A warning from the beginning of a well-known televised sports program recently caught my eye:

The following program is a collection of stooges talking about happenings in the sports world. It is meant to be comedic [sic] informative. … There may be some “cuss” words because that’s how humans in the real world talk. … p.s. Don’t sue us.

It’s almost as American as baseball or apple pie — in a world where the dream is white picket fences on a green lawn, simmering resentment for another’s success, and bragging about our achievements pack out the stereotypical suburb better than charcoal grills on the fourth of July.

We are so very quick to see another’s success and want it for ourselves.

Some biblical phrases are worth building a life around. “The Lord is My Shepherd” (Psalm 23:1) or “God loved us and sent His Son” (1 John 4:10) come to mind. Because salvation in Christ is so central, verses like John 3:16 or Romans 5:8 have become life-defining for many. Others find purpose and direction in phrases like, “Do all to the glory of God” or “Preach the Word!”

Church life in first-century Corinth had a lasting impact. Paul met Aquila and Priscilla there and taught there for eighteen months. Persecution and Roman ambivalence marred those early days. Yet, the Corinthian church’s strength to endure persecution fostered a fatherly affection in Paul (1 Cor 4:14-16).