Good morning,
The Apostle Paul had a wonderful family of believers, living in a city called Corinth, that were facing a lot of challenges all at the same time. One of the first things he wrote about was how thankful he was for all the gracious gifts God had given them since they opened their hearts to their new Lord, Jesus. Now instead of living in gloom and doom, they were looking forward to the return of their Savior. Their new Lord, Jesus, was giving them everything they needed to keep on living lives that were marked by freedom from the overwhelming guilt that made life so controlled by fear in the past. They had the strength they needed to face the daily challenges of life knowing that they were partnering with their Eternal Savior. (vs.4-9) Paul then reminded them that the truth that had set them free, was considered foolish by their former friends and family. Paul was thankful that being smart and having a lot of education had nothing to do with the perfect plans that God had for them and the world around them. He was thankful that the wisdom that God had given them was based on the wisdom of the God of the Universe, and anyone who didn’t know or care about what God said was actually a fool. What’s more, Paul was thankful that what they had learned about God wasn’t foolish, it was what would set people free for eternity.
Paul has given us a wonderful list of gifts and truths that can make our lives worthwhile during this time of confusion. God is giving us an adventure of faith and an opportunity for speaking truth into the lives of our families and friends even if they think that there is something wrong with us. Trusting Jesus has given us a whole new way of looking at our lives and what is happening around us. When we rely on God’s truth, and the work of his Holy Spirit in sharing what God has given us, God will give us his strength to share his love and the love he has given us, in an effective way. If we keep thinking about our own weakness and fears about what people will think, we will miss the chance of seeing God at work in us and through us during the upcoming holiday seasons. What we are seeing these days is what Paul wrote then, Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. (v.27) When everything is falling apart, God is setting the stage to turn some toward his truth, and also, God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. (v.28) Let’s ask the Lord to set us free from the values of the world around us, and give us the gifts of truth and love and confidence in our loving Savior and Lord to share with our friends and family this year.
1 Corinthians 1: 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.
Roy Wisner
