Pray FirstSample

DEVOTIONAL

The idea that God is three persons in one—what we call the Trinity—is a foundational concept of Christianity. During the first century, various heresies about Jesus were gaining traction. In response, councils of early Christians developed the Nicene Creed and others, which help to quickly explain how God is three-in-one: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

Even with the help of Christian creeds, the Trinity can be a head-spinning idea, but it’s worth pondering for a vibrant life of prayer. When you pray, you are praying to three persons.

In today’s video clip, pastor Chris Hodges walks us through 2 Cor. 13:14. This verse reveals the trinity and their roles. As pastor Hodges says it, “the amazing grace of Jesus, the extravagant love of the Father, and the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit.”

What makes this verse especially poignant is the occasion in which it was written. 2 Corinthians is a vulnerable, personal letter from the apostle Paul. His credibility as an apostle was being challenged and early Christian communities in Corinth were fracturing. Chapters 10-13 are a passionate self-defense by the apostle, which ends with a profound statement about God’s three-in-one unity. Paul, when his own identity was challenged, leaned on the true identity of God for strength.

There will be seasons when your identity is somehow challenged, or when your credibility is tested. As Paul has reminded us, it is the grace, love, and fellowship of God reflecting out of you which declares who you are, “those sanctified in Christ Jesus” (2 Cor. 1:2).

REFLECTION

Read Genesis 1:26, another verse which references the Trinity. How is your understanding of the creation story affected with the reminder that a three-in-one God made humans “in our image, in our likeness”?

What causes you to feel like you must give a self-defense, as Paul did in 2 Corinthians? Are you able to lean on the identity of God for strength?

As pastor Hodges asked in today’s video, “what is the Holy Spirit saying to you in all of this?”

PRAYER

In your prayer time today, try to name the three persons of the Trinity. Thank the Spirit for fellowship, God for love, and Jesus for grace.