I Corinthians 10:1-33
10:1 Metaphorically speaking: we are all under a cloud and passing through a sea. The sea is this earth and the way in which we pass through it is our decision. The cloud under which we live is spirituality. Rather than "watch" us, it learns us throughout our lives. Creation works to understand our impact on the earth and on humanity and because of its attentive nature, it knows us and our journey.
10:2-4 Spiritually, we delve into the same ways of thought. The core messages in every religious or spiritual text, the core messages taught through experience and nature are all derived from the same natural source. Yet many are hypocritical: teach, preach and demand standards that they themselves do not uphold in their personal lives or hearts. Paul teaches us to be authentic in our word and in expressing our values. Saying the right things is not equivalent with actually doing them.
10:5 The "cloud" in the first verse of this chapter is creation and creation's intention. We've spoken about creation's intention: compassion, love, life. We must be active proponents of the creation, promotion and defense of compassion, love and life. A small percentage of spiritual is taken into a person, what matters is how much that person puts back out into the world. God, divinity, creation is not pleased when its intention of goodness is thwarted. (And rather than read that as a threat, we should read it as a comfort: our creation will not settle for anything less than love.)
10:6-7 Throughout this sea we are each passing, there are experiences riddled throughout: our own and others's. We learn much from each. Experience is guided learning, given wisdom, if we are observant. The mistakes of others, rather than fodder for cruel judgement, can even be lessons for ourselves. Paul speaks of a great many of people who were hypocritical with their faith (and surely the same hypocrisy exists today). Simply attending church or memorizing bible verses, holding others up to high standards is not spirituality or faith. Paul speaks of people who, immediately after preaching or praying, would go back into life and neglect, ignore, contradict everything they claimed they stood for.
You cannot define your character with mere words. Your character is defined by how you live and what you life for. One need not know a single verse of scripture to have an authentic, compassionate, spiritual character. One need not sit in a single pew. Who you are is how you live.
10:8 Respect each other. Respect yourself. Your mind and soul and body is a complex series of miracles. You are the most unique and capable technology ever to be built. Humanity is an impossibility that has been made possible. Revel in the wonder and respect life, all life, for all that it is.
10:9 I think there is a common habit among humanity of tempting God. Although it is born perhaps innocently out of our inability to cope with difficulty, we must be able to redefine our world. Rather than view our lives as a series of hurdles and injustices, we must learn to recognize tumultuous periods as spiritual growth spurts... opportunities even!
How do we tempt God? We ask or even demand to see something or to have something from Him. This is particularly ironic because... well, His creation is all around us... has even allowed us to be. We have the ability to be pesky skeptics because He created us and allowed us to be!
God has painted a masterpiece for us. We are a masterpiece of His and yet so many ask: "Where are you? Do, make, show something to me so I can believe in you!" It's like if we did some amazing, lifelong work for someone we loved and they looked right past it and said: "I don't see anything..." or worse, it's like they do not even acknowledge us at all.
Many say: "God if you (do some specific desire)... then I will..." God has already done His work. He is in your life: present and alert and active. Rather than the: "God if you... then I will..." way of thought, live your life with this attitude instead: "God because you (have done so much)... I will...(because I have been taught, inspired, protected and lead)"
You may not notice His impact in yourself and this could be for several reasons:
10:2-4 Spiritually, we delve into the same ways of thought. The core messages in every religious or spiritual text, the core messages taught through experience and nature are all derived from the same natural source. Yet many are hypocritical: teach, preach and demand standards that they themselves do not uphold in their personal lives or hearts. Paul teaches us to be authentic in our word and in expressing our values. Saying the right things is not equivalent with actually doing them.
10:5 The "cloud" in the first verse of this chapter is creation and creation's intention. We've spoken about creation's intention: compassion, love, life. We must be active proponents of the creation, promotion and defense of compassion, love and life. A small percentage of spiritual is taken into a person, what matters is how much that person puts back out into the world. God, divinity, creation is not pleased when its intention of goodness is thwarted. (And rather than read that as a threat, we should read it as a comfort: our creation will not settle for anything less than love.)
10:6-7 Throughout this sea we are each passing, there are experiences riddled throughout: our own and others's. We learn much from each. Experience is guided learning, given wisdom, if we are observant. The mistakes of others, rather than fodder for cruel judgement, can even be lessons for ourselves. Paul speaks of a great many of people who were hypocritical with their faith (and surely the same hypocrisy exists today). Simply attending church or memorizing bible verses, holding others up to high standards is not spirituality or faith. Paul speaks of people who, immediately after preaching or praying, would go back into life and neglect, ignore, contradict everything they claimed they stood for.
You cannot define your character with mere words. Your character is defined by how you live and what you life for. One need not know a single verse of scripture to have an authentic, compassionate, spiritual character. One need not sit in a single pew. Who you are is how you live.
10:8 Respect each other. Respect yourself. Your mind and soul and body is a complex series of miracles. You are the most unique and capable technology ever to be built. Humanity is an impossibility that has been made possible. Revel in the wonder and respect life, all life, for all that it is.
10:9 I think there is a common habit among humanity of tempting God. Although it is born perhaps innocently out of our inability to cope with difficulty, we must be able to redefine our world. Rather than view our lives as a series of hurdles and injustices, we must learn to recognize tumultuous periods as spiritual growth spurts... opportunities even!
How do we tempt God? We ask or even demand to see something or to have something from Him. This is particularly ironic because... well, His creation is all around us... has even allowed us to be. We have the ability to be pesky skeptics because He created us and allowed us to be!
God has painted a masterpiece for us. We are a masterpiece of His and yet so many ask: "Where are you? Do, make, show something to me so I can believe in you!" It's like if we did some amazing, lifelong work for someone we loved and they looked right past it and said: "I don't see anything..." or worse, it's like they do not even acknowledge us at all.
Many say: "God if you (do some specific desire)... then I will..." God has already done His work. He is in your life: present and alert and active. Rather than the: "God if you... then I will..." way of thought, live your life with this attitude instead: "God because you (have done so much)... I will...(because I have been taught, inspired, protected and lead)"
You may not notice His impact in yourself and this could be for several reasons:
- You haven't looked: Even the eye with which you look at the world (a miracle) is a miracle. Notice divinity in nature and all around and within you.
- You haven't allowed Him in: your faith is the supply line. The more broad your trust is, the more God feels authorized to provide you with.
- You've thwarted His work: it is a mutual effort of spiritual and emotional growth. He provides the nourishment but if we do not absorb it, what benefit can it do for us?
- You've contradicted His work: You must actively uphold the values and intention of creation, life, love and compassion. Your every word, action, temperament, disposition is an impact on humanity. In every moment you must be precise and intentional toward your values.
10:10 I recently read a satirical piece which claimed that most of the world's oxygen was used by people complaining. What progression or productivity is born of complaint? Even worse than worrying is complaining. Problems are solvable by never through complaining: even if complaints result in the desired effect, it has been through the detriment of your character.
Be observant so that you understand all of the facets of your situation. Be articulate so that you are able to accurately, logically communicate your situation not just to others but to yourself. Understand that time is wasted by complaining; work productively on your situation to improve it. Honest and productive work will always result in growth and achievement (usually in more dynamic ways than we even could hope for).
10:11 Do not waste time complaining but also do not waste this opportunity of living alongside others. What one experiences, we are all able to experience, learn and grow from. We are able to see the resulting rewards and consequences of certain behaviors and choices... why relearn lessons which were already taught to us?
10:12 To life give your humility. Creation is our guide, our teacher, our parent and we are forever the sojourners, the students, the children of It. Realize that as a blessing and an opportunity and never let an arrogance thwart all that it has to offer us.
10:13 First and foremost: you are loved. You are not a mistake or a happenstance; creation planned for you, rejoiced in your birth, rejoices in your existence and hopes to forever hold you in its Hand. Your life and the circumstances of it are not a punishment.
That which you encounter and confront during your journey through this sea are opportunities. Creation knows your strength and your ability and allows life to prod and draw your best out of you. Every human knows that challenges arise in life (emotionally, spiritually, professionally, personally...) but here creation promises you that there will always be a tunnel to the light provided for you. Through every challenge there is an opportunity for growth and escape route into a better you and a better life.
Moreover, if you acknowledge it... if you access it and absorb it into your life, strength and courage will always be given to you to bolster you for the growth pains of growth spurts.
10:14-17 Paul speaks to us as the capable students of life that we are: recognize that we, humanity and creation are of the same material and intention. We flow in many directions of culture and thought but are of the same source. Recognize that we are of the rhythm of nature, nature as divinity and creation. We do not need to look any further than our own surroundings to see divinity at work within all life, including our own.
10:18-22 The lesson Paul is teaching is for us not to put our trust or reverence in anything but creation. We are led astray by greed and reverence of material and monetary possessions. What contributes to, has given, and promotes our lives is compassion, love and the creation of the two. If there is a demon it is greed and humanity serves it with its obsession with consumerism, desire for power and fame (values which destroy us). So often greed diminishes the value of life and the value of truth and justice. The desire for power and fame builds a superiority complex through which we lose our ability to perceive humility and spirituality; begin to neglect ourselves and others in order to maintain vapid desires.
Those things do not give us life. In fact, they most often result in the diminished quality and even loss of life.
Be observant so that you understand all of the facets of your situation. Be articulate so that you are able to accurately, logically communicate your situation not just to others but to yourself. Understand that time is wasted by complaining; work productively on your situation to improve it. Honest and productive work will always result in growth and achievement (usually in more dynamic ways than we even could hope for).
10:11 Do not waste time complaining but also do not waste this opportunity of living alongside others. What one experiences, we are all able to experience, learn and grow from. We are able to see the resulting rewards and consequences of certain behaviors and choices... why relearn lessons which were already taught to us?
10:12 To life give your humility. Creation is our guide, our teacher, our parent and we are forever the sojourners, the students, the children of It. Realize that as a blessing and an opportunity and never let an arrogance thwart all that it has to offer us.
10:13 First and foremost: you are loved. You are not a mistake or a happenstance; creation planned for you, rejoiced in your birth, rejoices in your existence and hopes to forever hold you in its Hand. Your life and the circumstances of it are not a punishment.
That which you encounter and confront during your journey through this sea are opportunities. Creation knows your strength and your ability and allows life to prod and draw your best out of you. Every human knows that challenges arise in life (emotionally, spiritually, professionally, personally...) but here creation promises you that there will always be a tunnel to the light provided for you. Through every challenge there is an opportunity for growth and escape route into a better you and a better life.
Moreover, if you acknowledge it... if you access it and absorb it into your life, strength and courage will always be given to you to bolster you for the growth pains of growth spurts.
10:14-17 Paul speaks to us as the capable students of life that we are: recognize that we, humanity and creation are of the same material and intention. We flow in many directions of culture and thought but are of the same source. Recognize that we are of the rhythm of nature, nature as divinity and creation. We do not need to look any further than our own surroundings to see divinity at work within all life, including our own.
10:18-22 The lesson Paul is teaching is for us not to put our trust or reverence in anything but creation. We are led astray by greed and reverence of material and monetary possessions. What contributes to, has given, and promotes our lives is compassion, love and the creation of the two. If there is a demon it is greed and humanity serves it with its obsession with consumerism, desire for power and fame (values which destroy us). So often greed diminishes the value of life and the value of truth and justice. The desire for power and fame builds a superiority complex through which we lose our ability to perceive humility and spirituality; begin to neglect ourselves and others in order to maintain vapid desires.
Those things do not give us life. In fact, they most often result in the diminished quality and even loss of life.
10:23 We are given freedom to express ourselves, yet we are not absolved for misusing it. We can make our own choices but our poor choices do not make us, they destroy us. Paul wants us to focus on consistently making the choices which contribute to our edification: our growth and strength and wisdom.
10:24 It has been my experience that prayers and actions spoken and done for others' benefit have been returned personally... tenfold. Magnified exponentially. A truly content and happy spirit understands that contentment and happiness comes from seeing those who we love most content and happy. Our prayers are given not to purchase happiness for ourselves but to ensure happiness for others.
After all, who could sit with a crown in a castle when through the windows those we love are in need? The most productive life lived is the life that is lived for others. The most meaningful and purposeful life is the life that is live for others. So many search for meaning and purpose when those things are abundant around us! We only truly realize that value of ourselves when we see what impact we can have on others. We are more readily able to love and respect ourselves when we see how instrumental we can be to humanity and the earth. Rather than mindless procurers of money, fame and power... we GIVE to the world. We create. We build and inspire things and relationships and emotions which did not or would not have existed without us.
10:25-26 Interpret this verse metaphorically: honest, solid opportunity is available in this world that is God's. This earth and all of humanity are God's, offered to you to shepherd, love and care for. Rather than live on the surface, delve deeply into life and into purpose. If you encounter it (a person, a job, an opportunity, a sea, a talent...) God has given it to you. What will you do with your gifts?
10:27-28 Do not get caught up in meaningless details. All around the world people observe and practice faith differently. Do not let those differences of expression mask a globally-held core belief in love and life. At the same time, never partake of anything fundamentally contradictory to your core held beliefs (just keep in mind that sometimes outward appearances or differences in language mask a mutual effort toward goodness).
10:29 Creation knows your intention behind everything that you do. No matter how you are judged or how you judge yourself, your intentions are known, spiritually. With a compassionate heart and a productive spirit, you can never be led astray.
10:30-31 Life with consistent, good intentions. Promote compassion and life and justice for all people without any prejudice. With humility devote yourself to being a student of life and an instrument of goodness. Doing that, your journey through this sea that is life, under the cloud which is Spirit, will be smooth, happy, productive, honest, authentic, guided and loved.
10:24 It has been my experience that prayers and actions spoken and done for others' benefit have been returned personally... tenfold. Magnified exponentially. A truly content and happy spirit understands that contentment and happiness comes from seeing those who we love most content and happy. Our prayers are given not to purchase happiness for ourselves but to ensure happiness for others.
After all, who could sit with a crown in a castle when through the windows those we love are in need? The most productive life lived is the life that is lived for others. The most meaningful and purposeful life is the life that is live for others. So many search for meaning and purpose when those things are abundant around us! We only truly realize that value of ourselves when we see what impact we can have on others. We are more readily able to love and respect ourselves when we see how instrumental we can be to humanity and the earth. Rather than mindless procurers of money, fame and power... we GIVE to the world. We create. We build and inspire things and relationships and emotions which did not or would not have existed without us.
10:25-26 Interpret this verse metaphorically: honest, solid opportunity is available in this world that is God's. This earth and all of humanity are God's, offered to you to shepherd, love and care for. Rather than live on the surface, delve deeply into life and into purpose. If you encounter it (a person, a job, an opportunity, a sea, a talent...) God has given it to you. What will you do with your gifts?
10:27-28 Do not get caught up in meaningless details. All around the world people observe and practice faith differently. Do not let those differences of expression mask a globally-held core belief in love and life. At the same time, never partake of anything fundamentally contradictory to your core held beliefs (just keep in mind that sometimes outward appearances or differences in language mask a mutual effort toward goodness).
10:29 Creation knows your intention behind everything that you do. No matter how you are judged or how you judge yourself, your intentions are known, spiritually. With a compassionate heart and a productive spirit, you can never be led astray.
10:30-31 Life with consistent, good intentions. Promote compassion and life and justice for all people without any prejudice. With humility devote yourself to being a student of life and an instrument of goodness. Doing that, your journey through this sea that is life, under the cloud which is Spirit, will be smooth, happy, productive, honest, authentic, guided and loved.
