1 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV) Charity is Not Natural

1 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV)

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Though modern translations prefer the word love, I have always found it interesting that the translators of the King James Version of the Bible chose the word charity instead.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia notes:

“The substantive agapē is mainly, if not exclusively, a biblical and ecclesiastical word, not found in profane writings… Jesus Christ gave the thing and the spirit in the church, and the apostles (probably Paul) invented the term to express it.”

That observation has led me to conclude that charity speaks of a unique kind of love—one Christians are to have for their church.

I want to reflect on the phrase, “thinketh no evil.” The word evil here carries the idea of what is harmful, injurious, or wrong. Thayer’s Dictionary defines it as “a mode of thinking, feeling, and acting.”

Here is something churches desperately need more of: an attitude that does not think, feel, or act in ways that harm the church—the body of Christ Jesus has placed us in.

This kind of charity is not natural. It cannot be manufactured by the flesh. It is either a gift of the Holy Ghost, or it is not real at all. Yet the implication of the text is that it is something we may seek from the Lord.

I can—and should—ask God not for tongues, not for miracles, not for signs, but for charity: a love for the church, and a desire to build up and bless rather than harm or injure the body where God has placed me.

#CharityNotSelf #ThinkethNoEvil #LoveTheLocalChurch #BiblicalCharity #BuildUpTheBody

Charity Is Not Natural: This One Phrase Explains So Much Church Conflict

If this passage challenged the way you think about the church, don’t just move on—engage with it. Visit marvinmckenzie.org for more Bible-centered teaching that strengthens faith and builds up the local church. Then, join the conversation below: how has learning to “thinketh no evil” changed the way you respond to others in church life? Your comment may be the very encouragement someone else needs today.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

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1 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV) Charity is Not Natural

 

1 Kings 4:29 (KJV) Wisdom Isn’t Enough

1 Kings 4:29 (KJV)

And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.

Much is made of King Solomon’s wisdom and understanding, but this passage also tells us that God gave him “largeness of heart.” Most of the commentaries I own say essentially the same thing—that this phrase simply re-emphasizes Solomon’s capacity for wisdom and understanding. I believe there is more here worth considering.

The word largeness simply means wide or roomy. Capacity captures the idea well.

The word heart has broad usage in Scripture. It can refer to the physical organ, but also to passion, desire, feeling, wisdom, and understanding. It can speak of one’s inclinations, reflections, convictions, and even moral character. Strong’s definition goes so far as to describe it as “the center of anything.”

May I suggest it means caring?

What good is wisdom and understanding without a large capacity to care for others? What good is the ability to lead without a thoughtful desire for the good of those being led? To what advantage is sound judgment if one lacks the moral character to use it for the benefit of others?

Solomon is not a perfect type of Christ, but in the matter of wisdom there are lessons worth noting. God gave Solomon more than the intellect to lead the nation—He gave him the heart to want to lead it well.

#LargenessOfHeart #GodGivenWisdom #BiblicalLeadership #HeartBeforeAbility #WisdomWithCompassion

Wisdom Isn’t Enough: The Missing Ingredient in Biblical Leadership

If this study challenged how you think about wisdom and leadership, take a moment to join the conversation below. I’d love to hear your thoughts: What do you think “largeness of heart” looks like in leadership today? Your response may help someone else see this passage more clearly.

For more Bible-centered teaching that digs deeper than the surface, visit marvinmckenzie.org—you’ll find resources designed to strengthen both understanding and heart.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 Kings 4:29 (KJV) Wisdom Isn’t Enough

 

1 Corinthians 11:8-9 (KJV) Before the Culture Wars

1 Corinthians 11:8-9 (KJV)

For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.

Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

I suppose I shall not, in this life, plumb the depths of the early segments of this chapter. I certainly have no intention of attempting it here. But I do see something in these two verses that blesses me.

Man is born of woman.

Woman was created for man.

The first is an observable fact as well as a biblical truth.

The latter is a biblical truth, even if it is not observable in every case.

There is not a man alive who does not owe his life to a woman. Yet women were created by God as the helpmeet of the man.

Rather than addressing modern debates, I want to stay with the text before us. Scripture teaches equality between the sexes. Men and women have different offices, duties, and functions within their roles in the family, as parents, and even within society—but neither is better, higher, or more important than the other.

#BibleOrder #CreatedWithPurpose #EqualInWorth #GodsDesign #ScriptureOverCulture

Before the Culture Wars: What the Bible Says About Gender Roles

If this passage helped you think more clearly about God’s design for the home, the church, and

society, I’d invite you to visit marvinmckenzie.org for Bible studies, teaching resources, and short

videos grounded in Scripture.

I’d also value hearing your thoughts—what stood out to you most in 1 Corinthians 11:8–9?

Thoughtful comments help sharpen understanding and encourage others who are reading along.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 Corinthians 11:8-9 (KJV) Before the Culture Wars

1 Kings 2:3 (KJV) Does God Really Promise Prosperity?

1 Kings 2:3 (KJV)

And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:

A common objection to this passage—and to others in the Bible that make the same promise—is that Christians don’t always “prosper in all that thou doest.”

The first thing I would say is that one would be wise to look around at those who are not Christians. There are plenty of them who do not prosper either. A life lived without Christ often leads to misery that is almost unimaginable. There are many unbelieving people who do well in the world, but I think an argument can be made that, at least in the Western world, this is often because they practice—perhaps unwittingly— biblical ways, statutes, commandments, and judgments. Many who do well in non-Western cultures do so in ways that are unethical and often cruel. Saddam Hussein might have been said to have prospered for a time, but it was not right.

I see the effects of drugs and alcohol, permissive sex, and even the ignorance of biblical values in the selection of an occupation and a mate, and I can say with confidence that those who do not follow the biblical pattern fare no better—and usually far worse.

And then let me say this: often the reason Christians do not prosper in all they do is because they do not

• walk in His ways,
• keep His statutes,
• His commandments,
• His judgments, and
• His testimonies

in all they do.

God’s Word is more than a suggestion. We cannot blame the plan for not working if we have not worked the plan.

Finally, I would like to say that Christians who have kept God’s Word—albeit never perfectly—really have prospered in many ways. Best of all, we have a reward awaiting us in eternity.

Never forget: God’s whole plan is about eternity!

#KeepTheCharge #WalkInHisWays #BiblicalProsperity #GodsPlanWorks #EternityMatters

Does God Really Promise Prosperity? If God’s Plan Works, Why Do So Many Christians Struggle?

If this passage challenged your thinking about prosperity, obedience, and eternity, I’d love to hear

from you. How do you define prosperity as a Christian? Leave a comment below and join the

conversation.

For more Bible-centered teaching that looks beyond this life and keeps eternity in view, visit

marvinmckenzie.org. Your response may help encourage someone else who’s walking the same

road.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 Kings 2:3 (KJV) Does God Really Promise Prosperity?

1 Corinthians 9:26 (KJV) Running With Certainty

1 Corinthians 9:26 (KJV)

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

There is a blending of faith and certainty that the unbeliever—and, frankly, some professing believers—simply do not understand. Paul explains it clearly.

The chapter begins with his defense of his position as an apostle. There were those who questioned it. Paul admitted that he was one born out of due time (1 Corinthians 15:8), and even today many debate whether he was the twelfth apostle, replacing Judas Iscariot, or whether that role belonged to Matthias.

From there, he speaks of his status as a single man, pointing out his liberty to marry, as Cephas (Peter) and other brethren did. He then moves to the subject of income.

Paul teaches that it is the Lord’s intent that those who minister the gospel should live of the gospel. It is absolutely appropriate and right for pastors to earn their living through the offerings of the church. Paul, however, chose not to receive that support. He poured himself into the ministry, running to obtain the prize of the high calling of God.

Here is the heart of it: he did so because he was certain of the prize. He lived by faith—confident of the outcome.

The Christian life is not guesswork. It is as certain—indeed, more certain—than the paycheck one receives at the end of the week.

#RunWithPurpose #FaithWithCertainty #NotBeatingTheAir #LivingByFaith #CertainOfThePrize

Running With Certainty: Biblical Faith Is Never a Gamble

The Christian life was never meant to be lived in uncertainty.
If Paul ran with purpose and fought with conviction, we should too.

Visit marvinmckenzie.org for Bible teaching that treats Scripture as settled truth—not guesswork.

In the comments: What helps you stay focused and certain in your walk with Christ—and where do you see believers today “beating the air”? Your answer may help someone else more than you realize.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 Corinthians 9:26 (KJV) Running With Certainty