Daily Dose of Hope

February 5, 2026

Scripture: I Corinthians 10

Prayer: Lord Jesus, We rejoice in you. We praise your name. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the one who was, and is, and is to come. We cannot possibly express our gratitude in words. You have offered us mercy but you have also given us freedom. Thank you for that. Help us live like free people. Help us demonstrate your love and grace to others who cross our path. Help us see people through your eyes. We love you, Lord. Amen.

Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that goes along with the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. We have been walking through Paul's letters and it has been challenging! We've made it through Galatians, I and II Thessalonians, and we are now in I Corinthians.

Our reading for today is I Corinthians 10. The chapter starts with story-telling from the exodus out of Egypt, mainly because these stories are critical learning experiences for God's people. What's fascinating is that Paul includes his Gentile audience in these stories. Look at verse 1, For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. Paul has stressed that as Christians they are not bound to the law. Despite that, they are now a part of God's people.

However, and this is critical, they are NOT to fall into the pattern of the Israelites or so many of those in Corinth. They are not to worship other gods, they are not to intimately involve themselves with those who oppose God's people, and they are not to question the goodness of God. They need to be careful. Temptation is there and they could easily fall into sin as their ancestors did.

Paul continues to write about freedoms. Yes, we have the right to do everything but that doesn't mean we should do everything. While we may have the right to do something, the biggest question to ask is, "Is this building up the body of Christ?" Paul emphasizes that while legalism isn't good, neither is it good to be overly permissive. There are times when we should curb our freedoms if it might harm a new Christian or hurt the witness of the Gospel

The bottom line is we need to think about our words and actions in every situation. I've been in small Christian gatherings in which certain members feel the need to loudly communicate their dislikes about a specific Christian ministry, another Christian church, or even a fellow believer. Now, thinking about Paul's reasoning, they have the freedom to do this but is it beneficial? Is it building up the body of Christ? What if there was someone in the group who was a new believer or on the fence about faith? How would such a discussion affect their faith journey?

Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

February 4, 2026

Scripture: I Corinthians 9

Prayer: Holy God, We come before you today rejoicing in your powerful name. Thank you for who you are and all you do. Thank you for loving us. Help us gather our scattered thoughts, help us set aside distractions, and truly focus on you right now. In these next few moments of silence, Lord, we want to hear your voice...In Your Name, Amen.

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

Our reading for today was I Corinthians 9. In this chapter, Paul continues his discussion on freedom in Christ. There were obviously those in the Corinthian church who were challenging Paul. We've talked about this in previous chapters-their view of Christian leadership was skewed. The Corinthians viewed strong church leaders as those who made known their authority by lording it over others. It was about power, reputation, and popularity. Paul is the exact opposite. He is saying that yes, he has freedoms and rights, but he doesn't abuse or misuse them.

Paul lists three rights/freedoms he has decided not to claim. The first was the right to food and drink, the second was the right to be accompanied by a wife, and the third was to be paid for his work as an apostle. He was a totally free man with rights but he intentionally chose not to use those rights. Paul did not want to be swayed by personal whims or desires. Rather, he wanted to be fully and totally focused on the Gospel. Indulging in these freedoms, while they are not bad things, might divert him from the purpose. Everything is about the mission for Paul and he didn't want to risk doing anything that could challenge his integrity and compromise the mission.

Paul is really committed to the cause. I'm not sure many of us would give up what he has freely chosen to give up. I'm struggling with this. I like good food, I'm married, and I get paid for my work as a pastor. Let's be clear, God does not require us to give these things up. But, we may decide there are certain things that get in the way of our service to the Lord. Only we can know what those things are.

One point that Paul makes is that by making these sacrifices, he is actually a stronger leader, not a lesser one. What is your view of Christian leadership? Are sacrifices essential to achieving the mission? What sacrifices have you made to share the Gospel of Jesus with others? How do you reconcile all of this?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

February 3, 2026

Scripture: I Corinthians 8

Prayer: Almighty God, you are so good. Thank you for your love, your mercy, and your forgiveness. How amazing it is that you care so much for me. You are my everything. Help me take my scattered thoughts this morning and focus on you and you alone. In these next few moments of silence, help me center myself on you...Holy Spirit, come and speak to me through your Word. In Your Name, Amen.

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

Today, our reading was I Corinthians 8. The Christians in the church at Corinth would have experienced a significant life change when they came to know Jesus. And this would have led to lots of questions. I want us to talk about the whole issue of meat sacrificed to idols and why this would have generated confusion in the church.

Meat wasn't typically consumed by the average person. They were vegetarians by necessity. Meat was just too expensive. But Corinth had many cults (dedicated to the Greek/Roman gods), which included animal sacrifices, and meetings at these cults would have been some of the only times that the average person would eat meat. These cult-like organizations were common experiences for many Corinthians, a part of their social and civic circle if you will. Even Christians, who only believed in the one true God and rejected the Greek/Roman gods, might participate in these organizations and consumed meat there.

What Paul is saying is that the meat being consumed at these events is kind of irrelevant. The meat is neither holy nor unholy – it's just meat. But being part of these cults is an issue. While those who are strong in their faith (possess knowledge is the phrase that Paul uses) may be able to attend these cult meals and not be affected by them, others who are weaker may very well be affected by them. Thus, Paul encourages those with stronger consciences to not participate simply so as not to confuse or negatively influence a weaker brother or sister.

This was not about doctrine but really more of a pastoral argument. We love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and we should refrain from this, not because it's inherently wrong, but because we love them and don't want them to stumble.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki