Grace and Peace
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:3
This scripture is the greeting that the Apostle Paul used in his letter to the people of the church at Corinth. It’s an interesting greeting in that he starts by giving grace to them. He says: “I’m sending grace and peace to your from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ”. How can he write this message? Did He get permission from God and Jesus to offer grace and peace to those in Corinth? Paul uses this greeting in many of his letters. So why does he think it is ok to speak on behalf of God and the Lord Jesus? The reason is because grace and peace are for all God’s people, and are necessary to live life and complete each assignment. How does the Apostle Paul know that it is ok to greet members of the body of Christ with grace and peace? Because he knows that God freely gave them to him at his conversion and also gives them to all believers that receive the Lord Jesus as Savior.
This may sound like a simple concept, but why did he choose these two aspects of salvation as his greeting? Grace and peace? We read in 1 John that the Apostle John offered prosperity and health in his greeting. So there are many different ways that the letters were addressed. The reason, I believe is because that is what they needed at the time he was writing to them. Paul starts his letter by letting the Corinthian people know that grace and peace are available and this is what he wants to draw their attention to. God’s unlimited grace and excessive peace. As we read through 1st and 2nd Corinthians, notice the trouble the people at Corinth are having, then we can decide if the solution is indeed grace and peace to all their struggles.
Secondly, although this offer of grace and peace was sent to the Corinthians hundreds of years ago, it is still available today for you and me. Glory to God! God’s unlimited grace and excessive peace are still here for us to walk in each day. Not only that, but we can give them to others just as the Apostle Paul did. We can greet each other with words of encouragement and remember that grace is available to get you through the day and peace is there to calm the storm you are facing. Instead of getting down in the dumps with those who are already down, give a word of truth that will remind them they are a child of God and more than a conqueror. (See Romans 8:17 & 37)
Today I want to encourage you to remember that grace and peace belong to you. As a born-again child of God, you don’t have to be knocked off course and have your world rocked every time a new problem comes along. The storms will not stop, but you always have a way through riding on the wave of grace through the goodness of God’s love and peace! Take that with you and then share it as you have the opportunity. Help others to navigate their storms by remembering that grace and peace are theirs to carry them through, too.
Today’s scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3
The Daily Dose 