Self-centered living doesn’t feel all that bad, right? It might make us a little prideful, but at least our needs will be met and we won’t have to rely on everyone else. Paul anticipates that the Corinthians might think along those lines. So at the beginning of chapter 10, he makes a case against selfish, worldly living by using a biblical example—Israel.
Read 1 Corinthians 10:1–13, and pay special attention to verses 6–7.
1 I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, 7 or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” 8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.
9 Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. 10 And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. 11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
1 Corinthians 10:1–13 (NLT)
Can you summarize Israel’s problem in one sentence?
In every example Paul lists, Israel chose their selfish desires over God. Paul says Israel desired evil. They were idolaters. They were sexually immoral, they tested God, they complained about food. The end result of their selfish behavior was death.
Paul says Israel is an example of what not to do. Living selfishly leads to one thing: death. It kills us from the inside out. It poisons our relationships. It ruins our relationship with God.
But sometimes it feels like we can’t help but be selfish—as if self-centeredness is our only option. But it’s not. Paul doesn’t want the Corinthians—or us—to throw in the towel.
Re-read the verse in 1 Corinthians 10:13. What does this verse say about the temptation to be selfish?
What hope do we have?
What encourages you about this verse in terms of choosing to be selfless?
Paul admits that everyone will be tempted to be selfish. No one can escape it. But God has not abandoned us. With the presence of the Holy Spirit, we can withstand the temptation to be selfish. It’s possible to avoid repeating Israel’s history. The others-centered, selfless life of Jesus is within our grasp.
Read back through 1 Corinthians 10:13 three more times out loud.
Then write out a prayer asking God to help you identify when you’re being tempted to be selfish and to give you the strength to choose selflessness instead. Thank him for being with you and providing a way out, even in the toughest of temptations.
Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and/or share it as a comment below
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for looking after me and guiding me through my life and my journey to find you. Even when I was feeling most down and lonely. You were there for me when I asked for your help. You are so kind and gracious that I can just come to You for help at any time. Yet, sometimes I can’t help it but to be selfish. I can not fight the temptation with my own strength. So God I want to ask You to be my eyes. So that I can see the selfish temptations. Give me strength and courage to be selfless in when the temptation comes. I pray all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen🙏
God, I pray tonight to thank you for your continued grace for someone who derserves none. As you’ve revealed grace to the graceless, I pray you also reveal selflessness for when I’ve been selfish. Thank you for all that you reveal to provide me a path towards others away from myself. Being selfish is being human and I pray that you help me work with my humanity and my flaws to be selfless with others.