lasting value

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:3a For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received:

Observation: Paul kept going back to the primary point of his message, his primary purpose.

Application: A rather personal mission that I’ve been striving (sometimes successfully, sometimes not so much) to embrace for the last few months or so is this: “to provide messages, products and/or services of lasting value in a temporary world.” For me, anything of truly lasting value will be driven by a strong appreciation for what God had done for me and others through Christ. It truly is a gift that keeps on giving and it is the kind of thing that the Apostle Paul considered to be of “first importance.” I may still be fussing with how best to convey such things, both through the church and personally, but I am convinced that somehow or another, by the grace of God, I am on the right track. I’ve believed this to be so even before reading today’s assigned readings, but it’s especially reassuring to see that Paul said and believed more or less the same thing.

Prayer: Lord, this plugging away at life is really quite a new learning experience with each new day. But through you I continue to experience deep meaning in the journey. For that I give you thanks. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: Psalm 149 and 1 Corinthians 15-16)