I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our LORD Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our LORD Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our LORD. 1 Corinthians 1:4-9.
Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak. Heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony. Psalm 6:2.
And continuing our 351 Old Testament prophecies, promises of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we come to number 173: A stone of stumbling, a Rock of offense. Isaiah 8:14: Then He shall become a sanctuary; but to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, and a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And, 1 Peter 2:8: And, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.
There comes a point in a heart searching for understanding where you begin to realize that the disobedient heart you decry in others beats in your own chest. Paul understood that so well. We are all of us caught up in this fallen world turned away from Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. The things we decry in others as sin, do we do them ourselves? Devil means slanderer. Satan means accuser. And in this toxic political climate we all inhabit today, slander and accusation are rampant and our hearts are turned to hate and not to God.
In the devotional Rest In Me by Lina AbuJamra, she wrote these words that are so helpful for our hearts yearning for understanding of ourselves and others: “Some days are harder than others. We wonder if we’ll even make it. I was feeling a bit like that recently when I opened my Bible and came across 1 Corinthians 1:7-8. Paul’s words were like healing over my soul. He wrote, “As you wait for the revealing of our LORD Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end.” Sustainer God, that’s who our God is. He will keep us to the end. No matter how tired and worn out you might feel right now, you have a God who promised to sustain you to the end. Paul’s focus was always on God’s faithfulness. He never lost sight of the One who had called him into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our LORD. No matter what you’re going through right now, rest assured in the faithfulness of our God. He doesn’t give up on us. He knows us so well and still loves us so much. Tim Keller explains the gospel like this: “We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” (The Meaning of Marriage). No matter what you’re facing right now, God is faithful and with Him by your side, you’re going to make it to the end.”
The first Scripture verse cited above was from her devotional, but it felt like it had broken in halfway through, so I included the other verses that gave more context. Being called into fellowship with Christ Jesus, our LORD, helps us because He knows from His experience of living with us then, how difficult is the way of the world turned away from all that is holy, and good, and needed – then – and now. And, He helps us see just how ingrained is the deception within our own hearts that we see so easily in others. But, we have hope in our fellowship with Him. We can let His love carry us forward. We can let His truth for them and for us be our hope. I think that’s what Keller meant when he said, “We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe – yet at the very same time – we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” How can we ever understand that? By turning to God. By reading His world with His help. By talking with Him and listening to Him as you walk each day anew. By trusting Him for all of you and all of us. No one who loves and trusts Creator God underestimates evil and how deeply it affects all of us. We just know the One Whom we need – because of its work in this world of men. God’s love is greater.
***STRENGTHEN US – God, our Father, we are exceedingly frail and indisposed to every virtuous and gallant undertaking. Strengthen our weakness, we beseech You, that we may do valiantly in this spiritual war; help us against our own negligence and cowardice, and defend us from the treachery of our unfaithful hearts for Jesus Christ’s sake. Thomas a Kempis (c. 1380-1471).***
