1 Corinthians 11:27-30 

²⁷ So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹ For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ³⁰ That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

Happily Married

Have you ever pondered if God has designed that married couples will be happy together? We agree that there are challenges in married life, but with God as the foundation of marriage, husband and wife can be happy together. Agree?

And one question that young people could be interested to be answered by happily married people is: “How did you know the right person for you to marry? How did you choose the right spouse for you? Did you have criteria to share?”

Some individuals marry the person they click, connect or relate with many things. Well, if the things you click, connect or relate together really matter in your life, great! If things are essential or important to sustain your married relationship, it is even greater! One person testified that he prayed for God-fearing woman to be his wife. And he never regretted when the Lord answered his prayer.

If you decided firmly in your heart that you prefer to be married, pray for stronger faith that whoever you marry will be the right spouse that God prepared for you to be married to, and don’t randomly choose anyone who may attract you.

In most cases in marriages, there will always be misunderstanding. Among relatives and friends, if not all relationships, problems happen. What can we do to resolve misunderstanding? Together, let us seriously reflect on what Jesus Christ declares in Matthew 18:19-20? ¹⁹Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.

Actually, Christ taught about forgiving each others before he declared this revelation. Meaning, when we seek forgiveness from another person and we pray together for solution of the confusion, the Holy Spirit of Christ intervenes. The open-secret of harmony in marriage depends on our relationship with Christ. The stronger we trust Christ, the better harmonious relationship we experience.

The love of Christ for his church is practically illustrated in the relationship of Christian husband and wife. Together, let us reflect on what is declares in

Ephesians 5:22-28, ²²Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. ²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

That is biblical prescription to harmonious relationship of Christian couple?

Expect that only Christians genuinely believe and practice prescription of God for husband and wife. We seek help from Christ to trust and obey his prescriptions.

Obedience to his instructions proves that Christ performed as Lord of our life.

If you are not married, just yet, but you have decided firmly that you prefer to be married later when the right time comes, seriously pray that Christ inspires you gladly follow this biblical prescription for husband and wife who’re Christians.

Christ is the head of the church. The church is the body of Christ. Church relationship with Christ is similar to married relationship of husband and wife who are Christians. We as church submit and serve Christ wholeheartedly. Likewise, Christian wives submit to husbands. And, Christian husbands love your wives sacrificially unconditionally, just as Christ loved and sacrificially died for us.

The Lord’s Supper celebration is remembrance of Christ’s sacrificial death. To avoid sinning against the body and blood of the Lord, we should partake in the Lord’s Supper celebration in worthy manner, otherwise refrain from it.

1.  Refrain

²⁷So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

Refrain from unworthy manner to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. It won’t serve as remembrance of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

What is unworthy manner that brings guilt of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ? The Corinthians celebrated the Lord Supper as if they celebrated holidays, birthdays or any special occasion. Some Corinthians brought their pack-lunch and ate with their own factions or groups, and they also disregarded other groups or those who did not bring their food during worship.

And what is worthy manner of eating the bread and drinking the cup of the Lord? When we eat the bread during Lord’s Supper, we testify that all our sins when his body was crucified. Our sins were crucified with Christ. The bread in the Lord’s Supper represents the body of Jesus Christ, and the cup represents his blood.  And when we drink the cup during Lord’s Supper, we testify that the Lord washed away our sins with the shed blood of Jesus on the cross.

Do you believe that your sins were crucified with Jesus, that the shed blood of Jesus washed away your sins, that you’re reconciled to God, that you died to sins and live for righteousness, and that you become the righteousness of God? All believers are significant parts the body of Christ. We partake together of the bread and the cup during Lord’s Supper celebration without discrimination.

Together now as body of Christ, let us seriously reflect on what it advises in Romans 12:3-5: ³Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

No Christian is more important than other Christians. Every Christian has unique function in the body of Christ, the church. And we belong to the church.

Joint Account

Our relationship with Christ as his church is comparable to husband and wife relationship. Someone may ask, “Should husband and wife agree to have Joint Account?” Even if you are not married yet, you may consider this carefully and advise someone else or for future references when you get married later.

 “Joint Account” has pros and cons. Moreover, joint account is practical expression of trust between husband and wife. If you trust each other, it is better for your relationship. Husband and wife should agree if they open a joint account or not. That’s right! They should not pressure anybody in their decision.

Money is easier to earn than trust. Does it guarantee that you can trust each other in your relationship if you can trust each other with your finances?

If you trust your spouse and consider joint account as practical expression, proof and confirmation your commitment to better relationship, pray about that.

Christ died for the church. Likewise, Christian husbands are expected to love their wives sacrificially that includes finances. The church submits to Christ. Likewise, Christian wives are expected to submit to their husband and that may include financial decision. Of course, you should decide who handles financial matters better. Husband and wife can but should agree about financial decisions.

Regarding financial concerns reflect on what it declares in 1 Samuel 2:7.

⁷The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.

Of all the material things we acquire, money is very important. We need money to sustain our lifestyle. It is by faith we trust God to give us ability to make wealth. And, he can easily give us ability to wisely manage our resources for his glory. This is why, pray that your spouse would prioritize the Lord, and you can expect that your joint account will be used for the glory of God and avoid worry.

So, if Christ sacrificially died for us to be saved, he designed fullness of life for obedient believers also. And to remind ourselves of his sacrificial love for us, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper regularly. During Lord’s Supper, we partake of the bread as part of his body, the church. We drink the cup as reminder that his shed blood washed our sins away, otherwise, it’s unworthy manner. Reflect on it.

2.  Reflect

²⁸Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 

What is it that we reflect upon before we eat the bread and drink the cup? What is it that we ought to examine ourselves before we partake in the Lord’s Supper? We reflect and ought to examine ourselves if we’ve faith in Jesus Christ.

It’s been interpreted that if Christians had recently committed sin or did not confess their sin, it’s unworthy manner for them to partake of the Lord Supper.

As Christians, we are not immune from sin. We can still commit sin from time to time as long as we’re still living in this earthly body. The unworthy manner to partake in the Lord’s Supper is disregard of his death. It is unworthy manner for someone to partake in the Lord’s Supper celebration but does not believe that our sins were crucified with Christ and his shed blood washed away our sins.

All our sins were crucified with Christ and his shed blood washed our sins away. That is biblical truth we believe so that God sees us as blameless and faultless in his eye. Now, if you still sense that sins are still controlling you and you still cherish your favorite sin in your heart, seriously ask forgiveness from God until you sense his peace. Peace from God confirms that he forgave us.

King David testified in Psalm 66:16-20, ¹⁶Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. ¹⁷I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. ¹⁸If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; ¹⁹but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. ²⁰Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

The Lord does not appreciate sin. Sin is disgusting to God. But when we confess our sins and seek his forgiveness, God is very quick to attend to our needs. Does the Scripture literally mention that sin disqualifies us from eating the bread and drinking the cup of the Lord’s Supper celebration? The worthy manner to partake in the Lord’s Supper celebration is to recognize the crucified body of Christ represented in the bread and his shed blood represented in the cup.

3.  Recognize

²⁹For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ³⁰ That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

The term “discern” is properly interpreted as “recognize.” We recognize and acknowledge the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross as payment for the penalty of our sins. We ought to judge and examine ourselves if sincerely believe that Christ carried all our sins on the cross and his shed blood washed away our sins. If we truly believe such biblical truth, then we died to sin and now, we live for righteousness. We should now follow Christ instead of our sinful inclination.

The terms “weak and sick” pertain to spiritual weakness that could result to physical or psychological illness, and “fallen asleep” pertains to physical death. Some Christians are spiritually weak because they have not fully conceptualized and not recognized that they had been freed from pressure of sin, guilt or shame.

Spiritually weak Christians are often swayed and tempted by sin. It shows that we’re growing mature spiritually when we seek help from God to avoid sin. The more we mature spiritually when we depend on God to avoid sinning.

And as we avoid sins, we grow spiritually mature; it practically shows that we died to sins, and we live for righteousness. Righteous life is godliness.

How do you personally understand godliness? Godliness is righteous life that the Lord prescribes for believers. We can grow spiritually strong and not spiritually weak when we prayerfully follow what God prescribes for righteous life.

Together, reflect on 1 Timothy 4:7-11, ⁷Train yourself to be godly. ⁸For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ⁹This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. ¹⁰That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. ¹¹Command and teach these things.

Have you already discovered that godliness holds promise for life on earth and not just our life in heaven? Be mindful and behave righteously and receive blessing inclusive to godliness. Do you often reflect that you are children of God? Do you often reflect that you are citizens of heaven and transients in this world? Our eternal residence is in heaven. We should be focused and prioritize the Lord.

Olympic Dream

An Olympian testified “As a kid, the coach asked me: ‘What’s your dream?’ I answered: ‘To win the Olympics!’” Olympians want to win but only a few win. Olympians who lost complained that tiredness and lack of sleep in the Olympic Village were reasons behind their poor performance. One Olympian had been spotted sleeping in the park after he complained of losing sleep in the village.

Similarly, we complain against circumstances in this life that may affect us. That is why we regularly celebrate the Lord’s Supper to remind ourselves that the Lord cares even our practical needs as much as he cares for our spiritual needs.

Our heavenly showed his great love for us when he sent his Son Jesus Christ and sacrificially died and saved us from eternal punishment in hell. Yet, we are still slow to interpret and conceptualize that godliness is perfect prescription of God to experience fullness of life even on earth. Let’s reflect on 2 Peter 1:5-9:

⁵Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

We should seek inspiration of the Holy Spirit to possess these qualities in increasing measure. “Increasing measure” implies growth. We have to keep on persevering in godliness as we wait for the return of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen!

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