Daily Devotional for Thursday, August 14

The Admonition Concerning this Gift

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints,” 1 Corinthians 14:33.

“It was like a three-ring circus in there. I could not keep up with all that was happening.” You might have heard that expression before about a three-ring circus but not really know what it means. Not many alive today have been able to witness an actual three-ring circus. This kind of circus had three centers of action. One ring might have tigers, the next jugglers and the third elephants. The point was simple: maximum entertainment and drawing the crowd back for another performance. We use the expression now to express a very busy atmosphere with way too much going on to really focus on any of it. My house has felt that way filled with so many children. Sometimes, I would step outside just to catch my breath.

            In Paul’s day, some of the churches felt like this as well. There was a lack of order and a lack of simplicity. With a misuse of some of the spiritual gifts and no controlling feature, it felt chaotic within the services. Paul demanded order in the services because God was not the author of confusion. He wrote to them saying one thing at a time, all in its proper order.

            Although not the same thing as a church service, we sometimes live a chaotic and confused life, lacking order and peace. We have too much happening all at once. Modern life makes us think that we can do all things and do all things today. That is not a healthy way to live over the long run. God is not the author of confusion in the church nor in your life. This means you may have to slow down. This may mean you have to make choices. This means you may have to say no to certain things. This is difficult but crucial to peace.

REFLECTION

Laziness is never godly, but neither is busyness necessarily a sign of godliness.

Jason Rutherford