Learning to Treasure

Great devotional that was shared by our Young Adult pastor this morning.

Christians experience and witness a lot that gets us discouraged. I want to encourage us by some of Paul's words to the Corinthians. Remember the context: this was a messed up church. Their list of flaws included sexual immorality of every sort, lawsuits, drunkenness during communion, abuse of spiritual gifts, pride and rejection of spiritual authority.

But listen to Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 1:4-9: "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."

How could Paul comment this church for anything in light of its rebellion and great sin? How could he have any hope for a church so wicked, corrupt and proud? But Paul had hope for this community. The source of Paul's hope was the faithfulness of God to the unfaithful people (read verse 7-9). Paul was very aware of the grace that this church had experienced because he was a recipient of that same grace. This grace is what enabled him to have hope for such a corrupt church.

I would encourage us in several ways:
  1. Find our hope in God who is faihtful. His people may mess up, but He is faithful and will complete His work.
  2. Learn to treasure the good stories about what God is doing. These stories will sustain you and will give you the strength to endure when things don't look so good.
Mark Driscoll says, "The evidences of sin are everywhere in my life and our church. But so are the evidences of Jesus and His grace. I find the more I seek to celebrate the evidences of His grace, the more my heart is rightly prepared to deal with the evidences of sin and its effects...Be encouraged, have hope, vocally tell stories of God's grave, be the church, and do not stop plowing until you see him face to face. Jesus is alive. Anything can happen."

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