April 16: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 1:2
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - their Lord and ours:

Devotion:
In this, the first letter recorded to the church at Corinth, Paul is writing via the leader of the synagogue who had accepted the truth Jesus was the Messiah and our Saviour; presumably he lost his position as the chief ruler of the synagogue after being converted. Now, Sosthenes if heading up the Christian church in Corinth and addresses this letter to all people who believe in the Lord and those who pray to Christ. Does this mean there were still people who did not want to admit they were Christians just yet?

When I first accepted Christ into my life, I was willing to allow everyone to know I was a Christian, even to the extent of meeting for prayers together during our morning break period in school. There were some people who would ridicule us, but on the whole we were respected for what we were doing. What do you think people think of you and your position in the church today? Do people know you as a Christian? Do people know your life was changed by this Jesus character?

Paul knew the Christians would have a hard time – they were the ones who said they believed in a single God whereas the Greeks as a whole had many gods and prayed to a god who fitted into what they wanted. This is probably why he opens in extending prayer for grace and peace to all the people whom God had chosen to stand up for what they believed.

As Christians we need to stand up and allow people to be encouraged to stand up for themselves too. God has chosen us to be the bringers of the message to others. God has chosen us because He knows we are able to stand up and be counted – we may doubt that at times and we may doubt ourselves too, but God knows what we are made of and knows we are the ones to make a difference. Believe in Him and know He has made the right choice in choosing us!

Points to Ponder:
Do you have doubts you can do things for God?

Have you tried stepping forward and asking God for the strength?