From 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
This devotion is the first in the next series we’ll be going through with these written devotions, and we’ll be focusing on the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians. Today our verses are simply Paul’s greetings and thanks for the Corinthian church. It provides us with an opportunity to give some rudimentary background on Paul and these epistles.
Paul was not always a Christian. In fact, he aggressively persecuted Christians as a leading member of the Jewish political scene at the time. While he was doing that, God confronted him and he converted to Christianity. Paul was a Roman citizen and well educated. These traits allowed him to make his way around much of the ancient world, planting churches and sharing the Gospel wherever he landed. He also wrote extensively, authoring many of the epistles (letters) in the New Testament. Corinthians was an influential city at the center of an important trade route of the ancient world. The city had a reputation for sexual immorality, religious diversity, and corruption. In many ways, the concerns Paul addresses in the Corinthian church are concerns that we can also see to varying degrees in the American church today.
Paul writes to the Corinthians to address some issues they are facing that have come to his attention. In addition, he writes to the young church to help them as a community figure out what it means to live as Christians. Regardless of your role in the congregation, these letters contain wisdom for how we live in community with other Christians and with the world around us.
Focus on God
We are reminded in these verses that God graciously blesses His church with intentional wisdom.
Function in Our Lives
We are encouraged to work for our communities to reflect God’s will for how we relate to one another.
Topics to Pray About
- Thank God for your church.
- Confess to God the times where you don’t live up to His standards for Christian living.
- Ask God to bless His church with faithful community.
In His Service,
J. LeBorious