February 27: 1 Corinthians 11 27-32

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 11 28
Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.

Devotion:
Now and again we need to be reminded about why we have bread and wine as a commemoration of Christ on the cross. When we continue to celebrate mass or the Lord’s Supper week in week out, we tend to take things for granted and do not think as deeply about why we do this because it becomes a habit rather than our Holy Communion with God.

I’m not saying we should not celebrate the Lord’s Supper every week, but I am suggesting we take our time to think about why we are doing this each time. I am used to being told by the priest we should each think about whether we are worthy to come before God and partake of this recollection of what Jesus did for us; but I know I am guilty of not always stopping and thinking about my lifestyle and my ways before accepting the bread and wine…

Jesus sat with His disciples in the upper room and He broke the bread showing the disciples this was going to be a way of remembering what happened to Him, and similarly with the wine being a way of remembering how He allowed His own blood to be shed for us. He wanted them to remember what He was going to do and to think about their own lives and judge for themselves whether they had lived up to the promise they were making to follow Jesus and His ways.

Do we take life for granted and live it to the best, or do we take every day as a gift and live it for the best for God? We may think these are one and the same, and we may well mean it when we say it – but if the people around us take it as living the best for the worldly ways around them rather than the best for God, then we have reminded people of themselves instead of Christ. Our lives should be lived as a constant communion with God and our outward ways as a reflection of what Christ wants in our lives – that way people will be shown God’s ways and not our own ways...

Points to Ponder:
Do you live life to the full?

Does your life actually reflect Christ?