#DailyDevotion When Failing As A Christian Remember God Is Faithful
1 Corinthians 1:4-9 4“I am always thanking God for you because of His grace which was given to you in Christ Jesus. 5For in Him you have been made rich in every way, in speech and knowledge 6of every kind, as the truth of Christ we spoke was confirmed in you.7And so you don’t lack any gift as you eagerly look for our Lord Jesus Christ to appear again. 8He will strengthen you to the end so that no one can accuse you of anything on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9You can depend on God, Who called you to the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.
These are some wonderful, true words Paul gives to the Corinthians before ripping into them. Indeed, they are going to need these words to get through the reading of the riot act Paul is about to give through much of this epistle. Knowing these things are true will also get you through your toughest times as a Christian when you seemed to have failed at every point in your Christian life.
Despite all the failings of the Corinthians, Paul gives thanks for them because of the grace which was given them in Christ Jesus. We too can thank God for the grace given to us and to fellow Christians when they don’t seem to be living up to the Christian standards the Lord has given us and those we are looking at.
The Corinthians and us have been made rich in every way namely in speech and knowledge of every kind as the truth of Christ is confirmed in you. This is to say that the Lord through the teaching of the apostles has given us the things to say as Jesus promised through the Holy Spirit. He has enlightened our minds as to the nature of God, the persons of the Godhead, God’s will for us and his will and good favor toward us. He has given us the knowledge of his grace and his great love for us in Christ Jesus namely the Word of God, God’s only begotten son has taken on human flesh, become like us in every way and won salvation for us, for you, freely by his great love in his life, death and resurrection. We confirm this truth when we confess with our hearts and our mouths Jesus Christ is Lord, i.e. he is the LORD of the Old Testament.
Therefore, we do not lack any gift as we await the reappearance of our Lord Jesus Christ at his second advent. Yes, Jesus is coming back on the Last Day, with the blast of the last trumpet will all his holy angels to root out all that is evil and wicked in the world. What we need to persevere is given to the Church.
Paul gives us this promise that the Lord himself will strengthen us to the end so no one can accuse us of anything on the day of the Lord. He has promise to present us to the Father, holy, blameless, without fault, righteous clothed in his glory. You can depend on God to do this. He has called you into fellowship, participation in His Son Jesus Christ through faith and baptism into Christ. When you are doubting you will keep the faith, remember his promise. He is faithful. He will do it. If he can preserve the Corinthian congregation members unto the day of salvation, he can and will preserve you.
Merciful God and Father, we give you thanks and praise for the gift of salvation given to us in Christ Jesus and for the promise of preserving us in the faith unto everlasting life. Continue to give us whatever gifts we need to be faithful unto the end. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.