Passage to Ponder: 1 Corinthians 10:1-11
These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.” -1 Corinthians 10:11 (NLT)
Have you ever studied the label on a jar of peanut butter? I noticed that other day that there is a warning label that says, “Caution: May contain peanuts.” Well, duh? I would hope so! I like to think that my peanut butter may contain peanuts. Now, I know that if you are allergic to peanuts it can be a matter of life and death. I get that. But, are we so dense that if the label tells us it is “Peanut Butter,” that we can’t figure out it may contain peanuts? (You’re probably thinking that Pastor Larry needs this quarantine to end soon.)
Hear me out on this. Think about this…every warning label on a product has a backstory! Somebody allergic to peanuts ate peanut butter thinking it didn’t have peanuts in it…ignored the big print on the front label that said “Peanut Butter” and didn’t read the ingredient list on the back label that begins with “peanuts.” That warning is there because someone was hurt and sued the maker of the product because there wasn’t a specific warning about a danger on the label.
Did you know there is a product warning label in your Bible? When you read about the history of Israel in the Old Testament, a pattern is easily seen. God calls His people to walk with Him. The people follow God for a little while and then stray. Hardship and misery fall upon them, just as God had warned. Eventually, things get so bad the people turn back to God. Things are good again for a little while. Then, the people stray again. On and on goes the cycle through the centuries. Generation after generation can’t seem to get it through their heads. The ingredient list for a blessed life is there for all to read. Yet, we keep ignoring it and do our own thing.
Finally, God included the “Caution: May contain peanuts” warning label in the New Testament. It is found in 1 Corinthians 10. Paul quickly recaps the history of the people of God. Read the first few verses of this chapter and note the common experiences the people of Israel shared. Paul uses the word “all” five times. Yet, most of the people kept going astray. Isaiah 53:6 points out, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own…” The warning label of 1 Corinthians 10:11 is clear. “These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.”
All of us are allergic to sin and need to heed the warning! Yes, we all are sinners. Just like the people of Israel, we have “strayed away.” The good news is that God welcomes you back in the forgiveness found in Jesus through His sacrificial death in your place on the cross. But, why intentionally put yourself through the trial that comes in straying?
Hear me out on this. Think about this…every warning label on a product has a backstory! Somebody allergic to peanuts ate peanut butter thinking it didn’t have peanuts in it…ignored the big print on the front label that said “Peanut Butter” and didn’t read the ingredient list on the back label that begins with “peanuts.” That warning is there because someone was hurt and sued the maker of the product because there wasn’t a specific warning about a danger on the label.
Did you know there is a product warning label in your Bible? When you read about the history of Israel in the Old Testament, a pattern is easily seen. God calls His people to walk with Him. The people follow God for a little while and then stray. Hardship and misery fall upon them, just as God had warned. Eventually, things get so bad the people turn back to God. Things are good again for a little while. Then, the people stray again. On and on goes the cycle through the centuries. Generation after generation can’t seem to get it through their heads. The ingredient list for a blessed life is there for all to read. Yet, we keep ignoring it and do our own thing.
Finally, God included the “Caution: May contain peanuts” warning label in the New Testament. It is found in 1 Corinthians 10. Paul quickly recaps the history of the people of God. Read the first few verses of this chapter and note the common experiences the people of Israel shared. Paul uses the word “all” five times. Yet, most of the people kept going astray. Isaiah 53:6 points out, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own…” The warning label of 1 Corinthians 10:11 is clear. “These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.”
All of us are allergic to sin and need to heed the warning! Yes, we all are sinners. Just like the people of Israel, we have “strayed away.” The good news is that God welcomes you back in the forgiveness found in Jesus through His sacrificial death in your place on the cross. But, why intentionally put yourself through the trial that comes in straying?
Love,
Pastor Larry
Pastor Larry
(This is from a series of devotionals written during our time of restricted meetings and activities due to the coronavirus.)
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