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Anchor

User-friendly devotionals with audio

  • 24 Apr

    Making Time for the Things That Matter

    Words from Jesus

    Audio length: 11:56
    Download Audio (10.9MB)

    Every day is filled with things to be thankful for. Some are obvious, others are veiled; some are spectacular, others are disguised as common occurrences—or even problems. Yet everything that comes your way is meant to be approached with praise and thanksgiving. As the apostle Paul wrote, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

    You can give thanks in every situation, because you have the sure knowledge that I will work in all things for your good no matter what the situation (Romans 8:28). Even when the outlook is bleak, you can trust that I am with you. And because I love you and have called you according to My good purposes, you can be confident that everything that comes your way will somehow fit within My plan of bringing to completion the good work I began in your life (Philippians 1:6).

    Take the time to acknowledge My work in your life and to recognize My presence through everything you face. Trust that I will fulfill My purpose for your life, and I will never forsake the work of My hands (Psalm 138:8). When you choose to be thankful in every situation, it will help you to adopt a positive approach to your work, the way you relate to others, and the way you react to circumstances and events. It will show in your attitude, in your decisions, and in your actions. My joy will become your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

    Make time for people

    It’s easy to become wrapped up in your immediate circumstances, as you deal with the cares and stresses of your life and work and other responsibilities, which can be difficult to keep up with. It can seem like there’s very little time for reaching out to others. But as My followers, you have been called and chosen to share My love with others and to shine My light to the world (Matthew 5:16).

    When I was on earth, I had only about three and a half years for My public ministry and to accomplish My mission. At times My disciples or others thought that the people I engaged with weren’t worthy of My time. I spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1–42) and a Roman centurion (Matthew 8:5–13). I noticed Zacchaeus—a despised tax collector—up in a tree and asked to spend the evening with him at his house (Luke 19:1–10).

    I invited the children to come to Me. I also took time to personally encourage thousands of others—conversations so numerous that they aren’t documented in the Gospels, yet each had an impact on someone’s life. You are also called to show love, kindness, and understanding to those around you throughout your day. 

    As you give of My love and care to others, you’ll find this giving of yourself will not be a sacrifice. As you give of what you have received, I have promised to pour forth My blessings to you in good measure until they are running over (Luke 6:38).

    Living life to the full

    So many people are content to just let life pass them by without seeking true meaning and purpose for their lives. They may be busy keeping up or trying to get ahead, or they may fill every spare moment with relaxing activities, while rarely pausing to ponder the deeper questions of life and eternal truths.

    The secret to knowing the truth that will set you free and living life to the full is found in living close to Me and remaining faithful to My teachings (John 8:31). Seek My presence and include Me in your daily life and activities, and look to My Word for guidance (Psalm 119:105). As you commit your life to Me, it will be filled with meaning and purpose. You will not only find My joy and fulfilment, but you will brighten the lives of those around you as you reflect My love and share My truth with them—the truth that can set them free (John 8:32).

    It starts by making a habit of taking time at the start of every day for prayer and communion with Me and My Word (Proverbs 8:17). Commit your day to Me and trust in Me to work throughout your day, whether you’re on the job, running errands, or with family and friends. You’ll find that life will be richer and more meaningful as you look to Me.

    Patience through the cycles

    There are cycles in life—times in which everything seems to go well, and times when things seem to go poorly or contrary to your wishes and hopes. I want you to learn to draw near to Me through each phase of the cycle.

    When you are faced with a new obstacle or problem, don’t let it discourage you and don’t worry that you won’t be able to overcome it. Problems can be the catalyst to cause you to call out to Me and to exercise your faith as you rise to meet the challenge.

    Each time you face a new test, you have to take up the challenge, call on Me for help, and once again overcome and grow in the process. So don’t look at the low points in your life as defeats, but rather as opportunities for Me to work in your life to make forward progress. I know it’s often difficult to go through these cycles, but trust Me that these times are needed to keep moving forward and growing in your faith.

    Making good judgment calls

    Throughout life, you will face a series of judgment calls, big and small, that affect your decisions and how you interact with people and how you invest your time. Nearly every day you have to make judgments about some situation or approach or cultural trend, and your opinions and decisions can have consequences for you and other people.

    I once told My critics, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24).What is right judgment? It is judging fairly and honestly, and applying the right principle to that particular situation. It often takes looking beyond the facts as you know them to see the hearts and true intentions of those involved.

    Before passing judgment, it’s important to remain impartial and get all sides of the story. The more informed you are, the better chance you will have of judging correctly. And it’s always wise, even in seemingly small matters, to come to Me and seek My guidance. I am the One who will judge the world at the end of days, so take the time to seek My wisdom and study My Word to make wise judgments and decisions.

    Seeking My thoughts

    What may seem logical to you in a particular situation may not be the way I see it, because “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8–9).

    For this reason, it is important to learn to commit all your ways to Me and seek My insight and guidance, and trust in Me with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5–7). Sometimes I will lead you to answers in My Word. Other times I may guide your thoughts until you reach the right conclusion, or through the advice of someone else. Not only am I able to guide you, but I am also able to give you the peace of mind and general sense of well-being that comes through a close walk with Me (Isaiah 26:3).

    So come to Me with all your weights and burdens and concerns. Come to Me with an open heart and open mind, and trust that I will sustain you and guide you throughout everything you face in life (Psalm 55:22).

    A meaningful life

    I want you to live a meaningful life—one that will make a difference in the lives of others. I came so that all who believe could have life—and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). You are ultimately responsible to make choices that will lead you to walk in My ways and will. It starts with committing your ways to Me and asking Me to direct your paths.

    Sometimes the process of making decisions can be challenging. You may have to wait and exercise patience to find My will. Circumstances change. People change. You change. However, no matter what you face, you can trust that I am with you and I am at work in your life as the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2).

    I created you. I have been with you from the beginning of your life and will be with you until the end. As you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me and My guidance for your life (Jeremiah 29:13).

    Published on Anchor April 2025. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky. Music by Michael Dooley.

  • Apr 22 Heavenbound
  • Apr 21 The Two Builders
  • Apr 17 The Glory of Easter
  • Apr 16 The Son Must Rise: What Made Easter Inevitable
  • Apr 14 Lessons from the Cross
  • Apr 11 A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break
  • Apr 10 Running the Race Set Before Us
  • Apr 8 Courageous Courage
  • Apr 3 Relations with Others
   

Directors’ Corner

Faith-building Bible studies and articles

  • 22 Apr

    1 Corinthians: Chapter 10 (verses 16–33)

    In the second half of 1 Corinthians 10, Paul begins by emphasizing to the Corinthians the incompatibility of participating in meals in pagan temples and participating in the Lord’s Supper.

    The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16).

    Paul’s first question addressed the cup of thanksgiving and the bread that they ate, using words similar to the accounts of the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26–28; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26). Drinking from the cup is a participation in the blood of Christ and eating the bread is a participation in the body of Christ. The word “participation” is also used in the New Testament to refer to our fellowship and communion with Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:9) and with one another (1 John 1:7).

    Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (1 Corinthians 10:17).

    Paul noted that though believers are many, they are one in body, and that this is true because there is one loaf of bread, representing the body of Christ, in which all partake. In Paul’s writing, one body is a technical phrase that refers to the spiritual union, both of members with Christ and with one another in Christ. In Romans, Paul wrote so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another (Romans 12:5). Since believers are in spiritual union with Christ, all believers share spiritual union with one another in Him.

    Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? (1 Corinthians 10:18)

    When giving thanksgiving or peace offerings in the Old Testament, the altar was a table on which food was sacrificed to God, and the priests ate from the offerings (Leviticus 6:17–18). Paul emphasized that those who ate such sacrifices took part in the spiritual significance of the altar of the temple. In the same way, those who partake of the Lord’s Supper fellowship with God.

    What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons (1 Corinthians 10:19–20).

    Paul had already argued earlier in this epistle that pagan religions are false and that their sacrifices aren’t made to true gods, as “an idol has no real existence,” and “there is no God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4).At the same time he had qualified that statement by saying that there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords” (1 Corinthians 8:5–6). In this verse Paul explained his meaning more fully. He implied that something supernatural is at work in pagan sacrifices, and these are ultimately offered to demons and not to God. Thus, when people sacrifice to idols, it cannot be assumed that they are engaging in a meaningless activity.

    Paul pointed out that pagans do not sacrifice to gods that Christians should fear, and in this sense, an idol is nothing and the food offered to idols is nothing. Yet, Paul affirmed that the sacrifices of pagans were made to demons, and he insisted that the Corinthian believers should not be participants with demons.

    You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons (1 Corinthians 10:21).

    Paul speaks again of the incompatibility of Christianity and idolatry. The “cup of the Lord” represents the communion that believers have with Christ through His sacrifice on the cross. It symbolized the blood of Christ, which was shed for the forgiveness of sins. This cup is a symbol of salvation. There were cases where Christians might eat what had been offered to idols without sin, such as when meat was sold in the marketplace. But this is not to be understood as extending to participation in pagan religious festivals involving idolatrous worship.

    Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? (1 Corinthians 10:22)

    Paul made this point clear when he proceeded to question if the Corinthians were seeking to provoke the Lord to jealousy, and if they considered themselves stronger than the Lord. God is portrayed in the Bible as a possessive husband (Jeremiah 31:32; Hosea 2:1–13). He requires loyalty of His people. The Corinthians were to stop the practice of idolatry as they risked incurring the wrath of God even as the Israelites did under Moses.

    “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor (1 Corinthians 10:23–24).

    Here Paul begins with a popular slogan among the Corinthians of the time that he has already mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6:12: All things are lawful. There is some truth in this slogan, as Christians have much freedom in Christ. However, the saying must be balanced, which Paul did when he added that not all things are helpful or beneficial. Paul limits the use of freedom here to things that benefit or build up the Christian community, and one’s actions to that which seeks the good of his neighbor. Earlier on, Paul had highlighted the principle that believers should not seek their own good but the good of others and the furtherance of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:19–23).

    Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof” (1 Corinthians 10:25–26).

    Paul taught that Christians may eat any meat they purchase in the market as long as the question of idolatry doesn’t come up. If the matter of sacrifice to idols came up, then believers should refrain from eating for the sake of others. In the meat markets of Greece, some meat was sold after being dedicated to an idol, while other meat had never been dedicated. This difference was not always made evident by the shopkeepers.

    The rabbis put restrictions on Jews who lived in pagan cities like Corinth, and they had to be sure that they bought meat only from shops that adhered to Jewish laws regarding food. But this was not Paul’s policy. His view was that believers could eat any meat without raising questions of whether it had been sacrificed to an idol. He quoted Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof,” to assert that God is the only true God of all things and that idols are insignificant. Believers could eat meat without being concerned with the meat’s history.

    If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience—I do not mean your conscience, but his (1 Corinthians 10:27–29a).

    After speaking of the marketplace, Paul turned to situations in which believers were guests in the homes of unbelievers. Christians may eat whatever they are served without being concerned about questions of conscience. However, if someone were to say that the meat had been offered in sacrifice to an idol, believers were not to eat on the ground of conscience—for the sake of the person who had told them. To eat under such circumstances could appear to be accepting of idolatry. According to this advice of the apostle, Christians should take care not to use their liberty to the detriment of others, or to their own reproach. In eating and drinking, and in all we do, we should aim at the glory of God, at pleasing and honoring Him.

    For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? (1 Corinthians 10:29b–30)

    Paul asks why he should do something that would allow his freedom to be judged by someone else’s conscience. Christians have the freedom to eat meat sacrificed to idols, but they shouldn’t use this freedom when it hurts the conscience of another. If an unbelieving host doesn’t mention the meat’s history, Christians are free to eat. Paul says Christians may give thanks for and eat meat which may have been sacrificed to idols. They can take part in the meal with thankfulness.

    So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, (1 Corinthians 10:31–32)

    Paul now summarizes his argument in this chapter. First, whether or not believers partake in food or drink, they must do it all for the glory of God. The main purpose of human beings is the glory of God; His honor should be the main concern of those who love Him. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (Deuteronomy 6:5).1

    Second, whether believers partake or not, they should not cause others to stumble or sin, nor should they hinder someone’s receptivity to the gospel. This concern for others applies to Jews, Greeks, and the church. Paul likely mentioned these groups because each of these raised different considerations. Both Jews and Greeks were unbelievers in Christ’s teachings, but each group had different standards and expectations. Moreover, the principle of love for neighbors must also extend to the church for yet other reasons.

    just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:33–11:1).

    Paul brought this section to its close by reminding his readers that he didn’t expect something from them that he himself was unwilling to do. He reminded them that he sought to please everybody in every way. He sought to serve others, not because he was seeking his own good, but rather he sought the good of many, or more specifically, that they may be saved. Paul’s commitment to the salvation of the lost led him to minimize his personal preferences and freedoms for the good of others.

    As a result of the consistency with which Paul fulfilled this service, he felt qualified to encourage the Corinthians to follow his example, even as he followed the example of Christ. Christ gave up His freedom and honor, humbling himself to the point of death on a cross, in order to save others (Philippians 2:5–8). Paul encouraged the Corinthians to remember Christ’s sacrifice as the model of love and concern for others. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Ephesians 4:32–5:1).

    Note
    Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    1 See also Matthew 22:37.

     

  • Apr 8 1 Corinthians: Chapter 10 (verses 1–15)
  • Mar 25 1 Corinthians: Chapter 9 (verses 18–27)
  • Mar 11 1 Corinthians: Chapter 9 (verses 1–17)
  • Feb 25 1 Corinthians: Chapter 8 (verses 1–13)
  • Feb 11 1 Corinthians: Chapter 7 (verses 17–40)
  • Jan 28 1 Corinthians: Chapter 7 (verses 1–16)
  • Jan 8 1 Corinthians: Chapter 6 (verses 1–20)
  • Dec 10 Practicing All the Virtues
  • Nov 26 Virtues for Christ-Followers: Self-control
   

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