As we close the book of I Corinthians, a book Paul wrote to move into the lives of people who were living more like Corinthians than Christians, my thoughts turn to what Crabb alluded to in his corresponding chapter. Crabb wrote: After more than 50 years as a Christian, I thought I 'd be so much different than I am, so much more patient and caring and self-controlled. Me too! I thought I would have a legacy to leave. Thought my ministry would be stable and set and something. But, it's not. I'm not. But wait a minute, something happened in my life four years ago that has so awakened me forever. I hit a depression not common to man and God stepped in. That's all I can say. I'm a little more solid than ever, a little more so wanting to trust Him! Somehow, in those very dark nights, hope burned bright enough to sustain my fledgling faith. Oh, that HE would release His Love through me for those I fail to love well.
"The more you attempt to hold on to your confidence in the goodness of the story I am telling while at the same time acknowledging all that is bewildering and maddening and shatteringly disappointing in this life, the more you will be confronted with the ongoing moment of decision, to trust or not to trust." 66 LL. God has moved me from shattering circumstances. Only He could have done it. My circumstances are probably still shattering in some ways but it doesn't matter now. This isn't about overcoming circumstances. His Story is loving and His Plan is on course and "His Spirit speaks into deep places in my heart that only terrifying doubts render accessible." I understand that a tad bit more. Thank you, God! "And in that place, He will anchor you in Hope." On my face, broken before God for He is anchoring me in hope. So what's stirring in your heart as you close the pages of I Corinthians?
HERE I AM
I Cor. 15:10 "Because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I'm not about to let his grace go to waste." God gave me the work to do. God gave me the Energy to do it.
AWAKEN TO HOLINESS
I Cor 15:34 "Think straight. Awaken to the holiness of life. Ignorance of God is a luxury you can't afford in times like these. Aren't you embarrassed that you've let this kind of thing go on as long as you have?
MAKE ROOM FOR THE MASTER
I Cor 16:13 "Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you've got, be resolute, and love without stopping...Make room for the Master! Your Master Jesus has his arms wide open for you. I Cor 16:23
"But because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I'm not about to let his grace go to waste." Corinthians hit me much harder than Romans. Where Romans told how to live right, Corinthians left me knowing all the things I do wrong. Knowing we have been given God's extravagant graciousness is the only way to move ahead free of the loss of blessing we endure due to not being in fellowship. Thank the Lord, there is today to seek, to bask in His boundless love, and to be an instrument of that love to others. Help us do it, Lord. I thought I'd be so much farther along too. This is my 39th year of knowing the Lord. His Light is exposing darkness of my heart. My prayer this morning is for correction to be as much a blessing to me as the joyful kind of blessing. I so want to see through His Eyes. Help us to love like that.
ReplyDeleteAs I read the last chapters of 1 Corinthians, I was impressed by the down-to-earth, yet magical quality of the passage. It is a wonderful mystery.
ReplyDeleteI Corinthaians 15:51 -57 "But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I'll probably never fully understand. We're not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed."
Corinthians 15:57-58..." Who got the last word, oh, Death?
Oh, Death, who's afraid of you now? It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God!"
It is all here, the question, the answer, the challenge, the reward.
All a gift from precious Messiah Jesus.
58"With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort."
"Make room for the Master"
ReplyDeleteJust love the closing verses of 1 Corinthians!
Uplifting and jovial, Paul loves the readers but loves the Master, too.
Throw out those who don't love the Master! That's how important loving Him was then and is now.
And the way Paul encourages us about the resurrection touched me. A tomato seed looks nothing like a tomato plant.
What will we be like?
Imagining my nephew rising up out of his grave and coming out of that cemetery. And my little sister I never knew. My grandparents and many loved ones coming towards me in the air with smiles as bright as the sun!
How on earth can we NOT love this Son of Man who is the firstfruits? Count me as one who loves The Master. This mystery will come to pass.
Pearls, may you all find Him in the eyes of the people in your life. Matthew 25:40.