****This is actually from my blog on Shoutlife... I'm reposting it here b/c I'm going to continue the series and I no longer post much on Shoutlife****

First four notes, and the corresponding verses (from the ESV) in bold. My current comments after each.

I Cor. 16:13 - act like...
"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."

I like the command, 'Act like men'. We have this convoluted idea of how a man acts, but I submit to you that what the world thinks of how a man acts is more like how a boy acts... May I learn to act like a real man.

Matt 23:19 - If the altar sanctifies the gift, what of Christ?
"18 And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.'
19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?"

This verse is interesting... Christ is saying that it's the altar that has more importance than the gift, at least for the traditional sacrifices. It's possible that that's just because the altar is a type, a forward-looking toward the great sacrifice of Christ, and that Christ actually gives that altar it's value, but it's an interesting thought anyway...

I Cor. 11:3 - God's order of rank.
"But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God."

This is the 'chain of command'. We see Christ actually 'learn' obedience as a man. And men learn obedience to Christ and are blessed as they do. It's also a chain of responsibility... I obey Christ and I don't have to worry about the details. I simply do what I know he has told me to do.

I won't comment much on the wife's responsibility, but I do think she is blessed as she learns to obey her husband.

I Samuel 12:20-21 - God's forgiveness
20 And Samuel said to the people, "Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.
21 And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty.

God didn't turn from them when they disobeyed and asked for a king. Instead, he tells them not to turn. Complete forgiveness. Discipline, but forgiveness.


Well.. that's it for the first part. I'll probably get quite a few blogs out of this, as I had a lot of references on that back page...