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Wednesday 26 December 2018

The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 of 15


The First Letter of St. Paul

 to 

The Corinthians

 Chapter 




6


¹ When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous,  instead of taking it before the saints.


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 1)


Oh God, my Father, I am sorry to say that I had to take my case to the Courts because when I tried to seek the support of the saints it was not fruitful. I pray that You forgive me but in my situation, I had no choice it was my sanity versus my sanctity.


² Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? ³ Do you not know that we are to judge angels to say nothing of ordinary matters?


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verses 2 to 3)



Oh God, my beloved Father, I am sorry to say, that when I was called by the Church tribunal when I was in conflict with my wife at the time of my final exams at University, I was literally judged and not understood for the situation that I was passing through. I, therefore, was compelled to go to the judges of the world for the good of my spirit body and soul Amen. I leave it to You my God and Fathe to judge if the move was for my good or not Amen. I know that separation in marriage is not positive, however, the choice was either that or my becoming mentally ill. Amen.


⁴ If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church?


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 4)



Oh God my Father when I spoke with those in the Church who have understanding in issues of family conflict, some showed understanding but others did not, therefore for my peace of mind I had to seek the support of the legal system. I leave it to You to judge if I was correct in my action, however really and truly I feel that I could not take it anymore. I prayed a lot on the issue but I know that You advocate in favour of my holistic well being and would not want to see me harmed or depressed Amen.


⁵ I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another, ⁶ but a believer goes to court against a believer-and before unbelievers at that?


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verses 5 to 6)


I also answer with shame, for in order to separate I had to go before the court of unbelievers and was treated as an unbeliever myself. However, in the situation, I was in there was no other option for it was a question of life or emotional and spiritual death Amen.



⁷ In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 7) 



Oh God my Father as You know I am one of many who had to file a case of separation against my wife and now she is filing the annulment of our marriage against me. I believe that both are sins against You, even though for me it meant the recovery of my psychological well being. I pray that You do not count this sin against us Amen.  


⁸ But you yourselves wrong and defraud-and believers at that.


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 8)



Oh God, my Father, the golden rule is always valid. Do not do to others what you do not wish others to do to you. However oh God my Father even though we wish to abide to this commandment our minds tell us to repay evil with evil. I pray that You take control of us during such delicate moments Amen.


⁹ Do you know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, ¹⁰ thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers-none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.



(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verses 9 to 10)



Oh God my Father in this list You could have added more classes of sinners, however if we look deep down into ourselves we will find our sins added to this long list. I pray that You give us eternal healing from our sins Amen.



¹¹ And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 



(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 11)


Oh blessed be Your mighty name oh God and Father. I thank You for doing such blessed things for us, for we are not worthy of being sanctified and justified. These blessings and virtues are very positive to remember especially when the world makes us feel sinful guilty and even bad Amen.
 
 
¹² "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything.


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 12)


Oh God my Father as a law-abiding citizen I am bound to obey what the law says, however when that same law compels me to behave in such a way that makes me go against Your ways I am freed from obeying such laws Amen. I prefer to be judged for not obeying the laws of the world, then for obeying them and be judged by You for going against the rules of heaven Amen. 


¹³ Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food." and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the LORD, and the Lord for the body.


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 13)


Oh God, my Father there is food that nourishes the body and food that nourishes the soul, however, we can also eat food that harms the body. I pray that my diet will always consist of the Word of God and of all that is of God and not of the sexual and immoral elements of the world Amen. I pray that You heal and purify me of my sins my God and Father Amen.


¹⁴ And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 14)


Oh brothers, and sisters God is our sole creator and as creator, he has authority over both the body and the soul. I pray that we keep this in mind especially during moments of crisis when taking our lives might become an item on our wish list or agenda Amen.


¹⁵ Do you know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 15)


Oh God my Father even though the Roman Catholic Church is composed of sinners awaiting salvation and love, I am happy to be a member of this Sacred body. I pray that I will never choose to become one with the prostitute of the world Amen.


¹⁶ Do you know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, "The two shall be one flesh."


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 16)


Oh God my Father when we become addicted to sin, we become at one with it and sin possesses our being so much that we transform ourselves into that sin or sinful act Amen. I pray for deliverance and protection my God and Father Amen.


¹⁷ But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 17)


I pray oh God my Father that we cling to You so that we become united in both body and spirit Amen.


¹⁸ Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself.


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 18)


Let us stop masturbating and seeing pornography, put an end to all kinds of addictions and vices, illicit relationships among others and turn our focus on God our Father who loves us with extreme love and is waiting for us to turn away from our sins so that even as newborn believers we can be part of the body of Christ Amen sharing of the blessings and glory of God.


¹⁹  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 19)


Oh, brothers and sisters, we are not of the world. God has given us the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. Our bodies have also been lent to us and there will come a day when it will be taken back, however, our souls remain alive forever. Therefore let us be aware that we have the responsibility of upkeeping the welfare of our soul, with the help of the same Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Amen.


²⁰ For you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body.


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 20)


Oh God, my Father, my salvation cost You a lot of pain and hardship, and I appreciate all that You have done for me and the price that You paid in full Amen.


I would, therefore, like to end this meditation on the 6th chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians with the following prayer.


Oh God, my Father, we have Your presence in us, however we are still prone to sin, because the struggle between our sinful selves versus the presence of the Holy Spirit is constant in us. I pray for support and more graces so that finally You can free us from our sinful selves so that we can share Your presence in fullness Amen.










Tuesday 17 July 2018

The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 5

 

The First Letter of St. Paul

 to 

The Corinthians

 Chapter 




5

 

 

¹ It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among pagans; for a man is living with his father's wife.


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 5 verse 1)


Oh God, my blessed Father, during our times as You well know many forms of sexual immorality are taking place, along with same-sex or gender marriages, among other related acts. Even though we do not deserve Your forgiveness my God and Father forgive us, for it is as if we are under a spell of sin and we are surely not aware of what we are doing Amen.



² And you are arrogant! Should you not rather have mourned, so that he who has done this would have been removed from among you?



(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 5 verse 2) 



Oh God my Father on meditating on this verse I imagine your reaction when the vote for divorce and same-sex marriage passed through parliament. I can only imagine that we are not even to think of such issues let alone approve them by law Amen. 



³ For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present I have already pronounced judgement ⁴ in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done such a thing. When you are assembled, and my spirit is present with the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵ you are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.




(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 5 verses 3 to 5) 




Oh God my Father instead of condemning such people it would be best to teach them with love and gentleness Your ways and attempt to save their souls, for if people commit immoral acts this may mean that they have witnessed a negative experience of such acts and copied them. Therefore we are to give a good example to such people so that the positive influence of our way of life, according to Your will may have a positive influence on such people in order to help them in changing their ways Amen. 



⁶ Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?  ⁷Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.

 

(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 5 verses 6  to 7)  




Oh God, my Father, may our boasting be in You and not in ourselves, for all the good skills and talents that we have are not our own but are given to us by You Amen. Therefore in truth, we have nothing to boast about but our sins which are truly ours Amen.



⁸ Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.




(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 5 verse 8)




Oh God, my Father, I pray that we celebrate You in Spirit and in truth. Moreover, I pray that You filter the celebration of the Eucharist or breaking of bread, from all the old practices that are not valid for our times, and let it be a celebration of joy. Therefore I invite all to celebrate the Holy Name of God and join me in this song and prayer credit to Sanders2378





 



⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral persons-¹⁰ not at all meaning the immoral of the world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since you would then need to go out of the world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber. Do not even eat with such a one. ¹² For what have I to do with judging those outside? Is it those who are inside that that you are to judge? ¹³ God will judge those outside. "Drive out the wicked persons from among you."


(The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 5 verses 9 to 13)



Oh God, my beloved Father, I thank You for raising my awareness with whom to associate and to be very choosy for not all people are healthy for me to be in their presence. Ideally, I am to relate with nobody because everybody is prone to sin and not always be a person of God. However as a social being, You made me a person of others and like Yourself, I am to live with others. However, in Your infinite wisdom, I pray for the good sense to be able to assess one person from another without passing judgement Amen.



Oh God my Father, I would like to end this meditation on the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians with the following prayer:-


Oh God my Father I pray for the right intention, perfect assessment in order to be able to choose whom to consider as being healthy friends. I pray that You help me to make the ideal decisions now and forever so that my choice of friends will be healthy for both the body and even more the soul Amen.