1 Corinthians 3:1-5 Not Ready for Solid Food
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: January 28, 2020 1 Corinthians 3:1-5
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.
(Understanding the Text) Paul is still telling the Corinthians that it is time to grow up. He says that they are quarreling like little children. He lets them know that their quarrelling has not separated them from Christ, but it is a sign of their stunted growth. Paul tells them that he has always spoken to them as though they were babies who could not understand higher-level lessons. Paul says that they are acting worldly rather than spiritually. He points out that their actions are the same as anyone who has never known Jesus.
Paul points out that it is human nature to have jealousy and strife. It is human nature to quarrel over who is the best. It is our human nature that tries to find identity and worth in another human, especially a famous human. However, it is spiritual to find our identity and worth in Jesus alone and to treat each other with loving respect.
Paul says that when we see the human who brought the message more than we see the message, we are babies. Paul points out that both he and Apollos were sent by the same Master. They brought the same message. The differences in delivery and style are irrelevant. They may have spoke of different lessons because they came to the Corinthians at different points in the Corinthians’ development, but in the end, the message differences are either insignificant style points, or they are just different aspects of the same message.
(Revelation of God) God gives different talents and tasks to His people. He nourishes us so that we can grow and be strong. It is only by focusing on Him that we will mature.
(Application / Prayer) The application for myself is that I should be careful about judging the message of the preachers that I don’t care for. Just because I don’t like their style or emphasis does not mean that they are not doing God’s work well. My other application is that when there is jealousy and quarreling among the people of the church, it isn’t a sign of not being saved. It is a sign of spiritual immaturity. They are not rejected by God, but they need to grow up. We grow up and gain spiritual maturity by depending on and trusting God to take care of all aspects of our lives. We gain spiritual maturity by knowing and trusting God. Dear God, help me to grow up and mature.