Thanks for Grace
“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge — even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you — so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
Paul prays this prayer at the beginning of his first letter to the Corinthians. Paul had established the church in Corinth so he knew this congregation well. He had gotten reports about things going on in the church that he felt should be addressed. However, before Paul gets on with the business of what is wrong in the Corinthian church, he prays for them about what is right in their lives. Oh that we would learn this lesson too. We so many times want to point out what is not right in other people’s lives, sometimes especially our brothers and sisters in Christ, yet when they are covered with the blood of Jesus we should first look at what is right in their life.
The Corinthians were an enriched people, not just in their wealth, but in their speech and in their knowledge of Jesus. They had learned the right things about Jesus, they preached the right things about Jesus and Paul recognized that they were doing right things for Jesus and they were waiting for Jesus return with anticipation. They had problems as well but whatever problems they had, Paul recognized their good points in this prayer. They were a gifted people.
Don’t we know people like that too? People who are gifted in spiritual gifts that can only be from God yet they also have points that, well may still need some work. Sure we do. You know why? Because humans are fallible. We will never be perfect until we see Him face to face. But as Paul points out God is faithful. He was still working on the Corinthian church. He is still working on people we know and He is still working on me for sure!
Something my commentary pointed out that I wish I had picked up on myself first. The first 10 verses of this book Paul refers to Jesus in every verse. For a total of 11 times. Paul puts the emphasis on Jesus because Paul knows that the sure cure for every problem the Corinthian church had was Jesus. Jesus is the cure for every problem or weakness that our Christian brothers and sisters face. Jesus is the cure for every weakness I have in my life.
I want to pray this prayer that Paul prayed about my brothers and sisters in Christ too. I want to see the grace on their lives before I see the weakness. I pray that others can see the grace on my life before they see the weaknesses. I have many weaknesses. But praise Jesus, it is by His grace that I can face every day!
Restore 