Forward Movement is an official, non-profit agency of the Episcopal Church whose mission is to create compelling content for Christian living. Since 1935 we have published the quarterly devotional Forward Day by Day, as well as pamphlets, booklets, and books that encourage and nourish people in their lives of prayer and faith.
SATURDAY, September 17
1 Corinthians 4:1-7. What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?
We have every reason to believe that the Apostle Paul worked hard all of his life. He was well educated and was skilled at a trade that supported him. We know that he worked hard in living his faith before and after he became a follower of Jesus.
We know that he accomplished much. We know that he endured many hardships while doing his work. We also know the tradition that his life on earth ended with his execution in Rome. Because he was a wise man, he knew what his end was to be before it came.
And yet—at the height of his accomplishments, he wrote passionately that all that really mattered in his life were gifts from God, through his encounter with Jesus Christ.
To know that we are receivers of the gifts of God does not negate our hard work and creativity. Not at all. Instead, it broadens our awareness of the richness of our lives.
An ancient prayer says it all: “All things come from you, [O Lord] and of your own have we given you” (1 Chronicles 29:14).
PRAY for the Diocese of South Western Brazil (Brazil)
Ps 75, 76 * 23, 27; 2 Kings 2:1-18; Matthew 5:17-20
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