“Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ
Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God in
Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together
with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ --
their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:1-3)
The first verses of the first Corinthian
letter are pretty standard stuff. It’s just
the beginning of a letter. They talk
about the one writing, they talk about the ones being written to, and they
share the goodwill of the author. It is
pretty standard stuff, but it’s pretty significant stuff, too!
This passage speaks of the fact that both the
author and the recipients have been called.
Called by God, of course. That
says something about the activity of God.
What they are about is of God’s initiative. That’s true of you, too. You aren’t a Christian by your own initiative,
but by God’s. He called you to Himself. He drew you.
He invited you into a relationship with Him.
And what were the Corinthians called to? They were called to holiness. God called them to a changed life. And God continues to call people to a changed
life. That’s what He’s called you and me
to. He doesn’t want to see us stay the
way we were before we met Him. He wants
to see us different, changed, holy, like Him.
Oh, it doesn’t happen all at once, but it does happen. Bit by bit, small change by small change,
sometimes almost imperceptible, but God is changing us, He always changes the
people He touches.
He has changed me -- and still is. If you have a relationship with God then He’s
already changed you, too -- and He is still at work changing you even more!
His, by Grace,
Steve
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