1 Corinthians 10:1-13
As Paul was talking in 1 Corinthians 10, these words caught my attention: "spiritual food," "spiritual drink," and most importantly, "spiritual Rock." And then, the last few words of verse 4 really hit me "that rock was Christ." That prompted me to ask Am I living like Christ is my rock? My immediate answer was Yes, absolutely. But then I stopped and really contemplated. Guess what? My answer changed to Most of the time, but not always. You see, the truth of the matter is that while I love and trust the Lord, there are still times when "Tami" takes the reins and tries to do things in her own strength. Whenever I do that, I'm not putting Christ first and letting Him be my rock.
So what does Christ being our spiritual Rock mean to you? How is that reflected in your day to day life? Tami W.
Oh, Ms. Tami, that was a good one.
I am in the midst of loosing my hair do to a auto-immune disease and "I" am doing everything possible to fight it, when I need to leave it all in God's hands and let him take care of every hair on my head. He is my rock and my foundation.
I feel the same way. I want to say that I totally trust God for everything. But the truth is I worry, a lot! Even to the point of suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. And I try to keep reminding myself that God has always gotten us through every struggle I or my family has ever faced. I do a great job of paying "lip service" to this, but truly struggle in my day to day dealings. I am trying a "new" method to working on my worry-prayer ;) Every time I find myself consumed with worry over something I stop and pray. Every time that thought pops into my head, I pray again. It isn't easy when you are home all day with 2 small kids, but for my own mental and spiritual health, I do it. So far it is really helping. Amazing, how we just need to follow Him :)
I love verse 12: "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." If I think I stand because of what I do, I WILL fall. Regardless of what I am doing or what I am going through, God gives me the strength to stand; whether I acknowledge that or not. Once again I am thankful for God's grace to cover those time where I try "going-it alone." And I never really understand why I try doing it my way....I always mess it up! :)
It is amazing what God can do. Sometimes he allows us to be tempted so we can learn from it and become stronger in him and in ourselves. Tests can help us learn more about God and about ourselves. God does not give us more than we can bear, even though sometimes we think that it is too much. I have even thought that at times, a lot of times. I have to pray and ask God for help and clarity and peace to know that it is his will and not mine be done.
I can see we all go through the same struggle and sometimes we try to take matters in our own hands instead of asking God to take them over. You know what? it is good when we realise that we fall short and that is why we have to keep in The Word and keep praying for as verse 13 says, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to hear it" (KJV). He is aware of our struggle and He will not allow anyone to pluck us from His hand so keep trusting in Him and live in hope for His return.
I am in the middle of a study called "the pursuit of holiness" by Jerry Bridges and he emphasises verse 12: "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." We really need to be on guard against the flesh and schemes of Satan, especially when we are helping another Christian that is going through a trial with sin, or we may become overconfident in our spiritual battles and find ourselves falling into sin also.
I think that we are all the same , we want to be able to say that we trust God totally , but we worry at the same time. When I do I try to remember that when you ask for Gods help , but have doubt in your heart that you wont recieve it . God has helped me and shown me His grace and blessings in many ways and many times recently. Yet sometimes I still want to let CJ take control , but I remind myself that I cannot do it that
I have to let go and let God. I like verse 13 that says that God will not let you be tested beyond your power to remain firm (good news Bible). He will give you the strength to endure it and provide you with a new way out . If that doesn't put your mind at ease I dont know what will!!
When I think about that "Spiritual Rock" which is Christ Jesus; I think that like a rock is strong and unmovable I am reminded that God's standards do not move or change to fit my circumstances! Christ will forgive but will not lower his standards to fit the way I want to live.
Tami,
Ouch! That is a reality check. No really, Christ being my Spiritual Rock means that I can depend on Him. He is my source! He will provide for my means. However, I too, fall short and give in to worry and concern. Being human sometimes I forget that I am a Believer til the end! I let self step in because "I can get it under control". The funny thing is that when I do that, step in and try to do it for myself, I fail. One would think that I would have learned by now, but I am not a bad as I used to be. But, when I step back and let God be God, it just falls into place. Everything is so easy!
Day to day, I ask God what I need to do. What does He want me to do?I start with Him as my focal point and when I get off balance, I re-focus by praying for His guidance. At the end of the day, I look to see where God moved for me. He always does something, no matter how small it may seem. Even if it is just waking me up or keeping me safe throughout the day. God shows me to trust in Him and give Him my all.
I am really learning for the first time about Christ being my spiritual rock. I know a lot of the old hymns and gospel sounds that talk about God being our sustainer and healer but over the last year he has truly shown me from the smallest area of my life to the largest that he truly is not only my foundation but source of life. My problem is not spending enough time with him in order for me to life like he is my foundation.