Beloved Children

Today begins our Journey through 1 Corinthians.

Paul is writing this letter to the church at Corinth. This city was the hotbed of depravity and the sin center of the entire Roman Empire. But Paul had established the church here on his previous missionary journey. At first, the church flourished. But as he traveled about, he heard that there were divisions and factions separating the congregation. I can imagine he was disappointed and discouraged, and he felt the need to return and give them some additional teaching.

Being one of the fathers in the faith, Paul was not unlike our parents. How many of us with children have repeated the same lessons over and over, hoping that eventually they would sink in and become a part of their personality and character?

My oldest son was absolutely a model child. Smart, sweet, caring, and possessing a fine, honest character from his birth. How I got so lucky, I’ll never know! But my youngest son! Oh, my goodness, was he a handful! He was always in trouble. Sometimes the infractions were silly and not important. But other times, and as he grew older, some of the episodes bordered on serious. No matter how many times he was cautioned and preached to, he didn’t seem to understand the gravity of disobeying. (In his defense, he had the sweetest heart ever and the most charming, fun personality!)

Did I love one of them more than the other? Absolutely not. One was a very easy child and one was an “Extra Grace Needed” child, but they were both loved and precious to me and I have always thanked God for who they were.

Paul greets these church members, knowing that he has work to do. They are fighting, bickering, and even reverting to their pre-converted ways. But he greets them with love and joy. One of his first sentences is: “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you . . .”

Are there those in our families who are hard to deal with? Are there people in our circles who require added grace? Do we need to continue to love certain ones in our lives who repeatedly disappoint and fail to live up to their potential? God knows their hearts and it is God who continues to draw them closer.

“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of [God’s] Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9).

Prayer for the day: Heavenly Parent, please give us your patience and understanding. By our own strength, we might give up, but you never do! Amen.