1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--their Lord and ours:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way - in all your speaking and in all your knowledge - because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
I realize that not everyone is as enamored with Paul as I am, and I admit it took me a long time to get where I am at, but I absolutely love Paul's writings. If you haven't spent much time looking at the letters that are attributed to Paul, you might have missed some important insights:
1) Paul counts us all as saints - those set apart for God - because God claimed us and we claimed God.
2) Every one of Paul's letters opens with an affirmation of God's grace and everyone ends with God's grace. This is simply because, according to Paul, all of our lives in Christ, at every point, depends on God's freely bestowed gift.
3) Although the varying churches that Paul writes to are probably house churches, it is important to understand that Paul saw believers everywhere belonging to the same large family regardless of local affiliation.
Specific to this letter to the church in Corinth, Paul is suggesting that our individual stories are always to be viewed in the bigger story of what God is doing in and through Christ Jesus. The beginning of our faith and the culmination of God's work are a deeply woven tapestry. Our story i sa part of God's story and our story affects those around us. Additionally, Paul suggests that a basic human response to the grace that has been freely given to us is thanksgiving towards God.
So my question for today is quite simple: Have you thanked God today? Take some time and do that now and if you feel moved to do so, share some of the things you are grateful to God for in the comments section below.
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--their Lord and ours:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way - in all your speaking and in all your knowledge - because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
I realize that not everyone is as enamored with Paul as I am, and I admit it took me a long time to get where I am at, but I absolutely love Paul's writings. If you haven't spent much time looking at the letters that are attributed to Paul, you might have missed some important insights:
1) Paul counts us all as saints - those set apart for God - because God claimed us and we claimed God.
2) Every one of Paul's letters opens with an affirmation of God's grace and everyone ends with God's grace. This is simply because, according to Paul, all of our lives in Christ, at every point, depends on God's freely bestowed gift.
3) Although the varying churches that Paul writes to are probably house churches, it is important to understand that Paul saw believers everywhere belonging to the same large family regardless of local affiliation.
Specific to this letter to the church in Corinth, Paul is suggesting that our individual stories are always to be viewed in the bigger story of what God is doing in and through Christ Jesus. The beginning of our faith and the culmination of God's work are a deeply woven tapestry. Our story i sa part of God's story and our story affects those around us. Additionally, Paul suggests that a basic human response to the grace that has been freely given to us is thanksgiving towards God.
So my question for today is quite simple: Have you thanked God today? Take some time and do that now and if you feel moved to do so, share some of the things you are grateful to God for in the comments section below.
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