1 Corinthians 1

This morning I woke up overwhelmed by the brokenness in this world. I was saddened by how difficult it is for myself and close friends around me to truly grasp the concept of Lordship and what it means to desire Jesus to be Lord of our lives. I was saddened by the struggle between the mind and the flesh (Romans 7:21-25) and how we often allow our flesh to win out. I was discouraged by the struggle between self-righteousness/pride and an acute awareness of hypocrisy and sin in my life. I was also saddened by how little I really understand love as explained in 1 Corinthians 13. I was overwhelmed by how difficult it is to be Christians, redeemed by Christ, but still living with sin, on this side of Heaven.

I don't know what led me to read 1 Corinthians again, but it brought me so much encouragement.

1. Who we are is a result of God's grace. Our understanding and knowledge of Him, our ability to live for him, our being made Holy is a result of Christ's death on the cross. So the promise that "He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" is able to come true because it is not dependent on my efforts, but on Christ. No matter how far I've fallen, no matter how broken I am, Christ is able to keep me strong and pressing on toward His holiness. And He is faithful.
2. Christ is unity. We are called to be in unity with one another. There is no room for pride and self-righteousness because all we know is by the grace of God. This is an urgent reminder for me as I'm in the middle of conflicts within a Christian group I am involved in. One thing I need to keep reminding myself is that the only boasting I can do is in the Lord. It is a call to humble myself and vigilantly watch my own motives. It also is a call to rely on Christ for the unity He calls us to.

Scripture is so life-giving and encouraging. It is also convicting. I began this morning discouraged, but now I am encouraged. The power of the cross of Christ is something that I feel I am barely starting to grasp. How nature must have groaned for the coming of Christ and the fulfillment of the law! Maybe I'm finally beginning to appreciate the Advent season.