3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 1)
Grace and peace. We often see these twin blessings from God in the opening verses of Paul's letters. We are all searching for and desiring peace - that sense of wholeness, that all is well, that life is under God's control no matter what is going on in the world or within our souls. It is a blessing that was sought and given in the Old Testament. Grace was brought alongside peace through Christ. It is something we also need and should be seeking and willing to receive, but often do not realize how much we need it and end up rejecting it. Paul here thanks God for the grace that has been given to this group of Christ followers, and goes on to see the evidence of God's grace among them. It had affected their speech and knowledge, bringing with it all sorts of spiritual gifts, among which is patience. They had been given, by God's grace, everything they needed as they waited and prepared for Christ's return. God does not hold back from us. His grace will sustain us through any trial, and His sanctification will prepare us to be ready for Him to come. The resources we need are not lacking. May we be willing to receive and rely on them.
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