Do you have a junk drawer? If you do and it is anything like mine, you do not like to open it. My junk drawer overwhelms me. I do not like to see my mess. If someone happened to come over to my house, I particularly do not want them to open up my junk drawer. I do not want to see my own mess, let alone have anyone else look into my mess. And yet, the only way to address my mess and make it better is to open it, look through it, and deal with the mess. Our hiding our junk drawers is a small picture of how we operate as human beings. We do not like to address our "messes." We like to hide our mistakes and avoid them. We do not like to see areas where we have let sin get in the way. We try to tuck them away and pretend like they do not exist. Just like we have to open up our junk drawer and address our mess, we have to address our mistakes if we want to grow.
Paul taught us that it is essential for us to examine ourselves before we take the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians 11. In this chapter, he reminded readers that every time we practice the Lord's supper, we are "announcing the Lord's death until He comes again. He continued by saying that "anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord" (verse 27). According to Paul, we need to take seriously the state of our hearts before we partake in the Lord's supper. We can do this by examining ourselves (verse 28). When we examine ourselves, we can confess any sin in our lives and turn away from that sin. Only when we confess our sins can we move forward in our relationship with Him.
Examining ourselves is not just in preparation for taking the Lord's Supper. Examining ourselves is something we can do every day. As we examine ourselves, we can repent of anything displeasing to God in our lives and ask God to help us live differently. Confession is never easy, but it is always worth it. Confession leads to freedom and peace. Examine yourself before God today and find His forgiveness, peace, and freedom.
Take a few moments to examine your own heart. Pray and ask God to reveal anything in your life that is displeasing to Him. As you examine your heart, let go of anything that God reveals that displeases Him.
7 A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is made in God’s image and reflects God’s glory. And woman reflects man’s glory. 8 For the first man didn’t come from woman, but the first woman came from man. 9 And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man. 10 For this reason, and because the angels are watching, a woman should wear a covering on her head to show she is under authority.
11 But among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. 12 For although the first woman came from man, every other man was born from a woman, and everything comes from God.
13 Judge for yourselves. Is it right for a woman to pray to God in public without covering her head? 14 Isn’t it obvious that it’s disgraceful for a man to have long hair? 15 And isn’t long hair a woman’s pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering. 16 But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches.
Order at the Lord’s Supper
17 But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. 18 First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. 19 But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!
20 When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. 21 For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. 22 What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!
23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
33 So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. 34 If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.
