1 Corinthians 1: 2 “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.”
Dear God,
Thank You that I can freely read the inspired scriptures and please bless me with Your insights and wisdom, as I meditate upon chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians. In his usual way Paul sends his greetings to the group who had accepted Jesus Christ and the teaching of Paul, whilst he was previously in Corinth. We all can choose to be sanctified in Christ Jesus and are then called to be saints; and in his absence Paul reminded his fellow believers of this.
All we have to do is acknowledge our need and appeal to Jesus Christ, who alone sanctifies us and covers us with His righteousness, which allows us to be called saints. Most of us are reluctant to refer to ourselves as a saint, because of what we know about our inner self, consolidating in our minds that we certainly are not a saint; but how humbling and uplifting at the same time to believe and accept that when I am covered by the robe of Christ’s righteousness, You, God, see me not as I am, but how Jesus is.
Paul who had received much grace, wishes others to be so blessed, V3 “Grace to You and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Please God, prompt me to pray for my fellow believers more often, and to ask for them, as I would ask for myself and family, to be blessed abundantly. I have noted that in the scriptures and in Your Spirit filled believers of all time; their Christian practice is characterized by caring deeply about the spiritual condition of their contacts, associates and friends, as did our Saviour Jesus Christ whilst on earth. They truly rejoice/d when others learned to love and continue to serve You faithfully; because their own love for You was so deep and enduring, that they want/d all to know and experience Your loving grace and peace, in association with heart uplifting closeness to You.
I thank You Lord, for I also experience Your loving grace and peace, in increasing amounts as I come close to You. Now I can believe that I will also be given an ever deepening and enduring love for You, along with the desire and enabling to reach out to others in love. It has been for me as it was for the congregation at Corinth, V5 – 7……..”enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I give praise for these wonderful thoughts taught and written by Paul about all of the salvation story and what is offered freely from heaven for me and all I know and meet.
Amen