Welcome to today's encouragement from our daily bread.

I'm Bill Crowder and I called our reading Space Race.

On July 29, 1955, the United States of America announced its intent to place satellites in space.

Soon after, the Soviet Union declared its plans to do the same.

The space race had begun.

The Soviets would launch the first satellite, Sputnik,

and placed the first human in space when Yuri Gagarin orbited our planet one time.

The race continued until on July 20, 1969,

Neil Armstrong's giant leap for mankind onto the surface of the moon

would unofficially end the competition.

A season of cooperation soon dawned, leading to the creation of the

International Space Station. Sometimes competition can be healthy, driving us to achieve things

that otherwise we might not have attempted. At other times, however, competition is destructive.

This was a problem in the church at Corinth, as different groups latched on to various church

leaders as their beacons of hope.

Paul sought to address that when he wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, neither the one who plants,

nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow, concluded

with, for we are co-workers. Co-workers, not competitors, and not just with one another, but with God

himself. Through his empowering and his guidance, we can serve together as fellow workers to advance the message of Jesus for His honor rather than our own.

Today's Our Daily Bread Devotional Scripture reading is from 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 3 through 9.

You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?

Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, I follow Paul and another I follow Apollus,

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