I Corinthians 3:1-9 (NRSV)
Read I Corinthians 3:1-9 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 3And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. Verse 2I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, Verse 3for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? Verse 4For when one says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely human?
Verse 5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. Verse 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Verse 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Verse 8The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. Verse 9For we are God's servants, working together; you are God's field, God's building.
Devotion
For those of us in the northern climes, there is not much gardening outside these days. In our home we keep some pots of geraniums indoors over the winter, ready to set outdoors in the spring. Others are planning what seeds they will plant when it warms up. In our planting and watering, Paul reminds us that it is God who gives the growth.
When there is quarreling or jealousy among us, I guess it is nothing new. Apparently they had those kinds of problems in the church in Corinth in the first century. What was the antidote for that poison? For Paul, it was to get our eyes off of our human personalities, and focus on the Lord Jesus. That is the best way to cultivate healthy church life and seasons of growth. What kind of seeds will you plant?
Prayer
Holy Spirit, inspire us to focus on the grace and love of Jesus at all times. Amen