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“I'm Going to Sue You!”

Thoughts for Today:

In our passage today, Paul reveals his belief that some of the Corinthian believers were taking advantage of other members of the church. In other words, the lawsuits among believers reflected a predatory nature, versus the desire to simply seek what is fair and just. We also see by this example that trying to use the legal system for financial gain is not something that was invented recently -- even in Paul's day there were many abuses.

Paul's instruction to the Corinthians (and all believers) is to let the Church sort out these disputes rather than the secular legal system. However, the mere fact that Christians were suing each other says a great deal about what was wrong in the Church: "...that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already." The defeat Paul is speaking about is their general lack of ethical and moral fiber which has brought about the necessity of lawsuits in the first place.

I just want to be clear about one thing: While it is my belief that matters between church members should be settled by Church leadership (as it holds all parties to the higher Biblical standard of conduct), the one exception is criminal actions. For example, if a fellow believer breaks into your home and steals something, the police and judicial system must become involved because the laws of our society have been broken (however, Church disciplinary action should not be left out of the process).

Questions to Ponder:

Are you willing, for the sake of Jesus and His Kingdom, to be cheated rather than take your brother or sister to court? It's a really difficult lesson that Paul offers today. The Lord tells us that the only way to find greatness in His Kingdom and experience true and full joy, is to learn to be a servant. Are you willing to seek joy not for yourself, but in the promises of God?

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.