Daily Dose of Hope

January 30, 2026

Scripture: I Corinthians 6

Prayer: Lord Jesus, We come before you this morning, thanking you for a new day. Lord, you are good and we rejoice in your holy and powerful name. As we begin our day, Lord, help us focus on you. Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on your Word and what you want us to learn today. We get so distracted and self-consumed. Forgive us for that, Lord. In these next few moments of silence, help us have laser focus on your voice... In Your Powerful Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. We have been journeying through Paul's letters. Today, we are continuing through our fourth pastoral letter, I Corinthians.

Today's reading is I Corinthians 6. Paul continues to press this issue: Jesus-followers should look different than the culture around them. Why were they allowing secular courts to decide issues that should have been worked out in the church? Why were they getting pulled into disputes that distracted them from the mission in the first place? And then Paul presents a list of wrongdoings which have no place in the church. He is imploring them, "You know better!" You've been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ. You are different now, new creations, so behave like it.

The second half of the chapter is the discussion about sexual misconduct in the church. Some of the Christians in Corinth were saying they had been freed from the law and now could do whatever they wanted. Remember, this was a very sexualized society. People from the church were still having sex with prostitutes and they were saying it was no big deal. Afterall, they weren't living under the law. Paul says that you were freed from the Law to love God and love others.

But the issue went deeper. The Corinthians were kind of like, "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die." They thought that their bodies were temporary and eventually God would be doing away with them, so who cares if they have some casual sex? It's just biology, just our bodies, right? Not our souls. So, what's the big deal? Well, Paul tells them what the big deal is.

The Corinthians believed in the immortality of the soul. But Christians believe in the resurrection of the body. Because the resurrection of the body is a core doctrine of the Christian faith, we take a very high view of the human body. Paul reminds them of this. The human body is sacred. God created you, God values you. We firmly believe that our soul and physical body are interconnected, we can't just separate the two so easily.

This is what Paul is saying: You can't have sex with someone and not become one flesh with them. You can't separate body and soul. Sex is not just biology; there's something deeply spiritual about it. Souls are connecting with one another.

I read this and it feels like Paul is in parent-mode. He is telling the Corinthians to remember who and whose they are! He even tells them he is ashamed of them. Two thousand years is a long time and yet people are still people. We aren't any better today; I do hope everyone realizes that. Yes, we think we are quite sophisticated. We think we are quite knowledgeable. But, just like the Corinthians, we still forget what it means to belong to Jesus. We still allow the values and temptations of the world to seep into our lives. How often we blend so neatly into the world around us.

How often have you believed the same lies that the Corinthians believed?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

January 29, 2026

Scripture: I Corinthians 5

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are currently journeying through Paul's letters. Right now, we are working our way through I Corinthians.

A significant problem in the church of Corinth was both sexual immorality and sexual deviancy, which simply underscored their shallow discipleship. Corinth was a port town that was home to the Temple of Aphrodite, a pagan temple with many, many prostitutes. Sexual immorality was rampant and almost a way of life in the city. To say that Corinth was a very sexualized society would be a massive understatement. It's estimated that one in every thirty people were prostitutes. You really see this when you visit there. It touches every area of their culture. So, it isn't surprising that the church was dealing with it. What the culture deals with seeps into the church and the church is tasked with figuring out how to deal with it based on God's truth. The apostle Paul was trying to develop a holy church, based on commitment to Jesus rather than the pagan gods and ways of being. We see the struggles over these first few chapters.

In chapter five, today's reading, Paul addresses a case of incest in the church, specifically a man sleeping with his father's wife (presumably his stepmother). While this might have been acceptable in Corinthian society, it is absolutely deplorable among God's people. This kind of behavior was forbidden in the Torah and that translated into the church. The people of Jesus were also supposed to seek holiness and sexual morality was part of that. They are the body of Christ.

The issue isn't just the incest – yes, that is really bad – but it's that there are no boundaries whatsoever for sexual behavior. And they are bringing those values, or lack thereof, into the church. God's people have to call sin what it is and recognize it as a problem. So, there was that. Paul is appalled - why does this not bother them? Their arrogance is hard to take.

Let's be real. This is just as much as issue in today's church as it was 2000 years ago in Corinth. Why don't we behave like the body of Christ, holy and blameless? We tolerate all kinds of stuff! Do we demonstrate the same kind of arrogance and complacence? Certainly something to think about.

I do want to at least touch on what Paul says at the very end of the chapter, verses 12-13, What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked person from among you." Basically, Christians are not called to judge those outside the church. If someone is not a Christ-follower, then we can't hold them to the same standards. They don't know any better really. But, those inside the church have to be held accountable. Paul is holding the Corinthians responsible for not dealing with the man having sex with his stepmother. That kind of sinfulness has no place in Jesus' church.

Now, if someone committed a sin and then was repentant, that would be a different story. Afterall, Jesus gives us all second chances and third chances and fourth chances. If someone is serious about forgiveness and wants to change, then the church welcomes them. If they are arrogant and refusing to change, that's when church accountability has to occur.

We struggle with this. Accountability in general is something we struggle with in our culture. What if this same situation were to happen at New Hope? It would be uncomfortable and awkward but I couldn't, as the pastor, allow this man to sit in the pew with his arm draped around his stepmom for all to see.

What other situations might also require a response?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

January 28, 2026

Scripture: I Corinthians 4

Prayer: Almighty Father, Thank you that your mercies are new every morning. Thank you, that no matter what this week has held, we can come to you and start over. We are grateful for your forgiveness. We are so very grateful for your care and your love. Help us, Lord, to set aside our distractions, to set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you right now. In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers... In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are currently journeying through Paul's letters. Right now, we are working our way through I Corinthians.

Today's reading was I Corinthians 4. You have to love the apostle Paul's sarcasm! He has really had it with the Corinthian church's arrogance. You see, they think they are mature, healthy, and effective. They think they have arrived. But Paul is making it quite clear: No, you have not! Why? Because they are worldly in their thinking, they are full of themselves, they have no desire to make sacrifices or suffer. They are comfortable, concerned more about status, popularity, and reputation than about serving Jesus.

This passage is always convicting for me. How mature are we? What would Paul think of us? Are we willing to make sacrifices for our faith or are we more concerned with comfort?

Paul makes this interesting argument that a servant is not greater than his master. The Corinthians clearly think they are better. Jesus said in Matthew 16:25,"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." Part of the Christian experience is giving up one's life, one's wants, one's desires, and even one's comfort, basically the things of this world, in exchange for the things of Jesus.

What things of this world might you still be holding onto? If you were to be brutally honest with yourself, can you relate to the Corinthians? Spend some time in prayer about this today. How might God be speaking to you through this chapter?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki