Everyone Paul meets gets a letter of encouragement afterwards.  Paul is so passionate and confident in all that God will provide to trusting believers in Jesus, that He must remind all of the benefits of knowing, trusting, and obeying God in Jesus Name!  We are leaving the letters to the Romans, filled with joy, learning simply that we must daily offer our whole being to God while thanking Him for Jesus who set us free to love like He loves us.  We will now glean from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians!

We will learn even more from Paul’s letters sent back to the church Corinth about the challenges that face any group called church who attempt to live for Jesus while also living in the world.  This one foot in the Light while the other foot remains in darkness does not work.  Because of the love of God in Paul driven by the passion of His Son, Jesus, he writes letters to warn them so they will not fall for evil but turn to God.

Paul begins with who he is in Jesus with what God has called him to do—remind the church who have been cleaned up and restored by Jesus to live set apart for a God-filled, adventurous life.  He begins with “I thank God for you…”  Paul begins all his letters with this greeting of sincere love for people because he wants God’s best, Jesus, for everyone he meets. 

1 Corinthians 1, The Message

^1-2 I, Paul, have been called and sent by Jesus, the Messiah, according to God’s plan, along with my friend Sosthenes. I send this letter to you in God’s church at Corinth, believers cleaned up by Jesus and set apart for a God-filled life. I include in my greeting all who call out to Jesus, wherever they live. He’s their Master as well as ours!

³ May all the gifts and benefits that come from God our Father, and the Master, Jesus Christ, be yours.

^4-6 Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There’s no end to what has happened in you—it’s beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives.

^7-9 Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn from Paul how greet people in love, thanking God for them.  When we pray for people, love all people, and thank God for each life; we begin to see people from God’s perspective—even our “enemies.”  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”  (John 3:16-17)  And this same God who created “our innermost being” will not give up on us!

To love like God loves us begins by believing and repenting to Jesus who takes away our sins.  God’s Holy Spirit immediately comes to live in us to do the work of forming and shaping this love as our relationship with God grows more intimate each day. 

May God do this work of love in all of us so we will judge less and love more!

I thank God for all who are reading this right now!  You are so loved by God and by me!

Lord,

May the “evidence of Christ” be seen in all of us today!  May our love for you be contagious to the world who is broken and in need of a Savior.  Help us to make the most of every opportunity to tell your story for your glory as we point the way to salvation to you.  We don’t need a thing when we have you!  God of all, in all, and over all…who saved us from our selfish sins and renewed our lives!  We have it all!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen!

Holding back from you is so ironic
You made me so you know when I pretend
Your faithfulness resolves my indecision
So I choose to yield myself over again
And I’ll do it every chance that I get

You can have it all
You can have it all
Lord, You can have it all
You can have it all

(North Point Worship & Clay Finnesand Lyrics)