Reflections on 1 Corinthians 1:4–6
“I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way… God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you.” (1 Corinthians 1:4–6, NIV)
Paul cannot stop thanking God for the Corinthians. Why? The Remedy puts it plainly: “Your transformed lives testify to the healing power of the remedy brought to us by Christ.” Paul can see it. The message he brought them has taken root, and their lives are changing.
That is the joy of those who believe and share the truth about who God is: to see with our own eyes the working of God in a life that selfishness had destroyed, now set free to truly understand reality, love, and freedom. To watch the power of heaven poured into a surrendered life, until that person is restored to high human standing, able to think, to discern truth, to hold an opinion that can be trusted. This is only possible when the life is restored to the image of Christ by the Grace of God. It is the miracle of re-creation, and we get to be a part of it.
“The truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). There is power in truth: the power of God to heal us, to give us the ability to take in more truth, and to share wisely what we know with everyone we meet. We are empowered to say what we know in the very best way, with discernment and wisdom, so that we can be a blessing to those we share it with.
Truth moves us directly into the flow of the Fires of Truth and Love coming from the very presence of God. Those who want to know Him only have to reach out in any direction. Our knowledge of God, and of our own hearts, is increasing. That second kind of knowing is one of the hardest things to get our hearts and minds around. We are so blind to our own faults. “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23).
So we must care wisely for the broken and hurting ones, who can only take in very small doses as they begin to receive truth and Love, and as they grow in their ability to know truth and to feel and give love. The selfishness is burnt out of the heart as Truth and Love fill all the empty, broken, hurting places in our souls. We are all being healed.
The ability to know and to share is the proof of our connection to the Father, the proof that the Holy Spirit is in us.
And the joy comes with each day’s victories: realizing you have strength flowing through you, direct from the throne of God, to stand firm in any choice you have put your will behind. A choice with your will engaged is not a whim or a want. God is not a vending machine, where you put in your money and make your selection. It is all about growth, and choosing from a heart that is learning to love as Christ loves us. Such a choice moves forward in its direction, knowing the Lord will supply your lack as needed for you to stand firm and reach the goal. “My God shall supply all your need” (Philippians 4:19).
This is true joy: to know you can be more in His strength. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).
