How to do your devotions:

Read the text two times.
Write your favorite verse.
Write one aspect of what God is like.
Write one aspect of how text describes you.
What lesson can I learn from this text?
Write out a prayer in response to the text.

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InterHigh Devotions Schedule for January 2010!

1 Corinthians 16:5-9

What are the factors that I consider most important in my decision-making process for my future plans?
What did Apostle Paul consider in making his future plans?  What are some experiences of God at work in my life that I need to consider in making my plans?
Even though Apostle Paul says many are opposed to him, he states that a great door for effective work has opened up to him as well.  What is the relationship between the work of the Gospel being carried on effectively and opposition?

1 Corinthians 15:1-2
“If you are not persevering in the Christian faith, this is evidence that you did not have saving faith in the first place.”
“The faith which collapses is the faith which has not thought things out and thought them through. For so many of us faith is a superficial thing. We tend to accept things because we are told them and to possess them merely at secondhand. If we undergo the agony of thought there may be much that we must discard, but what is left is really ours …

1 Corinthians 14:13-17
“The expression ‘my mind is unfruitful’ means that the mind does not intelligently share in the blessing of the man’s spirit. The mind (the nous) is that faculty involved in conscious, meaningful reasoning and understanding of thinking, reasoning person.”
“There is a proper place for the intellect in Christianity. In praying and singing, both the mind and the spirit are to be fully engaged. When we sing, we should also think about the meaning of the words. When we pour out our feelings to God in prayer, we should …

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Think about the life of Jesus based on this passage.  Reflect on how he perfectly fits the description of love.
How does my idea of what it means to love and to be loved compare with the description of love in this passage?
How is it possible for me to love others in this way (cf. Galatians 5:22-25)?
In what ways have I been loved by God and his people in terms of the specific way that this passage describes love?

1 Corinthians 12:2-3

What are some mute idols that influence and lead astray people today?
According to vv.2-3, Paul describes a pagan as someone following mute idols and a Christian as someone who can say “Jesus is Lord.”  Is there evidence of this kind of fundamental difference between my life and that of a pagan?  Does my life back up my confession that “Jesus is Lord?”

1 Corinthians 12:12-27
“‘You,’ he says, ‘are the body of Christ.’  There is tremendous thought here.  Christ is no longer in this world in the body; therefore if …

1 Corinthians 11:3-16
“This section focuses primarily on proper attitudes and conduct in worship, not on the marriage relationship or on the role of women in the church…If a believer’s actions offend members and could divide the church, then the believer should change his or her ways to promote church unity.  Paul told the women who were not wearing head coverings to wear them, not because it was a scriptural command, but because it kept the congregation from dividing over a petty issue that took people’s focus off Christ.”
“The covering …

1 Corinthians 10:23-24

How does Paul’s response to those who are saying “everything is permissible” show the proper basis for decision making in Christian life?  What are some examples of modern day people who still seek to experience maximum license in their behavior by considering everything “permissible” which has not been expressly prohibited by scripture?
By what criterion do I decide what is permissible in my life?

1 Corinthians 9:1-15

In what ways did Apostle Paul and Barnabas deny themselves of the many privileges which they themselves had a perfect right to claim?  Are there people who labor in the Lord on my behalf while denying themselves certain “rights” they can easily claim?
What are the subtle assumptions and thoughts through which some people end up having less appreciation for something because it’s free?  Do I fail to appreciate the gospel, the church, and spiritual leaders because they are freely given to me?

1 Corinthians 8:1-4

What kind of person gets puffed up because he has knowledge? Or, why would knowledge (which is a good thing) cause some to be puffed up?
Reflect on the contrast between knowledge that puffs up and love that builds up.  Have I been pursuing things that add value to my ego in some way, or have I been pursuing love that focuses on others?  What would it look like for a Christian to pursue knowledge in love?

1 Corinthians 7:4

How does v. 4 challenge the world’s notion of “my body is my own to do with as I please”?
What obligations do singles have towards God and towards their future spouses with respect to their bodies?

1 Cor 7:25-35

Are there some “concerns” that prevent me from having an “undivided devotion to the Lord”?
What is the relationship between the brevity of life and the life that Apostle Paul exhorts them to live as expressed in the phrases ‘live as if they had none’, ‘as if they did not’, ‘as if …

1 Corinthians 6:12

How does engaging in permissible but not beneficial behavior lead to being mastered?
What are some “permissible” behaviors or habits I am engaged in that may not be beneficial for me?

1 Corinthians 6:18

What can I learn about the best way to deal with sexual temptation?
What are some of current temptations I am facing from which I need to flee?

1 Corinthians 5:4-5
“‘Hand this man over to Satan’ referred to excommunication, not eternal destruction. Paul recommended excommunication with the aim that the man, desperate not to be shut out of the vital church community, would be shocked back to his senses.”

What does the course of action Apostle Paul instructs the Corinthians to take reveal about what is ultimately most important?  What is the extent of the measures necessary to attain this end?
What can we learn about what it takes to bring ourselves to repentance and what it takes to bring …

1 Corinthians 4:1-7

As a Christian, what kind of trust have I been given?
According to v.2, what is the crucial criterion for ministry? Is this in agreement with what I think is the crucial criterion for ministry?
How do I feel about the fact that God will one day bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts?  How does this passage discourage me from passing final judgment on another person or even myself?
What are the things that I received that I boast of as …

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

What characterizes spiritual infancy?
Why would “jealousy and quarreling” be a sign of being worldly?
What is God’s role, and what is the role of His servants?  How does clarity regarding God’s role and people’s roles help avoid the trap of worldliness that the Corinthians fell into?

1 Corinthians 2:10-14

How does one come to understand the things of God?
How do I feel about the fact that I have been given the Spirit of God, who searches all things, even the deep things of God, and that through him I “may understand what God has freely given us?”
How have I personally experienced the work of the Spirit of God in my life?

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

What is the wisdom of the world that finds the message of the cross foolish?
Are there values within me that make it hard for the message of the cross to become “the power of God and the wisdom of God” in my life?

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Think about my own journey.  What state was I in when the Gospel came to me? How do I feel when I think back to the state I was in when I was called? Do I agree with Paul that there is no reason …

Romans 16:1-16

List the characteristics of those people Apostle Paul greets here.  What picture of Christian discipleship and relationship do these qualities paint?
What were the conditions that created the depth of relationships pictured here?  What should be the basis of relationships in the church?
What can be inferred about the life of the early Christian community from the fact that though Apostle Paul had never been to the church at Rome, he had so many people there that he could greet with such personal references?
Note the many names of women that appear …

Romans 15:4-11

What is the final goal that the Roman Christians can achieve if they (Gentile and Jew; the “strong” and the “weak”) can learn to restrain their rights, and “accept one another”?
In what way does a deep desire to “with one heart and mouth … glorify God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (v. 6) push out the attitude of wanting to assert the rightness of my opinions, or engage in disputes over nonessential matters?
Is there some issue I am holding onto which has prevented me from joining with …