Always Thankful

This passage reminds us to be thankful for salvation and grace have been lavished upon us in Christ. Our salvation is secure because of the faithfulness of our God.

It's surprising how ungratefulness exposes pride and selfishness. The Corinthian church boasted about their abilities yet we as creatures can only boast in our Creator. As we look at 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 we see that God deserves thanks. Thanks for saving us, thanks for gifting us, thanks for keeping us until the return of Christ. God is faithful, so thank him.

A number of questions come from the text that challenges us:

1. When was the last time you thanked God for his salvation? For his faithfulness? For his joining you in fellowship with the Son? For his calling and grace?

2. How tied up are you in our present life? Do you live like the best is yet to come? Do you long to see God? Do you long to be free of our sin, or do you secretly enjoy it? Are you storing up treasures on earth? Where is your heart, a sojourner on this earth, or right at home?

3. Do you rejoice in your salvation? Does God's sovereign hand and his great faithfulness cause you great contentment and assurance? Is God your passion, your pursuit, your longing? Or, is God taken for granted? Does following God put too many "rules" that you don't want? Does being a Christian make you happy?

This text is meant for us to take our eyes off ourselves and to fix them on God. It is meant for us to long for the return of Christ (we haven't arrived yet). And, it leads us to rejoice in God's faithfulness and calling.

1 Corinthians

The book of 1 Corinthians was written to a troubled yet gifted church. Paul, an apostle of God, through the inspiration of the Spirit addresses a number of issues that are so relevant to today's church. He address divisions, the Lord's supper, the importance of the resurrection, sexual immorality, marriage, spiritual gifts, and much more. He applies the gospel to each issue. Certainly we need to listen to God's word as these issues are addressed.

Tim Stephens

Tim Stephens is the senior pastor of Fairview Baptist Church. Tim grew up on a farm in Eastern Ontario and has graduated with a Computer Engineering degree from Queen’s University, a Masters of Divinity degree from Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, and is currently pursuing his Doctor of Ministry in Expository Preaching at the Master’s Seminary. He is happily married to Raquel and they have eight children.