1 Corinthians 3:1-9 (NRSV)
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Chapter 3And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. Verse 2I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, Verse 3for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? Verse 4For when one says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely human?
Verse 5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. Verse 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Verse 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Verse 8The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. Verse 9For we are God's servants, working together; you are God's field, God's building.
Devotion
Fix your eyes on God, and happiness will find you, was the thought that ended yesterday’s devotion. "And just HOW exactly do I DO that?!" my college-aged self would have screamed. My Lutheran tradition has taught me that being overly concerned about the things WE do in our spiritual lives can distract us from paying attention to what God has done. Rightfully so. The Reformation started with focus on this very issue. And yet Martin Luther himself did not shy away from attention to the importance of spiritual disciplines or rituals.
Spiritual disciplines can be a wonderful way to feed ourselves "milk," as Paul says, basic nourishment for beginning a faith journey or for returning to the basics. A first step in "fixing your eyes on God" can be finding a Paul or Apollos—someone who you think has the God-given gift to plant or water seeds of faith. Follow their lead, and God will give the growth.
Prayer
Loving God, keep my heart tuned to the fact that a Paul or Apollos is not you, and spiritual disciplines are meant to lead my eyes to see more clearly how you feel about me and that you are my salvation. Amen.