Today’s reading is 2 Corinthians 5
“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:6-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/2co.5.6-10.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” Is it possible to walk by faith instead of sight? How do we actually walk by Faith? Do we get certain nudges to stop what we are doing and call a friend? Not go forward with a deal we’ve been working on for a while? Not spend so much time with a person that tends to influence you away from God’s plan? Spend more time with a person that you truly love? Please pray that we and our friends chose faith over sight today. Please pray for the CLC lunch tomorrow at the Lodge at Ptree Pres on Roswell from 12-1. 

Today’s reading is 2 Corinthians 2
“When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia. But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2:12-16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/2co.2.12-16.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia”. CLC President, Dr. Craig Fry, highlighted this verse yesterday and it’s part of today’s reading. There are no coincidences in God. We talked about how even though God opened a door, Paul chose to leave because the Holy Spirit was not at peace. These decisions are very hard to make, but if we do not have peace about a choice, there may be another choice. Please pray that we and our friends seek God’s purpose today and enjoy His peace no matter the external circumstances. Please pray for the CLC lunch on Tuesday from 12-1 at the Lodge at Ptree Pres on Roswell Rd. in Atlanta. 

Today’s reading is 2 Corinthians 1
“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:8-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/2co.1.8-10.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead”. I’m pretty sure everyone reading this has gone through a period of life where there didn’t seem to be any hope. We’ve gone through those times and seen first hand how God’s gives us a peace to continue walking through them. The outcome may not be what we expected, but we know we can put our eternal hope in Him who gives us life eternally. Please pray that we and our friends seek community in our troubled times and seek to be a community for others during their times of turmoil. Please pray for Carla Miles as she speaks to the CLC men on Tuesday in Buckhead. 

Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 16
“Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity. Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭16:12-14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/1co.16.12-14.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” Is it possible to stand firm in the Faith and also do everything in love? I have a lot of conversations around this topic because many people think certain parts of the Bible are not loving. When you don’t give your kid a bowl of ice cream before supper, they don’t feel loved. Are you doing it in love or because you want to be mean? God wants the best for us and guides us in areas where we may naturally want to do something else. Please pray that we and our friends worship God today and not ourselves. Please pray for the CLC Buckhead lunch on Tuesday from 12-1. 

Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 15:33-58
“But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:35-38‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/1co.15.35-38.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies”. How does Jesus transform us while we are here on earth? He says in order to follow Him, we must deny ourselves, pick up our cross and then follow him. There is a order here in resurrection and on earth. Our selfish nature must be denied and die. This is very hard to do as we want God to polish up certain bad parts of us. However, He wants to rip them out instead and fill the void with His nature. Please pray that we and our friends pick up our cross in the areas where God wants us to let go. Please pray for the CLC Buckhead lunch next Tuesday from 12-1. 

Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 15:1-32
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:1-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/1co.15.1-4.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures”. Jesus wants to take away ALL separation between us and God. He has given us the ability to not be bound by sin in our lives. Sin in our lives is typically not something we see as evil. It’s so “effective” because it shows itself as leading to something good or else we wouldn’t keep falling for it. Please pray that we and our friends ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the areas of our lives where we our our trust in other things and not God. Please pray for the CLC Buckhead lunch series starting 1/31/17. 

Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 13
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:1-3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/1co.13.1-3.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing”. We can understand everything and know everything, but it doesn’t matter without love. This speaks volumes to me because I’ve always enjoyed great love from parents and loved ones, but I always thought people treasured knowledge over love. I thought if I could prove something by facts, I could convince them. To quote Covey again, “people don’t care how much you know, till they know how much you care”. How can you care about someone without being in a relationship with them? You can’t. Ken Boa says, “relationships are the currency of Heaven”. Please pray that we and our friends seek deep relationships with people. Please pray for Stacey Kessler. 

Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 12
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:12-20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/1co.12.12-20.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul’s says, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” We all have different unique gifts that make us who we are. Those gifts in a community of believers enable us to collectively be a part of God’s purpose. We are encouraged and also challenged when we are in a community of believers that lead us on the path with Jesus. Please pray that we and our friends lean on our fellow believers and also help our fellow believers today. Please pray for Gregg Sizemore’s group. 

Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 11:16-34
“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:27-32‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/1co.11.27-32.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” Do you hear, “do not judge” all the time? Does God not want us to judge or does He not want us to condemn? If He didn’t want us to judge, how would we know if we are doing something wrong? The world will ask Christians to suspend judgement on the sins it likes, but will demand judgement on the traits it doesn’t like and those traits are determined by the opinion of some instead of what God says. He gives us the ability to judge, but not to condemn. We all sin in someway and we need the judgement of ourselves and friends in love to realize our sin. However, only God truly knows someone’s heart so only He can condemn. Please pray that we and our friends use our ability to judge to lovingly help a friend. Please pray for Peyton Gully. 

Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 11:1-15
“Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:11-12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/1co.11.11-12.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman”. Marriage is a wonderful thing. The husband and wife are a unit. God gave us each other so we could be in relationship and express love. Bonni sees perspectives that I do not see and I value her advice on everything. The love that is created within marriage reaches into children and grandchildren. Please pray that we and our friends value our spouses today and thank God for them. Please pray for Chris and Ryan’s group.