Hey everyone! So I'm going to start using my blog as my new note pad as I go through my bible study. I decided to start out in 1 Corinthians. So I'm going to take it pretty slow here... Like a few verses at a time. Let us begin...
"This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes. 2. I am writing to God's church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus,just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. 3. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace." -NLT
So. This is an introduction. Most people skip introduction or become too familiar with the term "skimming" when reading one. I'm slightly ashamed to say I am one of those people. But there's things you miss when you skim. In the passages above, a couple things I picked up are sort of hidden. It's like playing find the hidden object, without necessarily having a key.
In verse two something that stuck out to me, is where it says "chosen by the will of God". Other versions say "Called by God's will". Please, allow me to chase a pair of rabbits here. Paul, previously known as Saul, had a complete 180. He went from cursing God, and killing Christians ruthlessly, to praising God with every fiber of his being. That's freaking awesome. God specifically CHOSE Paul, for His plan. I think it's really amazing that God picks the people we least expect to be used in the craziest ways.
Another cool thing in verse two is when Paul says "to be his own holy people." God not only chooses us to be apart of His plan but also be apart of His family and His kingdom. And also, note that it says "holy". That's really awesome.
My favorite thing about this passage, is verse 3, Paul's closing statement (to the introduction anyway). He says, "May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace." He uses the illustration of God being our Father again. I still love that. And then he says "give you grace and peace". That's really cool. So many words he could've chosen. But he picked grace and peace. These words are the same words I try to put into action everyday. No, I don't often succeed. But think about it. If we should the people around us a quarter of the grace God showed us? Exactly. BOOM. Mind. Blown. And peace. This is a bit of a struggle for me. Peace and trust are quite similar. More than you might realize. You have to trust God to give you peace. I struggle too often to wholly surrender to God. But when I do, I feel this sense of calmness wash over me. Because I know that He is my savior and protector and He will not harm me. Now. That being said, I still struggle with it. The flesh part of me usually grabs my attention back and I start to freak out. But God's still with me. And that. Is quite amazing.
-MJR
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