A Life Worthy

Amen (1 Corinthians 16:24).

And so, we come to the end of the letter.

It’s only taken two years–albeit with many detours along the way.

Beloved, thank you for making the journey with me. Please forgive me for any wrong turns I may have taken. I have never claimed to be a Biblical scholar.

I’m just a guy on the same walk as you.

So, this word Amen.

We use it a lot at the close of a prayer or to express agreement with what has been said.

It means, “truth” in Hebrew, and it has made its way pretty much unchanged into all the translations of the Bible that I know of. Paul closes his letter to the Corinthians with this word. It signifies that he has spoken truth to his friends–even when it hurt. It also turns the closing of the letter into a prayer of sorts. He affirms the truth of his words and his love in the sight of Almighty God.

It is my prayer that you will carry the truths of this letter forward into all your days to come. 

Happy Tuesday, Beloved

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. (1 Corinthians 16:23).

Grace

Unmerited favor

Paul began this letter by wishing the Corinthians grace. By definition, grace is something they couldn’t earn and could never deserve. They could only receive. This grace came by the will of the Father, at the price of His Son, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. It was, and remains, the only hope for sinful, broken, fallen people like the Corinthians

and the Michaels.

I’m certainly no apostle, but may I wish you the grace of the Lord Jesus today?

Sure I can–it’s my blog.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus rest on you today, Beloved of God. 

And every day to come

Happy Friday

The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets in their house. All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand(1 Corinthians 16:19-21).

As he brings his letter to a close, Paul does your basic wrap-up. He passes on the “Tell them I said ‘Howdy’” messages from everybody, and generally tells them to play nice.

Some things I wonder…

Did Aquilla and Priscilla know that they would have a cameo in one of the most famous letters in history? How would they have felt about that?

Did anybody in the Corinthian church find the “holy kiss” awkward? Because when I traveled to churches in the East, I found that seriously awkward.

What was the deal with Paul’s writing? He often mentions that he dictated his letters, and wrote a final greeting in his own hand. I know most people figure he had bad eyesight, but why? Had he never fully recovered from his experience on the Damascus road? Did God heal him, but leave him with poor eyesight as a reminder? ‘Cause I don’t think he would have needed a reminder. Maybe it had nothing to do with that; maybe he had just spent too long sewing tents in poor lighting.

I wonder a lot. Feel free to shush me.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these, and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it (1 Corinthians 16:15-16).

Service

Seems kind of boring.

I don’t know what Stephanas and his folk were involved in. 

Maybe they were greeters

or parking attendants.

Perhaps they did dishes after the church potluck

or changed diapers in the children’s ministry.

I don’t know how they served, just that they served–the whole family.

It probably wasn’t glamorous, because most service isn’t.

Paul says we should submit to people like Stephanas, because he has devoted his life to the people of God, and therefore, to God himself.

How about you, Beloved? 

Who are you serving, and how?

Happy Monday, Beloved