Grace Before Anything Else
Read it for me
Cliff's voice
Angela's voice
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:1–2
Most of us don't think much about greetings. We toss off a quick "How are you?" or "What's up?" without considering what we're actually saying. (At least until an eight-year-old answers "What's up?" with the classic, "The sky.")
But in the ancient world, the greeting of a letter set the tone for everything that followed. Was this going to be a word of rebuke? A warning? Even a threat? And Paul, writing to a church that had hurt him deeply, opens the same way he almost always does: Grace to you and peace.
"Peace" was a common greeting among the Jews of Paul's day, and still is in many cultures. But "grace" was something new. And it is the perfect starting place, not only for this letter but for every one of our mornings. Because the foundation of our faith is not a system of ethics, or a collection of good advice, or even a set of true ideas about God. The foundation is the good news of the gospel: through Jesus, God has made a way for rebels like us to be reconciled to Him.
We deserved God's wrath. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we receive pardon, mercy, grace. Before you do anything else today, before you try harder or promise to do better, receive that. Grace comes first. It always has.
Adapted from Hope in Suffering: A 40-Day Journey Through 2 Corinthians, written by Ancient Path staff writer Chris Pappalardo.
Prefer to hear it in Angela's voice? Listen here.
Closing prayer
God, even though You made me, I pushed You away and tried to live life without You. You would have been right to let me go. But in Your grace You sent Your Son to die for me and bring me home. Thank You for this amazing grace. Let me start this day by receiving it. In Jesus' name, amen.