To read: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
New Revised Standard Version Bible,I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.
copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
To think about:
My
car has a red light on the instrument panel that turns on when my gas tank level gets down low. With the car I had before, I could drive quite a distance after that light came on before I would run out of gas. With my current car, however, when that light comes on, it means I had better head for a gas station, pretty darn quick. You see, I know this from experience. Only once did I run out of gas. I learned my lesson as a result of that experience. And so now when that warning light comes on I head for the gas station.
Live and learn. Look at history and don't make the same mistakes. That is what the Apostle Paul is saying to the Corinthians. Your ancestors gave in to all of these different temptations and paid the price. So, you Corinthians, don't do the same thing. Learn from them. Paul uses history and God's promises to teach the Corinthian people about correct living.
Why should living day to day be any different for us today? So many people before us have succumbed to the temptations of living in this world. We ourselves have fallen prey to the temptations of life. Let us learn from the past and not do the same things. If we trust in ourselves then we will fall. So let us turn to the Lord when we are tempted, for Paul tells us in our text that God is faithful and with God there is a way out of the temptation.
But at times we do fall prey to temptation, don't we? And at those times let us still turn to the Lord. For Lent reminds us that Jesus suffered and died on the cross so that we might be made right with God, despite our sin.
I once ran out of gas and learned my lesson. What has happened in the past can aid us in our living today. Let the events of history serve as a warning to each of us. Beware of standing firm in yourself, but rather turn to the Lord in all things.
To pray:
Lord God, in all the things of life help me learn from my past mistakes and turn to you for help, strength, guidance and forgiveness. In Jesus I want to put my trust. Amen.
Northern Great Lakes Synod Council member
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Florence, Wisc.