1 Corinthians 10 (7)

Pray Psalm 116.4-6.
Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.

Sing Psalm 116.4-6.
(Mit Freuden Zart: All Praise to God Who Reigns Above)
I called to God, “O LORD, I pray, my soul redeem with favor!”
The LORD is gracious in His way, and righteous is our Savior.
His mercy to the simple flies; He lifted me up to the skies—
I rest in Him forever!

Review 1 Corinthians 10.1-33; meditate on verse 31.

Preparation
1. When should we glorify the Lord?

2. How can we do that?

Meditation
This single verse summarizes the entire corpus of Paul’s writing: Do everything for the glory of God, to exalt His Name, advance His Kingdom, and turn the thoughts of others to Him. This is nearly the exact opposite of what was happening in Corinth within the believing community.

The Corinthians were not glorifying God—not displaying His goodness, truth, beauty, and grace—by their divisiveness (chapter 1), lackadaisical attitude toward the faith (chapter 3), insisting on their rights and freedoms to the detriment of others (chapters 5-9), and all the other ills Paul addressed to this point. If they could just “get it” that knowing Jesus is all about God and His glory, they would easily put their selfish interests and personal needs to one side and work harder at loving and edifying their neighbors.

We have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2.16). God has called us to His Kingdom and glory (1 Thess. 2.12), each of us in our own unique calling and condition (1 Cor. 7). We are not our own, but we belong to Christ (1 Cor. 6). If we want to flourish, to know the joy and pleasure of God in our salvation, to see others coming to Christ and growing in Him, and to strengthen the fellowship of Jesus among our fellow believers, we must seek the glory of God, give honor and praise to God, and offer the cup of thanksgiving and singing to God in everything we do.

What shall we render to the Lord for all the grace and goodness He has shown us? Glory and honor and praise and selfless devotion to His calling.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
After Solomon died, Rehoboam his son was made king. He had a spurt of almost doing the right thing when he consulted the elders and asked, “How do you advise me to answer these people?”

They were the people who had come to complain that Solomon had put a heavy burden upon them. Surprise, surprise: This is the very burden that God warned the people of when they whined to have a king (see 1 Samuel 8.10-17).

Anyway, I digress. The elders said to Rehoboam, “If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever” (1 Kgs. 12.1-15). But Rehoboam chose to listen to his friends who recommended treating the folks harshly, and it didn’t work out well, just like nothing ever does when we do it our way and not God’s way.

If only. We do not want this said about us: If only they had done what the Bible said, then their churches would have prospered, and many people would have come to know and serve Jesus, and all would give glory to God.

Wouldn’t it have been lovely for the people of Israel if Rehoboam had done the right thing? Wouldn’t it be lovely for the people in our Personal Mission Field if whether we were eating or drinking or raising our children or grocery shopping or coaching Little League or cleaning house or going to work or cutting the grass or driving our cars or going to the doctor or brushing our teeth, that more than anything, anything at all, we were doing it all to the glory of God?

“If we want to flourish, to know the joy and pleasure of God in our salvation, to see others coming to Christ and growing in Him, and to strengthen the fellowship of Jesus among our fellow believers, we must seek the glory of God, give honor and praise to God, and offer the cup of thanksgiving and singing to God in everything we do.”

“He who glories, let him glory in the LORD” (1 Cor. 1.31; Jer. 9.24).

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All praise we would render; O help us to see
’Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee!
(Walter C. Smith, 1867)

For reflection
1. Is glorifying God something you can plan for (Ps. 90.12)? Explain.

2. What role does prayer have in bringing glory to God in whatever we do?

3. How can you keep your focus on God so that you glorify Him in all things?

Lest they should think, that in so small a matter they should not be so careful to avoid blame, he teaches that there is no part of our life, and no action so minute, that it ought not to be directed to the glory of God, and that we must take care that, even in eating and drinking, we may aim at the advancement of it. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on 1 Corinthians 10.31

Pray Psalm 116.10-19.
Praise God and give Him thanks for the day ahead. Offer every detail of your day to Him and for His glory. Pray that God will help you fulfill your calling to His Kingdom and glory.

Sing Psalm 116.10-19.
(Mit Freuden Zart: All Praise to God Who Reigns Above)
Afflicted, I believe His Word, though lying men would undo me.
What shall I render to the LORD for all His blessings to me?
Salvation’s cup I lift above and call upon the God of love
and pay my vows most truly.

How sweet to Him when saints depart—make me, Your servant, Savior!
From sin You loosed my wand’ring heart; I praise Your Name forever!
On You I call, my vows to pay; here in Your Presence I would stay,
Your praise to offer ever.

T. M. and Susie Moore 

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available by clicking here.