Friday, January 30, 2026
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: 1 Corinthians 5-6
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 13
Key Verse
1 Corinthians 6:4 — “If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.”
Devotional Thought
Paul writes to the church at Corinth, and the situation he addresses is ugly. A man in the congregation is living in a sexual relationship with his father’s wife, and instead of grieving over this sin, the church has grown puffed up with pride. Paul does not soften his language. He calls them to purge out the old leaven, to put away the wicked person, and to stop dragging one another before unbelieving judges. Then he lifts his eyes to something deeper: the body is not for fornication but for the Lord, and the body of a believer is a temple of the Holy Ghost. You are not your own. You were bought with a price. In a culture that treats the body as a tool for personal gratification, this is a staggering claim. Your body belongs to Christ.
The Corinthians lived in a city famous for its temple prostitutes and its worship of Aphrodite. They knew what it meant to be surrounded by sexual temptation, and some of them were arguing that grace gave them license to do whatever they pleased. Paul answers with a decisive no. All things may be lawful, but not all things are expedient, and he refuses to be brought under the power of any appetite. The resurrection of the body matters here. God raised the Lord and will raise us up by His own power, so what we do with our bodies is not trivial. It is eternal in its significance. The same logic applies to lawsuits among believers: how can the saints who will one day judge angels be unable to settle a dispute between brothers?
Psalm 13 gives voice to the other side of the struggle. David cries out, “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever?” He is worn down by sorrow, taunted by enemies, and tempted to despair. Yet the psalm turns. David remembers the mercy of God, and his heart rejoices in salvation. That turn is not denial of pain; it is trust in the middle of pain. In late January, when the days are still short and the year has barely begun, we often feel the weight of both our own sin and the slow ache of waiting. Paul’s call to holiness and David’s cry for help belong together. The God who bought us with a price is the same God who hears us when we cry, “Consider and hear me.”
So what does this passage ask of us today? It asks us to take sin seriously, especially in the church, and to stop excusing what God calls evil. It asks us to honor our bodies as temples of the Holy Ghost, in what we watch, what we say, and how we treat one another. And it asks us to trust the mercy of God even when He seems silent. The leaven must be purged, but the feast is still kept, and it is kept with sincerity and truth because Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us.
Reflection
- Is there any “leaven” of unrepentant sin in your life or in your church fellowship that you have been excusing rather than grieving over?
- Do you treat your body as a temple of the Holy Ghost, or have you allowed some habit or appetite to bring you under its power?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You bought us with a price, and we are not our own. Forgive us for the ways we have excused sin, pampered our appetites, and treated our bodies as if they belonged to us rather than to You. Purge out the old leaven from our hearts and from our churches. Teach us to grieve over what grieves You and to flee what dishonors Your name. When we are tempted to despair, remind us of Your mercy. Lighten our eyes, O God, and let our hearts rejoice in Your salvation, for You have dealt bountifully with us. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 13:1 — “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?”