by f ziamond | May 3, 2025
ThisVerseFitz relating to modern times, “Getting along with each other”, “Wisdom & Foolishness”, “Real Love”.
On this eighteenth Sunday of 2025, May 4, we enter the book of First Corinthians. All the way back to our second “ThisVerseFitz” is when we reviewed Second Corinthians. We’re backwards and spread apart but it feels right.
Second Corinthians
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he has many wise messages to provide. In chapter one, he hits on wisdom versus foolishness, the divisions in the church and the need for getting along with one another.
1 Corinthians 1:9-25 – “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ our Lord. – Divisions in the Church – I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgement. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas, Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. – Christ the Wisdom and Power of God – For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written. “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
1 Corinthians 2:9-10 – “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for this who love him” – These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.”
In chapter four, Paul explains who the ultimate judge is. At such a time as this, it “Fitz”. Many are quick to judge not knowing what the truth is. And the courts overflow with false accusations.
1 Corinthians 4:3-5 – “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgement before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
Chapter six goes into great detail about brother’s judging brothers, sexual immorality and lawful versus unlawful. Chapter six ends with a memorable verse.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, who you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
In chapter nine, Paul speaks of influencing and winning people over to direct them to the teachings. One funny and mentionable part is in the closing of chapter nine. Was anyone aware of running races and boxing back in Paul’s day? It is a relatable metaphor.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we are imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
So many of the books in the Bible warn against the evil of idolatry. Chapter ten mentions it as well. Idolatry, false idols and symbolism are still forefront today. One of the most quoted verses in chapter ten would be 31.
1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
In chapter eleven, Paul explains how to behave in the house of the Lord when it comes to eating, drinking, being respectful and self awareness.
1 Corinthians 11:21-22 – “For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No. I will not.”
Paul teaches what the true meaning of love is. He refers to it as “Agape”, meaning, selfless, unconditional, sacrificial love that seeks the good of the other regardless of their worthiness or response. All of chapter 13 is in relation to this.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – “If I speak the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful, it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things, Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 – “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you — unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.”
1 Corinthians 16:14 – “Let all that you do be done in love.”
“God Search in Words” works exactly as a normal “Word Search” with a somewhat higher level of difficulty given the Biblical terms. Once all the words are found, the leftover letters repeat a phrase 5.2 times (meaning the phrase is present 5 times and 2 letters of the phrase are left over). We call this the “AfterPuzzle”.
GodSearchInWords
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