Daily Devotional for Friday, August 29

Anathema

“If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha,” 1 Corinthians 16:22.

Sometimes, we are caught off guard and surprised. I definitely was one late afternoon fall day in Madison County, Arkansas. I was in my early twenties bowhunting for whitetail deer, sitting in a small half-ground blind. As I was peering through the lengthening shadows in the woods, I noticed a cat walking adjacent to me a few dozen yards away. As I watched this bobcat slither through the trees, I noticed the long tail. Let me repeat—the long tail. I soon was enthralled by seeing something that was not believed to exist in Arkansas—a cougar. As it exited my view, I realized what I saw and how vulnerable I was, so I decided to end my hunt early and head for the truck. I was not expecting to see that big cat there.

            As you come to the conclusion of the first letter to the Corinthians, you find an unexpected thing: a curse of sorts. Paul ends this letter by saying that if any person does not love the Lord Jesus, let him be accursed (Anathema). This seems so out of place, so contrary to the book that contains the love chapter. But here it is, completing this letter.

            What hope does the one who does not love Jesus have? He really does not have hope. He really does not have an expectation of blessing. All blessings and all goodness reside in Jesus Christ. Outside of Him, we are hopeless. It is a statement of fact more than a pronouncement of cursing. Remember, the good news begins with the bad news of sin, separation and death.

This ending should not surprise us but rather give a warning. Without Jesus, we have nothing. This is only a blessing to the one who heeds the warning and only a curse to the one who rejects it.

PRAYER

Father, may the accursed turn to Jesus for his blessing. Help us to point the way, amen.

Jason Rutherford