God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. – 1 Corinthians 1:9

In his “Authentic Christianity” series, theological scholar Ray Stedman said that today’s verse is the key to First Corinthians. The rest of Paul’s letter revolves around it. It calls believers to an important relationship. He relates an incident concerning Peter Marshall, the Chaplain for the United States Senate from 1947 to 1949, who had a vivid description of contemporary Christians. “Christians are like deep-sea divers encased in suits designed for many fathoms deep, marching bravely forth to pull plugs out of bathtubs!” Stedman said the problem is that believers do not understand the implications of their calling into relationship with Jesus. The apostle Paul attributed that lack of understanding to divisions in the church, scandals, lawsuits, immorality, quarreling, and drunkenness. The situation today is often the same.

You can do your part in overcoming these problems by always being willing to seek pure fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Rely entirely on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in your relationships with others. Remember that these are both privileges God has offered to you.

Your deep relationship with Jesus is what makes holy fellowship with other believers possible. This fellowship is deeper than an occasional meal. It is one where relationships are strong, honest, open, and mutually encouraging. Just as a closer relationship with the Lord avoids division in churches, a deeper relationship with Him enables the resolving of divisions in government. Pray for U.S. voters and political candidates who seek seats in the U.S. Congress or state leadership to come to know the Lord more deeply and experience the sweet fellowship with Him and one another that results.