"I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." - 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
You'd think I was a fool.
Because I'd be acting like a fool.
If I were standing in front of you right now, I'd be jumping up and down and waving my hands as if I was trying to stop a loaded, runaway, passenger train that was hurling towards a washed out bridge.
In today's verses, God plainly says through Paul "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed." (1 Corinthians 1:7)
Here's the 1,2,3 of it.
1--Because of God's grace given in Christ Jesus in the past,
2--We have everything that we truly need right now in the present,
3--even as we're excited for Jesus to come again at the time of God's choosing in the future.
1--Past,
2--Present,
3--Future.
And here's a highly recommended application.
1--Let go of or thankfully celebrate everything in your past because God has already covered all of it with his grace, which means
2--All your stuff in the past has already been put to use as part of the all-sufficient, God-given treasures that you have right now in the present so that GOD SAYS that right now at this very moment, you lack for nothing; you have everything you truly need, which means
3--Of course you should look forward to Jesus coming again, but not because he will add to what you already have. He is with you right now! Through faith, you already have Jesus...and the Holy Spirit...and (in the midst of the strife and turmoil around you) you have the fruits of the Spirit of Christ... Love... Joy... Peace... Patience... Kindness... Goodness... Faithfulness... Gentleness... Self-Control.
God says that you have everything that you truly need right now in this moment and in the next moment and the next, through faith in Jesus Christ.
"Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed." (1 Corinthians 1:7)
Well, alright then, come what may, we should all have a great day!
Believe and Enjoy!
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
No comments:
Post a Comment