14 "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV)
What a sweet benediction we find in today's Scripture! Three terrific things bundle together, rolled out into one simple prayer. The prayer calls for connection, for people to be connected to God in three important ways:
VIA GRACE. God wants us to be ever captivated by grace, the good things we get that we never deserve. The best grace we'll ever get is found in Jesus. Getting connected to Jesus is to find the mother lode of grace. Our unmerited favor truly rests in Him. Once introduced to grace, may we never get over it...and extend it to others as it's been extended to us.
VIA LOVE. God's love is wild, extravagant, unconditional, eternal. There's no better love experience than getting loved by God. Let this love bind us and keep us connected to the heart of our King.
VIA FELLOWSHIP. God wants to see connection rolling between His Spirit and us. He wants that relationship to be dynamic, rich, sweet, not ignored or suppressed. Living on the same page with Him, hearts beating as one, is what He desires...like great teammates. His Spirit reminds us that we are better together, that we were made for fellowship. And the better that fellowship goes, the better our fellowship with one another will be too. The vertical and the horizontal are always related.
