What was wrong with the church in Corinth? They were behaving like humans. We’re supposed to be like Christ. We’re supposed to be walking in the Spirit, not in the flesh.

The particular behavior that Paul addresses is division in the church. He points out strife and jealousy.

They were dividing themselves into factions. That comes from pride. Paul says he’s nothing but the servant God appointed to use when He brought them to faith.

The truth is we are way more interconnected than we realize. You may get to pray with someone to lead them to Christ and feel like you’ve won someone for the Kingdom, when the reality is you were just a tiny blip in that person’s life.  God had been working on them for a decade, using many people to bring them to that point, and their grandma had been praying for them for two decades. Not to mention all those the Lord used in our lives to get us to the point where we’re sharing our faith and praying with people.

We rejoice that we belong to God. He’s chosen us and has made us one of His own. What a privilege to get to see God working when so often we don’t get to see how God is working through us.

How do we make sure our labors are ones that will last, that will withstand the day of testing?

We build with gold, not hay. We build with the incorruptible, not the corruptible. We build by Spirit, not by flesh. Basically, we let God do the work! Our own work is the work of man. It won’t last. We build in vain unless the Lord builds the house. We give our lives as a tool in God’s hands to do His masterful work.

When Paul says, “You are God’s temple,” that “you” is plural in Greek. We don’t destroy God’s temple. We build it up. We do that by letting God’s Spirit of love be poured through us continually. God offers Himself to us. Live in the free gift of His life in and through you!