“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the Grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus” 1 Corinthians 1:4

…….

On Sunday my church started a new series that’s going to take us through the book of Corinthians. For those of you that don’t know, Corinth was a really, really ugly church in the Bible. I’m talking HORRIBLE things – suing one another, sexual sin, prideful spiritual gifts, etc. They were basically doing to ALL wrong & not really caring. They were allowing their sin to rule their life. Then Paul stepped in. Paul was a writer, teacher & disciple of God. Basically, he traveled around to various cities starting churches, re-vamping old ones & just constantly telling people about Jesus.

1 Corinthians is a letter Paul wrote to the church of Corinth. In short, he’s writing to them because he sees their sin & wants to turn them back to God. He starts writing this letter KNOWING how horrible they are… knowing all the sin that’s eating away at their church & at their lives… yet he’s THANKFUL for them.

Wait. What?

He starts of the letter praising God for them… He says “I give thanks to my God ALWAYS for you.”

Why? I mean, they’re doing a HORRIBLE job right now. Of all emotions to feel, why is he THANKFUL?!

“…because of the GRACE of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus.”

Sweet, beautiful Grace.

The one thing that makes us whole, that gives us hope, that pushes us through…

See, it’s not about what I’ve done wrong, what I’m STILL doing wrong, or even how “good” I’ve been… It’s always gonna be about Grace. And Paul knew that. He knew that even though they weren’t doing things right, they still had Grace … and for that, He was thankful. Thankful for what Jesus did because it always overrides even the worst of us…

I can strive for perfection, yet I will fail & Grace picks me up. I can fail over & over again & never think I’m worthy of Jesus, yet Grace remains.

Don’t you get it? No matter HOW horrible those people were, they still had Grace, and Paul was thankful for them BECAUSE of Grace. Not because they earned it or deserved it or he was going to fix them so they matched God’s standard… but because the Grace God ALREADY gave them, through Jesus, was something to the thankful for. In fact, it’s the ONLY thing to thankful for. Because no matter how hard we try, it’s not about us. And even when we fail, we don’t ever fail-too-much. We still have Grace. Always.

We’re half-way through month one of the Contentment Challenge. And, there’s still Grace. So, if you’ve been doing really well that’s great! Give yourself a quick pat on the back, and remember it’s because of Jesus you made it this far:) Or, if you’ve had a few slips & need some re-direction, don’t feel like a failure. Remember, Grace over Perfection. Pick yourself up, pray a lot & keep on going. You got this:)

I’m THANKFUL for you, sweet friends. I’m thankful for the amazing community I’ve found through this challenge, for women all over the country (what?!) who’ve decided to do this, too. You encourage me daily. And, it’s because of God’s Grace we’re making it through.

xo! kat

(( Image & Quote from the inspirational Emily Ley ))