Passage of the Day:
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”[b] 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.[c] 18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.
Reflection:
Since I lived between Baltimore and Philadelphia for over 25 years, it wasn’t uncommon for me to come in contact with or work side by side a forthright individual. While blunt has replaced forthright in most cultures today, these people are direct, straightforward and painfully honest. Unfortunately, this quality has been looked down upon by many companies, often labeling these types of people as malcontent and outspoken. When a church was trying to sweep a major scandal under the proverbial rug, the apostle Paul doesn’t hold back about the spiritual repercussions of this sexual conduct. As a Christian, sometimes we need a forthright friend who holds us accountable when we start to slip away from the Lord and fall back into bad habits of our past.
Prayerful Action:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work, 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
Building Up Bible Believing Behavior:
Not many people like to play the bad guy, the cop or the enforcer in their family, neighborhood or place of work. Yet, if you aren’t forthright and tell people the truth, they might not know what they are doing is wrong. One New Testament author suggests that the words of the Bible are living and active, Hebrews 4:12. Meanwhile, the apostle Paul points to the Scriptures as a source of reference to let Christians know when and if they have strayed off the narrow path, Matthew 7:13-14. The one cavoite that you must be aware of in the context of being forthright, you need to get you own life under control before you point out the same flaws in another Christian’s life, Matthew 7:1-5.
Song of the Day:
The attached song suggests that it’s better to be forthright than to sit around gossiping behind another person’s back. While confrontation is often messy, make sure you strive to be forthright and honest in future conversations this month.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 