Thanks For Nothing

GETTING STARTED

“I give thanks to my God always for you…” for nothing! Nothing that you’ve done, that is! The passage that you are about to read should be read more than once, because once won’t be enough to comprehend what Paul is talking about. It’s clear that he is thanking God for the Christians in Corinth. And it’s evident that he’s thankful for something being done in these Christians and not by them. Go ahead and read it for yourself. Read it slowly, though, a couple of times.

  • When have you been thanked for something that you didn’t do? How did you handle the credit given to you?

READ THE WORD: 1 CORINTHIANS 1:4-9 (ESV)

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. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

DIGGING DEEPER

  1. Why did Paul give thanks to God for the Christians in Corinth (vs. 4)?
  2. How many times is the name Christ Jesus used in this passage? In every instance, what is being said about him?
  3. What were the Corinthians given (vs. 4)? How were they enriched (vs. 5)? Who was confirmed among them (vs. 6)? What were they doing (vs. 7)?
  4. Who would sustain the Corinthians (vs. 8)? Who called them (vs. 9)?
  5. How does understanding all that Christ is doing in you affect your ability to trust him?

RESPOND TO GOD

My dad used to tell me that the whole Christian faith boils down to one word: trust. And yet we strive, strive, constantly strive. We strive to gain importance, acceptance, and knowledge, or to speak well, or be vindicated. Many of the things we strive for are good things, and some are not; however, Paul says that those good things are gifts from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, given freely to us. Trust is a position of rest, not of striving. Take it from me, the “worst of the strivers,” that trust is the far better path, and on that path, God gets all the credit!

  • Thank God for his grace, given to you in Christ Jesus, and the gifts he’s enriched your life with in order to confirm himself.
  • Thank him for the sweet fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ our Lord.