True Concern for the Sinful

I'm beginning a study of Paul's letter to the Corinthians. I reviewed Paul's journey heretofore and his previous contact with those brethren. There are a number of things that occur to me as I consider this letter. First of all, the true concern he has for the people. Paul's affection for them is derived greatly from the role he played in their knowledge of Christ. Knowing his care for them changes the tone of the letter. The second is the fact that here is a group of people that claim to be devoting their lives to the Lord that are caught up in all kinds of problems. Paul addresses them harshly in some circumstances, but he does so because of the great value he places on his relationship with them and more importantly, the great value of their souls.

However, I must not too quickly condemn the Corinthians. By no mean should their sin be condoned, but seeing such sin in the lives of those who recognize God to be the only King, it causes me to consider my own ways. I praise the Lord with my mouth, but how about by my behavior. If I'm not actively pursuing accomplishing His will, and I don't mean just studying it, but actually implementing it and carrying it out, then am I any better off than these Christians.

Do I, as Paul, have a true concern for God's people? Every people is God's people. He has a vested interest in their souls. Do I? I work with people every day. How frequently do I find opportunities to speak to them about our Lord. I hope by studying this book that I'll gain a better understanding of how to go about talking to people about the Lord when obeying Him would cause me to help them address some seriously incongruous issues in their life. Introspectively, let's first let the study hit home.