Christians are meant to be spiritual conduits--God’s grace flows into our lives, setting us free and making us new, and then it spills out of us as God uses us to bless others and point them to that grace.

All of us want wisdom-wisdom to comprehend the deepest spiritual realities of life. Thankfully we don't have to go and search for it or discover it on our own, because it's already been revealed to us. The question is, "Are we living by the wisdom of the world or the wisdom of God?"

As the leaves begin to fall, we forget that death is happening all around us; yet for some reason we find it beautiful.

Paul came to the Corinthians in weakness. He had died to himself and was determined to preach one message - Christ and him crucified. In this way the message and the messenger were consistent, so that our faith would not rest not in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

The message of Jesus Christ, crucified for our sins, now raised from the dead and reigning as King flies in the face of worldly expectations. But it is God’s power to save whoever believes. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 calls us to look away from earthly wisdom, power, and status and boast in the cross alone.

Here we see Paul calling for unity among the believers in the Corinthian church who were divided like a bunch of middle schoolers in their cliques. But instead of simply telling them to stop being divided, he calls them to humble themselves and focus on the cross of Christ, which will cause division to melt away.

Starting is easy. Finishing is hard. Have you been running the race as a Christian, but lately it seems like you're sputtering and falling behind? Did you start off well, but now you're wondering how you can get back on track? Be encouraged that if God had called you, he will sustain you to the end. You will finish, because God is faithful!

What do you think of when you hear the word saint? Are you a saint? This is one of the most widely misunderstood words in our Christian vocabulary. But if we are in Christ, we are saints. That's our identity. And God knows there's a gap between who we are and what we do. He knows we will often act un-saintly. The church in Corinth was a prime example. Indeed, God's saints aren't perfect; but we keep pressing on to become who we are in Jesus - and we do it together!

Most of us have a "song" that's replaying in our minds over and over again each day. It's a song of self-centered grumbling and anger. So how do we move from a heart of whining to a heart of worship? How do we get a different song in our heads that honors God and satisfies our souls?

Our 4th and final 'G' gives us the answer: "God is gracious, never forget it!"

Only God can satisfy our deepest longings and desires. He alone is good. But so often we forget; our hearts are prone to wander. Thankfully he is patient with us even taking us through valleys to remind us that He is enough - he is all that we need.

"God is Good, so we don't have to look elsewhere." That's the 3rd 'G' in our series.

Are you controlled by what others think of you? Do you crave their approval and fear their rejection? All of us, to some degree, struggle with the fear of man. It's a horrible way to live; enslaved by the opinions and expectations of others is absolute bondage. So, how can we be liberated from the fear of man and be motivated to love others instead?

This week we look at the second 'G' namely, "God is Glorious, so we don't have to fear others."