Being Right

Join us as we focus each day for nine weeks on a different part of 1 Corinthians 13.
Tuesday: It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

…knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 1 Corinthians 8:1b

Read: 1 Corinthians 8:1-6

Paul contrasts two seemingly good things—knowledge and love. But, knowledge without love just puffs up. It gives you that feeling that you ate way too much. Paul doesn’t say that people’s knowledge is wrong. He just doesn’t like the way they are using it. They are being right in the wrong way. They aren’t loving, and their rightness is causing pain, tearing others down and destroying relationships.

This happens all the time today. People want to be right and struggle to listen or be loving. Sometimes we think being right permits us to be rude or dismissive. Instead, we need to remember God loves others and died for them, so we should treat them with respect too. Perhaps we think being right means we can treat someone as if their worst moment defines them forever. Instead, we should remember that we have bad moments that we don’t want to define us. Maybe we focus on making statements that show how we are right. Instead, we should ask questions that show we value another person. Whether politics, theology or anything else—we should watch how we are often right in the wrong way.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Open to page 58 in your Culture of the Cross Journal. Write down where you are tempted to be right in the wrong way. Maybe it is a topic or a specific person you struggle with. How do you feel like you’ve blown it in the past? Write a prayer asking God to help you be loving in that situation instead of being right in the wrong way.

Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.