Five Positive Principles for Powerful Living

 “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong, let all that you do be done with love”

(I Cor. 16:13 NKJV) 

Most of I Corinthians is in the form of rebuke and correction, but in the last chapter, Paul gave five great positives for powerful living.  The Corinthians needed these and so do we. 

1.  Be ALERT (watch).  This means to be awake, vigilant and alive.  It is the opposite of spiritual indifference and apathy.  We need to be alert against Satan who is always seeking an opportunity to infiltrate our lives.  Be alert to temptation.  Be alert to false teaching.  Be alert by loving and studying and living the words of God.

2.  Be FIRM (stand fast in the faith). Be firm in the content of the gospel once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).  Stand in the faith, fight the good fight of faith (I Cor. 15:1, Tim. 6:12).  Being firm in the faith means to be established in the truth and to judge all things by God's standards.

3.  Be MATURE (act like men).  Grow up!  The mature has control, confidence and courage.  He is not childish in spiritual things.  The spiritually mature has spiritual insight, emotional stability and relates well in personal relationships.  We are to "grow up in all aspects unto Him who is the head, even Christ" (Eph. 4:13, 15).

4.  BE STRONG.  "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might" (Eph 6:10).  Spiritual strength results from self-sacrifice, self-denial and self-discipline.  We are growing in strength as we use our strength, "being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might" )Col. 1:10-11).

5.  BE LOVING.  This is the most comprehensive of all, and with out it the others would make us crusty and harsh.  Love complements and balances everything.  It keeps firmness from becoming hardness; strength from being domineering; makes maturity gentle and keeps right doctrine from becoming dogmatism and right living from becoming smugness.

Five great principles for proper practice!

Clarence DeLoach