The Big Five

Day 237: 1 Corinthians 16:1-24

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.” - ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭16:13-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

These two verses have it all when it comes to practical advice for living as a Christian. I love these five so much that I pray them over my son every day. Here is how it breaks down:

On guard >> there are no off-days as Christians; we have to be ready

Stand on faith >> not on our own efforts, but Jesus’

Courageous >> we need to be brave and unintimidated by the world

Strong >> this is the same Greek word used for Jesus and John the Baptist as they grew up; I'd say we want what they had

Love >> wanting what is spiritually best for us and others (not just what we want)

On another note, the older I get, the more refreshing the ends of Paul's letters become to me. I love seeing the teams that God had given him in order to do ministry all across the Mediterranean. I'm also encouraged by the tone of endearment he gives. These weren't just people Paul had assembled to do his bidding. He saw them as family members worth sacrificing for, people he wanted to see thrive in their pursuit of Jesus.

Our challenge for today is to realize that we won't accomplish the above list of five without each other and our Advocate, Jesus.