Verse of the Day - weekend 9/6

Through the Bible - Proverbs 11-14, 1Corinthians 16 - 2 Corinthians 1

In my devotions this morning I read one of Paul's benedictions in 1 Corinthians 13. Today's verse comes from that passage, verse 14 mentions God in the three "persons" of the Trinity.

But the word that caught my attention this morning was the "communion" of the Holy Spirit. Think of this communion, communion between us and the Holy Spirt which leads to communion, fellowship, and love between believers.

"communion" -koinoonia- means properly participation, fellowship, or having anything in common; This is also a wish or prayer of the apostle Paul; and the desire is either that they might partake of the views and feelings of the Holy Spirit; that is, that they might have fellowship with him; or that they might all in common partake of the gifts and graces which the Spirit of God imparts. He gives love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith (Gal 5:22), as well as miraculous endowments; and Paul prays that these things might be imparted freely to all the church in common, that all might participate in them; all might share them. From Barnes Notes
2 Cor 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. NKJV

Some within the Christian church do not ascribe to the personal aspects of the trinity, instead trying to one God manifested in different ways. This verse and others show us the distinctiveness of each of the three "persons" of the Trinity.

MacArthur writes, "The Trinitarian benediction reminded the Corinthians of the blessings they had received: "grace" from the Lord Jesus Christ (8:9), "love" from God the Father (1:1) and "communion" with God and each other through the Holy Spirit. (1:22, 5:5). Jesus was mentioned before the Father because His sacrificial death is the ultimate expression of God's love."

The verse and the commentaries reminded me of several songs. As tropical storm Hanna moved through this morning it brought not a storm but soaking rains. I was reminded of Todd Agnew's "Grace Like Rain". I also thought of "Showers of Blessing" and finally I thought of one of my favorite hymns Holy, Holy, Holy.

As you read the lyrics take the words "God in three Persons blessed Trinity" to heart.

Holy, Holy, Holy

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee,Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

I've copied the passage from the NKJV and the Message below. Let is speak to you today, this weekend as a preparation for, and an act of worship.

In Christ,
Mike

mikevw@bellsouth.net
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified. 6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

Paul Prefers Gentleness

7 Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, that you may be made complete. 10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction.

Greetings and Benediction

11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.

13 All the saints greet you.

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

2 Cor 13:5 -

Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won't show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we'd rather the test showed our failure than yours. We're rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn't possibly do otherwise.

We don't just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.

I'm writing this to you now so that when I come I won't have to say another word on the subject. The authority the Master gave me is for putting people together, not taking them apart. I want to get on with it, and not have to spend time on reprimands.



And that's about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. Greet one another with a holy embrace. All the brothers and sisters here say hello.

The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.