Daily Dose of Hope

February 2, 2026

Scripture: I Corinthians 7

Prayer: Dear Lord, After a hurried weekend, sometimes we rush into the week. Help us slow down and focus on you. Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and distractions. Help us have laser focus on you and your Word. Lord, in these next few moments of silence, we yearn to hear your still small voice...Come Holy Spirit and guide our reading, our interpretation, and our thoughts. In Your Name, Amen.

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

Today, our reading was I Corinthians 7. This whole discussion on marriage is interesting. Paul is not opposed to marriage but there is a certain tension in this chapter. He is genuinely concerned about those who marry and have families. There is the whole issue of not being totally and completely dedicated to God (because they are also dedicated to their spouse and children) but there is also a present distress that exists and may get worse.

At that time in Corinth, there was definite pressure being put on the Jews and increasing pressure on the new Christians. We know from reading history that intense persecution is on the horizon. Living in stable societies, rarely do we think much about the effect of persecution, warfare, and oppression on families. Paul was very right; those who were married with children would in fact suffer more. They would worry more about the safety and welfare of their children and it would be more difficult for them to pick up their lives and flee.

It was only fifteen years after Paul wrote this letter that Jerusalem was destroyed. What did the families do in such circumstances? I can't help but think about the fate of families in more recent conflicts-Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Nigeria, and Sudan. Spend some time in prayer for families across the globe who are dealing with warfare and persecution.

But there is another element in this chapter I want to try to address. Paul writes in v. 29-31, What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. There is definitely a sense that something is about to come to pass. Is Paul speaking about Jesus' second coming?

So, I did a little digging. It does appear that the event Paul is referring to is the coming of Christ. Bringing this up would have been incredible encouragement to the Corinthians. Because when Jesus comes the present form of this world will pass away and there will be a resurrection of believers. Think about it...if we thought that Jesus would return this week, and we knew that everything would change, that the Kingdom of God would become real and palpable and that all things would be made new, that would definitely change our perspective. The ordinary and familiar of Monday would feel totally different because we knew it was temporary. Paul is asking the Corinthians to think this way.

Of course, two thousand years later, we know that Jesus hasn't come and the world has not changed. But what would it be like for us to live with that perspective that Paul encourages? Maybe we don't worry so much about our present burdens and the everyday habits of life. Maybe we see everything through the lens of the coming Kingdom of God. What if we saw values, politics, relationships, and justice through the lens of the Kingdom? How would that change things for us?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

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