our good choice.

So engage your heart’s will, and move forward in your choice. Set your world up to reach your goal while you are in the strength of the morning. As the day wears on, the precautions you put in place will give you a chance to stop the old habits and begin forming new ones.

The Lord and every angel in heaven are waiting for you to reach out in your weakness. They are here to hold you up and give you every encouragement to reach your goal. We have already won the victory. Now we are in a time of re-learning, undoing the hurtful habits we leaned on in our sin-sick lives. Let them go and find new habits, one choice at a time. Build up your mind, build up your body, and be strong in the Lord. Every choice counts.

Today is a new day, a new beginning. Life moves forward today, one choice at a time.