Dillon Community Church

Day 1: Worship That Honors God and Each Other

Devotional

When we gather to worship, it is easy to focus on ourselves. What we wear, how we feel, whether the music suits our taste. But worship was never meant to be about us. It was designed to point us toward God and draw us closer to one another. The believers in Corinth struggled with this. They brought the values of their culture into their worship, and it created division. Paul stepped in not to issue a list of rules, but to call them back to something deeper: honoring God and honoring each other. This is still the challenge today. We walk into our churches carrying the habits and attitudes of the world around us. Pride, comparison, indifference. And without realizing it, we can let those things shape how we worship. But here is the good news. God is not waiting for you to have the perfect outfit or the perfect attitude before He welcomes you. He loves you as you are. The invitation is simply to come with a heart that is focused on Him and open to the people around you. Worship is not a performance. It is a posture. And when we get that right, something beautiful happens in our communities.

Bible Verse

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31

Reflection Question

When you gather with other believers, what is your heart most focused on, and how might that be shaping the way you worship?

Quote

"True worship is more than just your attire or your hairstyle. It’s really focusing on God and not ourselves."

Prayer

Lord, help me to come before You with a heart that is truly focused on You and not on myself. Teach me what it means to worship in a way that honors You and the people around me. Amen.

Day 2: Freedom That Serves Others

Devotional

Freedom is a gift. In Christ, we are no longer bound by guilt, shame, or the need to earn our place before God. That is worth celebrating. But freedom can be misused. The women in Corinth who removed their head coverings were expressing a real truth: they were free in Christ. Their instinct was not wrong. But the way they expressed it was causing confusion and dishonor in the community. Their freedom was becoming a stumbling block. Paul had a consistent message throughout his letter to the Corinthians: your freedom is not just about you. It is meant to be used in love, for the benefit of others. This is a challenging idea in a world that tells us to live for ourselves. But the Gospel calls us to something different. It calls us to use our rights and freedoms in ways that build others up, not tear them down. You may have every right to do something. But the better question is: does it serve the people around you? Does it reflect the love of Christ? That is the standard Paul is pointing us toward, and it is the standard that transforms communities.

Bible Verse

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love." - Galatians 5:13

Reflection Question

Is there an area of your life where you are exercising your freedom in a way that may be more about yourself than about serving those around you?

Quote

"For Paul, the antidote for pride in the Corinthian church is selfless Christlike love, which modifies the freedoms and the rights of individuals so that the whole community is better served."

Prayer

Father, thank You for the freedom I have in Christ. Help me to use that freedom not for my own gain, but to love and serve the people You have placed in my life. Amen.

Day 3: We Need Each Other

Devotional

One of the quiet assumptions we carry into church is that faith is mostly a personal matter. Between me and God. Private, individual, self-contained. But Paul pushes back on that idea throughout 1 Corinthians. He reminds the church that men and women are not independent of one another. They are deeply interconnected, equally dependent, and equally called to reflect God’s image together. This is not just a theological point. It is deeply practical. The way you treat the person sitting next to you in worship matters. The way you speak to a fellow believer on a hard day matters. The way you show up for your community matters. God designed us to need each other. That is not a weakness. It is part of how He made us, and it is part of how He works in us. When we honor one another, we reflect something true about who He is. You are not alone in your faith. And the people around you are not optional extras in your spiritual life. They are part of how God shapes you, encourages you, and reveals Himself to you. Lean into that. Let it change how you see the people in your church community.

Bible Verse

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 3:28

Reflection Question

How might seeing your fellow believers as essential to your faith, rather than optional, change the way you engage with your church community?

Quote

"By respecting and honoring our fellow worshipers, we can bring glory to one another and to God."

Prayer

God, open my eyes to the people You have placed around me. Help me to see them not as background to my faith, but as gifts You have given me to grow, to serve, and to love. Amen.

Day 4: The Table Is for All of Us

Devotional

The Lord’s Supper is one of the most sacred moments in the life of a church. It is a reenactment of what Jesus did at His last meal with His disciples before He died. Bread broken. Cup poured out. A body given and blood shed for us. In Corinth, this holy moment had been corrupted. Wealthier members arrived early and ate without waiting for those who came late from long hours of work. What was meant to unite them had become a symbol of division. The table of grace had become a table of inequality. Paul was direct: if you come to this meal with indifference toward your brothers and sisters, it is not the Lord’s Supper at all. That is a sobering thought. But it is also an invitation. The table of Christ is not reserved for the put-together or the privileged. It is for all of us. Every person who comes in faith is welcome. And because of that, we are called to make sure everyone feels that welcome. When you take the bread and the cup, remember what it cost. And remember who else is sitting at the table with you. They belong there just as much as you do.

Bible Verse

"Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced." - Psalm 105:5

Reflection Question

When you participate in the Lord’s Supper, how aware are you of the people around you, and what would it look like to come to that table with greater intentionality toward your fellow believers?

Quote

"This is not a reserved only kind of supper. It is for all of us. It’s for all of us."

Prayer

Jesus, thank You for the gift of Your table. Help me to come to it with a heart full of gratitude for Your sacrifice and genuine love for every person who shares it with me. Amen.

Day 5: Love That Shows Up in the Room

Devotional

Throughout 1 Corinthians 11, Paul keeps returning to the same remedy for every problem in the Corinthian church: love. Not a feeling, but a practice. Not a sentiment, but a choice made in real moments with real people. The Corinthians had the Gospel. They had the teaching. They had the sacraments. But they were missing the most visible proof of all of it: the way they treated each other when they gathered together. Paul’s challenge is still ours. It is not enough to believe the right things about unity and love. Those beliefs have to show up in the room. In how we greet someone who is struggling. In how we make space for someone who feels like an outsider. In how we set aside our preferences for the good of the whole. This is what Christlike love looks like in practice. It is not dramatic or flashy. It is quiet, consistent, and deeply powerful. You have the opportunity every time you gather with other believers to make the love of Christ visible. That is not a burden. It is one of the greatest privileges of the Christian life. Show up for each other. The world is watching, and so is God.

Bible Verse

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." - Ephesians 5:21

Reflection Question

What is one specific, practical way you can show Christlike love to someone in your church community this week?

Quote

"Paul is urging unity in public worship. The Christlike love that is preached from the Gospel is translated into concrete practice within the church."

Prayer

Lord, let the love of Christ be visible in me, not just in what I believe, but in how I treat the people around me. Give me the courage and the humility to put others first. Amen.

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*Devotions written from sermon given by Dr. Judy Diehl and compiled using Sermon Shots.