1 Corinthians 11:23-24 (Amplified Bible) 23For I received from the Lord Himself that which I passed on to you [it was given to me personally], that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was treacherously delivered up and while His betrayal was in progress took bread,
24And when He had given thanks, He broke [it] and said, Take, eat. This is My body, which is broken for you. Do this to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance.
Notice that it reads "while His betrayal was in progress" He took the bread to break it. It was broken for His disciples and it is broken for us.
He is demonstrating His love for us each time we partake of communion. Before we take communion we are asked to examine our hearts and make things right with God. How many times is betrayal in progress in thoughts and actions of the heart and mind? It is important to stop and take a look at our heart's condition on a regular basis. How easy it is for us to head down our own path which will lead us away from Christ and His will.
Lord willing, in the next couple of days we will consider God's will for our lives, which, in a few words is to "follow Him".
How should Romans 5:8 and this passage in 1 Corinthians motivate us? Chris Tomlin give us some insight in his modernization of the old hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride
See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near and bless
Your name
Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all
Blessings,
Mike
mikesvotd.blogspot.com
24And when He had given thanks, He broke [it] and said, Take, eat. This is My body, which is broken for you. Do this to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance.
25Similarly when supper was ended, He took the cup also, saying, This cup is the new covenant [ratified and established] in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink [it], to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance.
26For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are representing and signifying and proclaiming the fact of the Lord's death until He comes [again].
27So then whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a way that is unworthy [of Him] will be guilty of [profaning and sinning against] the body and blood of the Lord.
28Let a man [thoroughly] examine himself, and [only when he has done] so should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29For anyone who eats and drinks without discriminating and recognizing with due appreciation that [it is Christ's] body, eats and drinks a sentence (a verdict of judgment) upon himself.
30That [careless and unworthy participation] is the reason many of you are weak and sickly, and quite enough of you have fallen into the sleep of death.
31For if we searchingly examined ourselves [detecting our shortcomings and recognizing our own condition], we should not be judged and penalty decreed [by the divine judgment].
32But when we [fall short and] are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined and chastened, so that we may not [finally] be condemned [to eternal punishment along] with the world.
33So then, my brothers, when you gather together to eat [the Lord's Supper], wait for one another.
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