Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Do you like getting cards in the mail? I know I do. It's always fun to see an envelope with your name on it, whether it's for a birthday, an anniversary, or a holiday, because it means that somebody is thinking about you. Maybe that excitement has changed over the years as more of that mail has become junk mail. I still get so excited when I see that envelope sitting in the mailbox with my name, especially when it's written in handwriting that I could recognize.
Did you know that most of the New Testament are actually letters written to different churches in the area at the time? A lot of these letters came from the Apostle Paul. These churches would have known who that letter was coming from by a stamp that was placed on that envelope to keep it sealed.
Paul's Letter to Corinth
One of such books is the Book of 1 Corinthians. Paul writes to the church because there were some problems that were rising up in the church. He had planted the church there and then he had continued on, and then he got word that things weren't going so great. What does he do? He pulls out his quill, he gets some ink, he writes on that parchment, and he sends it off. They would have seen this letter come in with that stamp saying, this is from Paul.
What's very interesting is that for a letter that's all about correcting what the church is doing wrong, I love the way that he greets the church. That's the verse we're going to look at today from 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 4. The apostle says, "I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts He has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus."
A Foundation of Love
That is such an encouraging way to greet the church. "I always thank God for you." He reminds them of the gifts that they have and that they belong to Jesus. He doesn't start this way to give them a false sense of security, right? The sort of compliment sandwich where it's like, let me say one nice thing about you so I could say all the mean things.
No, Paul starts this way because he wants to establish his heart for the church. He's essentially saying, hey, I'm coming in here not because I hate you, but because I love you. I want to see you walk faithfully with the Lord. I know where you started, and I know where you can be. I know your first love, and I want you to return there. He's building this foundation so that they can trust his intentions and his motivations for writing in such a way as he will through the rest of the book.
A Lesson in Grace
I'll admit, it's not always easy to have this heart when you're dealing with people that are doing something wrong. Years ago, I was leading a lot of cross-functional teams at a church I was working at, and there were several directors that I had to oversee, and there was just a lot to juggle. I was jumping from this meeting to that meeting, getting ready for this event and that event. There was so much to keep track of.
Any time there was a major mishap, a big communication that was missed, a deadline for a report that was missed, or an event that didn't get planned properly, it was really tempting for me to come in and swing the hammer. Then I realized that that wasn't helping my team grow. It was just helping them become better at hiding those things from me when they went wrong.
Grace Over Fear
See, fear is a lousy motivator. God doesn't say yell at people until they get it right. He says we should exhort them, that we should stir one another up to love and good works, that we should bear one another's burdens. This is the model that we as a church should be having—to extend grace. Isn't that what we want when things go wrong? That people would take the time to hear our story, see our side, and meet us in our lows so that we could be lifted up together into our highs.
As you go about your days, as you spend time in community, as you see things that maybe are going wrong, pause and take a breath. Be reminded of the grace and mercy that God has shown you, and then go and show that to others, because we all have been called to one faith. We all have gifts to share with one another. We all are part of Jesus Christ's bride and body.
Let's endeavor together to be unified, to keep peace, and to help one another take one step closer to Jesus every single day.