DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR THURSDAY NOVEMBER 23:
DAILY BIBLE READING
1 Corinthians 4-6New King James Version (NKJV)
Stewards of the Mysteries of God
4 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the
mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found
faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by
you or by a human court.[a] In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I
know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who
judges me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the
Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and
reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from
God.
Fools for Christ's Sake
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and
Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is
written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the
other. 7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that
you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as
if you had not received it?
8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings
without us-and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign
with you! 9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as
men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both
to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise
in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we
are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we
are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with
our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13
being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the
offscouring of all things until now.
Paul's Paternal Care
14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I
warn you. 15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ,
yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you
through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me. 17 For this
reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the
Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in
every church.
18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I
will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word
of those who are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not
in word but in power. 21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod,
or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
Immorality Defiles the Church
5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and
such sexual immorality as is not even named[b] among the Gentiles-that a man
has his father's wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather
mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.
3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged
(as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit,
with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for
the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the
Lord Jesus.[c]
6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens
the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new
lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was
sacrificed for us.[d] 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old
leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Immorality Must Be Judged
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral
people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of
this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then
you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not
to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or
covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner-not
even to eat with such a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not
judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges.
Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person."[e]
Do Not Sue the Brethren
6 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the
unrighteous, and not before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints
will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you
unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall
judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then
you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint
those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5 I say this to your
shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who
will be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goes to law
against brother, and that before unbelievers!
7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law
against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not
rather let yourselves be cheated? 8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat,
and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the
unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,[f] nor
sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you.
But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
Glorify God in Body and Spirit
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things
are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13
Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both
it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and
the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also
raise us up by His power.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take
the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16
Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her?
For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh."[g] 17 But he who is
joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body,
but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do
you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,
whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at
a price; therefore glorify God in your body[h] and in your spirit, which are
God's.
Footnotes:
a.1 Corinthians 4:3 Literally day
b.1 Corinthians 5:1 NU-Text omits named.
c.1 Corinthians 5:5 NU-Text omits Jesus.
d.1 Corinthians 5:7 NU-Text omits for us.
e.1 Corinthians 5:13 Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19; 22:21, 24; 24:7
f.1 Corinthians 6:9 That is, catamites
g.1 Corinthians 6:16 Genesis 2:24
h.1 Corinthians 6:20 NU-Text ends the verse at body.
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James VersionR. Copyright C 1982 by Thomas
Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
