Judge Them?

I'm currently reading through the book of 1 Corinthians, a chapter per day, for my devotionals. Today was chapter five, and I've got to say, I'm a bit taken aback. I'm not going to copy and paste the entire chapter here (even though it really isn't that long) so you need to go read it for yourself. Here's a link even.  
So in this chapter, which is part of a letter Paul is writing to the Corinthians, Paul tells these guys that they can't ignore what's going on in their own congregation. Paul basically says to throw them out so that the church family doesn't become comfortable with overlooking immorality. He says to JUDGE them! Whay?! Here are verses 12 and 13: "It is not my business to judge those who are not part of the church. God will judge them. But you must judge the people who are part of the church. The Scripture says, "You must get rid of the evil person among you." 

We have all grown up hearing, "Don't judge, it's God's job, not yours." But here, Paul says that we are to judge those in our congregation. To judge them in order to keep them accountable. We are all judged by God based on what we do know. Many people in the church just don't realize that being immoral, sexually or otherwise, is completely against God. This doesn't justify their actions, but it does give them a right to knowledge before being judged by God. Those in the church though, know that immorality is wrong, wrong, wrong, and we have a responsibility to keep them on track. 

I glanced ahead at chapter six and I've got to say, I can't wait until tomorrow to read up on that. I am loving getting back into my Bible!!

Happy Sabbath!

I Begin in the Middle

I begin in the middle, at least, that's how I think about it. It is really the end of a lot of things; nearing the end of my first year in college, the end of my carefree days, the end of days with no responsibilities. I now begin to have a life of my own, with responsibilities and choices that only I can take care of and make. It's a weird feeling, but I'm starting to get used to it.

I don't want to get used to the feeling however, that I can do whatever I want. I may be old enough, or far away enough from my parents to get away with a lot, but I have to remember that my body is not my own. It was bought for a price.

"For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."
1 Corinthians 6: 20

That is my aim for this blog: to constantly remind myself and anyone else who reads this; that we are NOT our own. We owe our lives to God, and we need to remember His ultimate goal for our lives: to one day be with Him. This is why I have chosen to name this blog "Not Mine Anyway." It's one of my favorite songs by JJ Heller, and this verse is something I am always reminding myself of when I get worn down with my daily life.

I pray that as I write and you read this blog, we will both discover things that we never knew about God and ourselves and just, life in general. It may be through the mundane, or talking to family, or hanging out with friends-- there is no limit to how God speaks to us.

Happy Sabbath!