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

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