A Daily Path: Guided Devotions for Spiritual Journey

SATURDAY, 18 MAY 2024

TEXT: I CORINTHIANS 10:1-13

1: For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.

2: They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

3: They all ate the same spiritual food

4: and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

5: Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

6: Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.

7: Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”

8: We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.

9: We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.

10: And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

11: These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.

12: So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

13: No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

(New International Version Holy Bible)

TOPIC: LESSONS FROM HISTORY

Corinth was a multicultural community made up of Greeks, Italians, Jews and people from Asia Minor and other parts of the world. It also hosted a plethora of religions with their diverse gods.

The church in Corinth had to struggle with its own spiritual immaturity, arrogance, divisiveness, sexual misconduct, false teachers, spiritual compromises, etc. Thus, Paul reminded them about Israel's history of perpetual rebellion against God and His laws, with the attendant consequences.

If the Jews, the chosen people of God, were never spared whenever they rebelled against God and His laws, the Christians should never be deceived that they would be treated differently. However, there is still hope just as Paul concludes in verse 13.

Temptations will never leave us as long as we live on earth. But God has made available everything we need for a life of godliness and spiritual purity.

QUESTION: Do you know that when we refuse to learn from history we will continue repeating the same historical mistakes?

PRAYER: Dear Christ, help me to learn from the historical mistakes of Israel so that I will live above reproach, in Jesus name. Amen.