2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Ezra 8:21-9:15 ESV, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 ESV, Psalm 31:1-8 ESV, Proverbs 21:1-2 ESV
Daily Verse: “For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.” (1 Cor. 5:3 ESV)
APEIMI (548): “This word means to go away, depart and hence to be absent (1 Cor. 5:3).”[i]
Go away.
Paul reminds the Corinthians that the Holy Spirit connects us even though apart. The church of Corinth overlooked a person of power’s sin, not reprimanding him because of his societal position. Influential people get away with things because others don’t want to cross them. After all, the good outweighs the bad. Jesus doesn’t care how much money people have; He looks at the heart.
Christ departed the earth, sending the Holy Spirit in His place. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus through faith, we tap into the spiritual network Christ offers.
Ron and I have a network of computers in our homes. From our garage, the center of our technological world, signals reverberate throughout the house. Sitting on my couch and writing on my laptop, the Wi-Fi connects me to our network’s central unit in the garage.
Signal strength matters.
When I connect to the router in our garage, I receive a strong connection because of my proximity. But if I sit across the street in the courtyard, I can’t connect. The distance between me and the router means I can’t pick up the signal.
We have the opportunity to get as close to Jesus as we want. Deciding to pursue Christ through scripture, hanging with other believers, and praying draws us closer to the router, strengthening our connection.
Paul’s walk with Christ made him extremely sensitive to Jesus’s Spirit. Knowing how much God’s heart breaks when we sin, Paul’s heart also broke. When we don’t acknowledge the sin in our lives, we can experience a break in connection with Jesus. Guilt keeps us from approaching the throne and asking for forgiveness.
Acknowledge the sin in your life, and lay it at the foot of the cross. Receive God’s grace and mercy as restoration comes from following Jesus.
[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 33) Thomas Nelson
