to be & do

1 Corinthians 16

13 Be on guard.

Stand true to what you believe.

Be courageous.

Be strong. 

14 And everything you do must be done with love.


The apostle, Paul, was writing a letter to the church at Corinth, a coastal city in Greece that was one of the major seats of commerce, very wealthy, very sophisticated, very sexual, very jaded.

Iow, a city like any in America today!

These two verses come at the end of his letter to the church. And you know how it is - when we're finishing up a letter,we try to cram a lot of last minute stuff in an effort to not forget anything.

And Paul was doing that here.


"Be on guard."

     There was all of kinds of evil going on in Corinth. Paul just was maybe reminding them to watch out.

     Maybe us too?


"Stand true to what you believe."

     Any Christ follower in Corinth had values, a lifestyle, & a way of thinking that was antithetical, the very direct opposite of the cultural& moral norms of the city. Paul was prolly reminding them to stay the course. And not give into the to present day Corinthian way of thinking about life.

     Maybe we should read & heed this, too?


"Be courageous."

     I would think it would be tough to live a holy life in such a place as Corinth, where pretty much anything was considered okay.

     Kinda like today, huh?

     Perhaps Paul was saying to not shrink from the world, but to embrace it & engage it with the truth in Jesus."


"Be strong."

     Maybe Paul was calling the Corinthians to call on strength from the Holy Spirit to be & do who God wanted them to be & do in a pretty crazy, sinful, overwhelming place.

     Hmmmmmm... maybe we should do the same?


"And everything you do must be done with love."

     Remember that being loving was not the default setting back then. It was just the opposite. It was all about looking out for # 1, stepping on & over people to get what they wanted, & little care & thought was given to anyone or anything that didn't directly affect their individual lives.

     To be & do things in a spirit of love, kindness, mercy, & care was looked upon as a sign of weakness, not of strength. But that what I believe Paul is indicating here - to be the essence of Jesus in a difficult place.

     And that's what God is calling us to be today, no matter where we are or what our circumstances.



Let's just think about this today as we move about our own Corinthian places.